Dylan Holloway // Scouting Report #7
This is a picture of Wisconsin Badger center and wing Dylan Holloway skating down the right side of center ice while with control of the puck as he passes the Wisconsin Badger home bench at the Kohl Center in Madison, WI.
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 192lbs.
D.O.B.: 9/23/01
Stats: 8 Goals, 9 Assists, 17 Points, 35 games played
Team: Wisconsin Badgers, NCAA
Position: Center & Left Wing
Blue line to Blue line time: 1.72
Most outstanding stat: 7 EV/G, 5 EV/A, had 9 P in last 10 GP
Letter, (A-F)=Consistency, A being most consistent
Number, (1-5)=tier of talent, 1 being highest
Rank:
18th by EliteProspects.com
15th by Future Considerations
20th by ISS Hockey
14th by TSN/Craig Button
26th by McKeens Hockey
12th by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
17th by Consolidated ranking
16th by TSN/Bob McKenzie
16th by Dr. Tee Scouting
Scouting report:
What’s up guys? And for my 7th scouting report of the year I have Mr. Dylan Holloway who's kind of been flying under the radar a bit over the past few months especially for the people that only look at his stats but man, do I think he really has potential! He has an older brother who plays in the Kootenay international junior hockey league as a defenseman, and Dylan also has a pretty strong bloodline which is good to see. But the one thing that I really like about Dylan Holloway is that he improved a lot towards the end of the year. He had 9 points in his last 10 games, and averaged around 3.5 shots per game which is a very nice thing to see. So what are we waiting for? Let’s dive right in!
Move - 2A
Dylan Holloway is definitely a top 20, maybe top 15 skater in this draft class really because of how effortless he is on the ice.
Holloway has an outstanding stride, I’d probably say it’s the best in the draft class! The way that he can always maximize every stride of his is pretty crazy when you think about him, and how physically mature he is as a player. The reason why he went blue line to blue as fast as most NHL players do on average is because of his stride. He’s extremely powerful with it as well and once he got going I thought that he was one of the fastest players in the NCAA, and junior hockey in general. Once he picks a lane he’s not a guy to make a quick turn around a defender even though he has the complete ability too. When he finds an open lane it’s “you can’t stop me because I have my big body in the way driving the net and I’m probably going to score a goal.” He’s got great acceleration, and mobility too, to go with his great explosiveness which is like the unsung heroes of Dylan Holooway’s skating. He can 0 to 100 very fast when play slows down and speeds back up, but he also has the ability to play around with his speed while getting open for a pass, or with the puck. When coming down the side of the boards driving wide he has the complete ability to either slow down, take a quick look and either switch lanes with the linemate on the other side of the ice in which Holloway leaves the puck for him and gets open for a pass, or he can make a quick move to pull the puck in closer to his body and burst to the front of the net where he can either pass, or shoot himself. And with a player as dynamic as Holloway there are a million other things he can do. The one thing that he might be missing is that little extra bit of agility but he still has great agility, and quick turns, pivots, and transitions for someone of his size. This is one of the mains reasons why Dylan Holloway really caught my eye towards the end of the year.
Dangle - 2B
Dylan Holloway has some pretty rock solid hands you could almost say.
Holloway is a weird case of “I know what I can do, but sometimes I may not do it,” and that can let him down sometimes where he can get a little too confident, or be not that confident really at all. The raw talent that he possesses with his hands is really 2nd to none. He can show amazing flashes of dangling through many defenders and then making his way to the net and getting a good shot off. He can keep his game very simple with the puck, it’s, “if I have the puck in the corner, and I have a couple guys coming at me then either get the puck to another teammate or use your big body to maintain possession of the puck.” This is something that really he does very consistently, but the way that he can really flip flop between confidence and really not always showcasing what he can really do with his hands can at times be a problem that holds him back from really being that big time scorer in the NCAA, let alone the Big Ten conference. So in this category you kind of need to give him credit. He just came from the Alberta Junior hockey league which isn’t exactly the best ever league, straight to the NCAA which is arguably one of the best development destinations for hockey players. But for a guy that possesses as much talent as he does it’s a little disappointing that we didn’t see his entire potential really a lot of the year. I do think that he’s a great player but this will definitely be something to improve on, at least in the NCAA.
Snipe - 2C
Holloway has a pretty tricky shot as well. It’s very nice, but very tricky the way that he really overall utilizes it.
Holloway has a very nice shot, but it’s really the way that he executes it that really can throw you off a bit. He has the speed, and the hands to get around defenders with free will, and charge the net, but instead usually puts to much pressure, and responsibility on his stick can will slow down a bit, and instead of controlling speed, and throwing off a defender or passing the puck he’ll throw a shot towards the net from around the top of the circle or close to the blue line? Yeah, it’s pretty weird but it may have to do with Wisconsin’s deployment, and coaching as they really didn’t have the best coach ever. Regardless, he still has a pretty average good shot, that he can get off from in tight, so everything’s there, he has the skating that if he can add a little extra agility to it it will be amazing, great stickhandling, and pretty good passing, so why isn’t he just trusting in his skill set. I feel like I’m kind of hating on him a bit, but he really does have a great ability to get in open areas of the ice, find open space for himself to go in and drive the net, or take a good shot from close to the net for rebounds or to actually try and put the puck in the back of the net. He has all the things to be an elite player in the offensive zone, he just hasn’t quite put all the tools together yet, and I think that is something that will be coached out of him in the near future.
Defensive mindset - 1C
There’s not too many things to say here besides the fact that Dylan Holloway is a typical two way forward pretty consistently, although like many players he can have mental lapses.
Holloway is a hard working two way center/wing in the defensive zone. He’s reliable without really being that much of a flashy player. He can cover players with free will, also incorporating some physicality in his game, and along the boards, as well as grind out the play, and even out the playing field, in close,and heated games. He plays very smart with the puck when he doesn’t find a breakout pass right away; he's perfectly willing to skate the puck out of his own zone, as well as passing the puck to an open teammate. He can have some mental lapses here and there like a lot of players do at his age where he can get caught watching the puck, anticipating play a little too much, jumping ahead of the play, or really getting lost in the defensive zone. He plays smart most of the time in his own end despite this though, and he can play with a little inconsistency to his game here and there due to those mental lapses here and there, but he really plays a very good, rock solid, and physical defensive game. In the future he’ll be very good for a team like Montreal where he can work in many situations, and work as that great dual threat two way forward. He can play on the PK and be that shutdown forward that you’re looking for, he can be a great player on the PP to generate offensive chances with his quick feet, and stickhandling. Overall he can turn out to be a great defensive forward if he ends being coached in that way.
Overall - 2B
Overall,you have to give Holloway credit for being that great two way forward that can generate offense, and grind out the play when the game is close and he did it all on a team that turned out to be very disappointing with players like Cole Caufield, Alex Turcotte, and K’andre Miller. If he can get more confident with the puck on his stick, and trust in his abilities more often I see him becoming a great two way player, that possesses a lot of skill, and that offensive upside that you’re usually looking for in a forward like Holloway.
Versatile, two way forward
Player Comparison: Gabriel Landeskog
Holloway is another player that’s a little tricky because there’s not many players that have the size that he does along with the skill. But he’s similar to Auston Matthews’ skill just a little bit with the size, and flashes of skill, same with Max Pacioretty and the size, two way ability, and skating, but I think that Landeskog has that perfect balance between size, skill, and his two way ability which really reminds me of Holloway, and really with the direction that he looks like he’s going in, and what he’s already really good at.
More reports: Scouching, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YouoANWCdoE
Draft dynasty, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0zNQ_ff_s