Noah Ostlund

Skating:

Ostlund is a dynamic and fast skater, able to pick up a lot of speed quickly, and maneuver at high speeds. He uses his speed to break in on the fast break, and make it back on the defensive end. His strength has improved since his draft year, allowing him to withstand more physical pressure from defenders and add even more explosiveness in his stride.

Passing/Handling:

Ostlund’s main strength in the offensive zone is his passing and handling (sometimes to his detriment). In the offensive zone, Ostlund is the clear set up man, and he does that really well. He has slick hands to handcuff defenders and great vision to execute passes to his teammates. His fast hands open up tonnes of passing lanes which he attacks constantly. Unfortunately, he can rely too much on his passing, and often passes up premier shooting opportunities.

Shooting:

The worst part of Ostlund’s shooting is that he doesn’t use it often enough. He definitely runs far more comfortably as a passer over a shooter, which just limits his offensive potential. Ostlund generally uses his speed and hands to put himself into high danger situations where a quite accurate wrister is his best weapon. While not a particularly heavy shot, it is pretty accurate.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

Vision is Ostlund’s greatest skill and everything about his game stems from it. He constantly finds weak points in the opponents defenses and attacks them quickly, whether its using speed and hands to turn defenders inside out on the fast break or opening up passing lanes and firing a cross-ice pass onto the stick of a teammate.

Forechecking:

Ostlund is an admirable forechecker, using his speed and work ethic to be a pest for opponent defenders. He doesn’t always have the greatest read on defenders, but at least puts pressure and takes away time for the breakout. The added lower body strength has helped him with physical pressure, which will only continue to improve.

Defense:

Similar to his forechecking, Ostlund is a dogged defender, who can get a little bit of tunnel-vision and gets caught puck-watching. His speed makes him an asset when getting back for the backcheck, and he rarely takes a shift off in either zone which makes him at least an adequate defender in all shifts.

Best Asset:

Ostlund is a terrific passer and stickhandler. He can use those along with his speed to find offensive opportunities for himself, and mostly for his teammates.

Biggest Concern:

Goalscoring could be a problem point in Ostund’s game. If he is paired with a pure goalscorer, that can be mitigated, but Ostlund will likely never light the lamp consistently at the top level. His size could also be an issue. He also can tend to stay to the outside of the offensive zone, and could use a bit more presence in the centre of the ice to become fully effective.

Top Tier/Role Potential:

Tier 1 - PPG+, elite offensive talent

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

If paired with a great goalscorer, Ostlund could be a dominant set up man and rack up assists like no one else, while adding some secondary scoring. He always competes and can muscle defenders on the forecheck. Top line talent.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

Tier 2 - 70-80 point scorer with below average (-1 to 0 SD) BASH or 60-70 point scorer with above average/elite (0-1 above SD) BASH

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

Ostlund drives enough play and provides enough positive impact on both sides of the puck that he should be a solid middle-6 forward. He may struggle to find the net enough to reach first line potential, and relies on teammates to finish his amazing passing and set ups.

Stylistic Comparable:

Historically, Henrik Sedin. Stylistically Mitch Marner in his stickhandling skills and passing and preference to set up, rather than shot.

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

Noah Ostlund is such a fun player to watch. His combination of speed, skill and tenacity makes him an incredibly entertaining player to watch, and I see little to worry about his game transitioning to North America. When he makes it into Buffalo, it will be easy to see him become a fan favourite.