2022 Flames Second Round Targets: Noah Warren

Warren’s size, strength, power, skating combination and rapid progression this season made him a talked-about player as the year went on and caught my eye in trips to Gatineau for an Olympiques game and Kitchener for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He plays within himself and skates quite well (as evidenced by his strong combine results in Kitchener and the impact his mobility had to funnel play to the exterior in Gatineau). He defends at a very high level and has started to come out of his shell with the puck, even if the latter is never going to be a hallmark of his game. After spending more time watching him on tape than most as I put the finishing touches on this piece, I was also impressed by his stick and the job he does reiterating with opposing carriers. He can step up and play the body but there’s also a quiet calm to the way he matches and keeps opposing players to the outside. If he can develop a little more confidence carrying the puck (which came as the year progressed) in transition and atop the point, the rest of his game should translate.

He’s outstanding. He’s on the rise and the credit goes to him. The priority was to really establish who he was going to be at the next level and where he could be used. And it’s quality over quantity. He became a physical, steady-Eddie defenceman on a daily basis. And that’s why his stock is on the rise. Because now his assets are so strong and powerful that now you see the strength of the athlete instead of the weaknesses.

A 6-foot-5, 224-pound behemoth, Warren is strong and physical. He knows how to use his size and has the mobility to defend top forwards well. I just don’t know if there’s enough offense there to believe he can be much more than defensive depth at the next level. That said, his physical attributes are such that you have to list him to see if he can take his game to the next level.

Warren implements solid pressure against the half-wall, will sandwich attackers at the perimeter, but looks to take away lanes to the slot and force the attacker to work the boards when the oppositional rush enters the zone. He will look cut off the rush by throwing his weight. But, he doesn’t just use his weight to suppress pressure off the rush. Warren has strong net-front presence and if someone is looking to park themselves in front, Warren will throw his weight.

Warren is an extremely raw, physical, defensive blueliner who has continued to jump up our board throughout the season thanks to his high-level play and constant progression… The 6-foot-5 prospect is finding his groove as one of the best lockdown defenders in the QMJHL, and, he’s even starting to show more offensive flashes — which has always been the biggest knock on his game.

I’d probably have to say, get faster and better decision-making for the next level. I feel like my decision-making is good for the Q, but the NHL is a way faster league so I’m gonna need to continue to improve on that.