OHL Prospect Profile: Jacob Holmes

– Jacob Holmes –

York Simcoe Express (ETA) | Left Defence | 2019 OHL Draft Eligible

Alliston, Ontario | 6-foot-1, 176-pounds | July 4th, 2003

Jacob Holmes is an intelligent, mobile defencemen who has somewhat flown under the radar for parts of the 2018-19 season. The captain of the York Simcoe Express, Holmes is beginning to earn the recognition he deserves and rise up the OHL Draft rankings. Playing an effective two-way game, he is often relied upon in all situations and has proven his ability to thrive under a heavy workload.

Related: Check out Prospect Pipeline’s 2019 OHL Draft Rankings.

Holmes earned an invaluable opportunity on the national stage in February, where he represented Team Ontario at the 2019 Canada Winter Games. He flew with the chance, quickly becoming one of the team’s most relied upon and high-scoring defencemen. Holmes displays all of the integral traits to find success at the OHL level, and then some.

Strengths:

• Positioning & Decision Making
• Skating
• Point Shot

Holmes is a defender that can give his team a better chance to win in any situation and at either end of the ice. He has consistently demonstrated tremendous instincts on the ice with both his positioning and decision making, both with and without the puck. Holmes rarely makes a mistake and recognizes when to take the safe play, as well as when it is appropriate to take a chance.

Related: Don’t miss out on any of our 2019 OHL Prospect Profiles.

A strong and smooth skater, Holmes is very difficult to knock of off the puck, but is even more intimidating to go up against as an opposing forward. He is very agile on his feet and can change directions instantaneously without sacrificing any speed. Offensively, he has a very heavy shot from the point and can also distribute the puck well at both ends of the ice.

Area of Improvement:

• Speed and Puck Skills

Holmes has displayed some very intriguing offensive potential, as both a playmaker from the back end and a shooter from the point. In fact, he has the potential to become a very potent two-way defenceman if he can improve upon his speed and puck skills. Having honed the defensive aspects of his game, Holmes could easily become one of the top defencemen from this year’s OHL Draft with some added offensive flare.

With already excellent skating abilities, Holmes could be a very dangerous option on the rush with some increased speed, allowing him to create odd-man rushes or rush the puck though the neutral zone himself. As well, some slick puck skills at the point would allow him to walk the line with more confidence and open up passing and shooting lanes to take advantage of.

Future Potential:

In all, Jacob Holmes has displayed a very mature and strong all-around game. He is as solid as they come defensively, with great gap control and awareness. He has continued to improve his offensive upside throughout the course of the season as well, boasting a very strong point shot and promising puck movement.

Heading towards the 2019 OHL Draft, Holmes is certainly trending in the right direction. He is beginning to receive his due recognition and just seems to be scratching the surface of his potential. He could very well challenge as a second round pick, if not, a very valuable third rounder.

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OHL Prospect Profile: Kaleb Nelson

– Kaleb Nelson –

York Simcoe Express (ETA) | Centre | 2019 OHL Draft Eligible

5-foot-10, 153-pounds | April 13th, 2003

Kaleb Nelson is one of the ETA’s premier goal scorers, battling alongside the league’s elite prospects for the scoring title. Amongst the Express, Nelson is a leader by both example and by voice. Not only has he been the team’s most consistent and dynamic offensive force in the ETA, but Nelson has also led the Express in scoring at each of the team’s major tournaments thus far.

Related: Check out Prospect Pipeline’s 2019 OHL Draft Rankings.

On the smaller end of the size spectrum, Nelson makes up for it with high-end hockey sense, reading and adapting to developing plays on the fly and positioning himself in quiet and advantageous spots. A quick skater with impressive puck skills at top speed, Nelson can pick goaltenders apart with his lightning-quick release or his upper-tier playmaking.

Strengths:

• Agility & Acceleration
• Shot
• Hockey Sense

While Nelson’s goal totals may suggest that he plays with a sniper’s mentality, he also possesses tremendous smarts that he uses to make decisions of the fly as to whether to shoot, or slip a pass to a teammate. With noteworthy skating abilities, Nelson can fly down the wing or dipsy-doodle through the middle of the ice with relative ease.

Related: Don’t miss any of our 2019 OHL Prospect Profiles.

Boasting incredible poise with the puck, Nelson can effectively cut in and out of traffic in order to gain the offensive zone. However, it’s his shot that really gives him an edge. With a quick and powerful release, Nelson can pick corners on the rush as well as hammer home one-timers. He often slips into a soft spot as well that allow him to deposit the puck into the back of the net off of a feed from a teammate.

Area of Improvement:

• Size & Strength

With modest height and weight, Nelson has had to overcome the challenges of being a player of smaller stature all his life. As he looks forward to his future in the OHL, those challenges will only grow and force him to adapt more than ever. With that said, there’s no reason to doubt his ability to compete and thrive alongside larger competition.

Perhaps most significantly, Nelson exhibits promising skating and intelligence; two imperative assets in the modern era of hockey. In any case, this will remain an area of focus as Nelson continues to grow and mature. Being able to hit the gym and bring his weight and strength up for training camp will go a long way to dictating where Nelson ends up for the 2019-20 season.

Future Potential:

In all, Kaleb Nelson is an intelligent centre who plays a very impressive, 200-foot game. Showcasing above-average skating and puck skills, Nelson demonstrates all the traits of a natural goal scorer. He has consistently led his team as an offensive catalyst in both regular season and tournament action this season.

Nelson has been able to adjust and improve his effectiveness throughout this year, becoming one of this year’s rising prospects. For the time being, he projects as one of the ETA’s top prospects and as a potential second round pick at the 2019 OHL Draft.