Ty Emberson falls into the 85th best prospect in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

The American defender had a good season overall with some good things happening but there is still some doubt about how projects a prospect overall.

Watching the young rear-guard, you can see why he is attractive as a prospect and why he will almost certainly be taken in the middle rounds of the draft.

Emberson was a defender that slid into more of a depth role for the USNDTP as other players passed him on the depth chart as the season went on. He has a skillset that is intriguing as he is comfortable with the puck, willing to rush with it or pass it off to his teammate with speed.  He has decent size and speed and uses both effectively in the defensive zone to limit opponents chances.

The Eau Claire native isn’t a flashy player by any means but does enjoy to join the rush when the opportunity presents itself. But he feels more like a calming influence on the ice and isn’t forcing things to happen. It shows some maturity to his game that he can recognize chances to make things happen but won’t force anything.

Good at gaining the zone and exiting the zone as well.

Basically, Emberson is a well-rounded defender who didn’t do anything to hurt his own draft stock but didn’t leap off the page as the year went on. He was passed by a few of his teammates in terms of drafting rankings but that was more do with the other player rather than his own game.

He is a right-handed defender with NHL size, speed and coolness to his game that will mean that he will get selected at some point this year. He is committed to the University of Wisconson and thus will take a longer develop path, which will make him even more attractive as a prospect.

Although his XLS% doesn’t jump off the page, it’s not a giant red flag and with the context of the USNDTP’s other defenders, it’s still decent. His SEAL is at least encouraging.

Our rankings aren’t completely the “85th best prospect and thus will be third round player” but more of how we view them in order of impact. Some players fall into this ranking because of potential (or lack thereof), lack of data or just quantitative reasoning. There is nothing standing out in either direction for Emberson and assuming that he can continue to round out his game – it’s easy to envision him being a bottom pairing defender in the NHL and there is a possibility that he breaks through that ceiling. There is value in that and even more so as a right-handed one at that.

Quick puck rusher who reads plays at an extremely high level and knows precisely when to attack. Emberson’s combination of size and speed makes him a prospect with serious NHL upside. He loves to take the puck deep and makes the right choices, and he seems to identify and react properly when his partner is close to isolation. Emberson is a key cog to the NTDP’s top power play unit and has a high success rate with his zone entries. He’ll stay in him home state next season when he suits up for the Wisconsin Badgers.