2021 Flames First Round Targets: Brandt Clarke

In the defensive zone when defending the cycle, Clarke tends to either sit net-front or play a tight game along the corners. By sitting net-front, Clarke uses his elite gap control to limit the amount of high danger opportunities. He sits right at the crease to minimize lanes for his opponents and adds a secondary shield for his goaltender. As I said, he will alternate from net-front to the corners and when he is on the corners, he plays you man-on-man and puts pressure on you. The pressure that he puts on you is overwhelming and in most cases leads to the cycle dying.

Clarke is a strong skater with excellent edgework and power through his strides. His legs splay slightly outwards in his stride, but his overall form and extension he gets on his strides is very good for his age. His foot speed is an area of improvement, but he excels at jumping into the rush and does a good job picking his spots to minimize risk. He is very confident with the puck on his stick, skating it through the neutral zone in transition with purpose and showing good management of his speed and balance to find open patches of ice to make zone entries. He showed good decision-making under pressure, making quick plays to beat forecheckers and using his feet to escape pressure. Makes a strong first pass and is very aggressive trying to find wingers pushing the pace of play at the offensive blue line. His poise is apparent in the offensive zone, using subtle fakes and deception to open space for his teammates. His vision from the point on the power play was impressive in this game, generating multiple dangerous chances by moving laterally to open passing lanes. His aggressiveness can get him caught deep in the offensive zone at times, leaving a forward back to cover counterattacks. He has solid awareness when defending in his own zone, but is still learning to pick and choose when to pressure his man with body contact or simply use his long reach. Clarke’s acceleration and overall strength in puck battles is still a long way from the top levels, but he has the brain and puck skills to eventually contribute as an all-situations defender in the NHL.