Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, and Frederik Frandsen on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! Today we bring you our Liam Greentree Scouting Report.
Sometimes being on one of the worst teams in a league can drop a player’s draft stock heavily. In contrast, other times it helps the prospect stand out. In Liam Greentree’s case, it is the latter. The young forward was forced to be the main man and captain for the Windsor Spitfires, and he excelled in that role. Offensively he was brilliant, putting up 90 points in 64 games, doubling his total from last season. This earned him a call-up to the under-18 Canada Men’s Hockey Team, where he had four points in seven games, helping Canada win gold. A strong end to a strong season.
Liam Greentree 2024 NHL Draft Scouting Report
Right Wing — shoots Left
Born January 1st, 2006 — Oshawa, ON, CAN
Height 6’2″ — Weight 198 lbs [188cm / 90 kg]
Skating
For a player of Liam Greentree’s size, the skating is solid. It’s not perfect and there are better skaters in the draft, but Greentree manages to make the most out of it, especially in transition where he can keep things simple and smooth. He uses his skating to be effective in the neutral zone, protect the puck, and slow the game down until he can make a smart pass with the puck. He has a decent top speed, although mechanically is a bit clumsy at times. A burst of speed that has been enough to bring some separation in the OHL. However, it’s doubtful if that can continue in the NHL without improvements.
With that said those improvements are showing. Throughout the season, he has been able to get smoother mobility and movement. A good sign and if he can continue and just become an average NHL skater, he can go far. It won’t require outlandish skating for him to succeed at all.
Offensive game
In terms of the best shot in the draft, Liam Greentree is right up there. He has a rocket of a shot that can go in from anywhere. Greentree also has the ability to unleash it in a variety of manners. His shot is effective as both one-timers on the power play or snapshots off the rush. The release is fast and deceptive and it makes him a lethal goal scorer.
Conversely, while his shot is his main weapon, it’s by no means his only one. His passing is great and creative, which is only strengthened by his smooth hands. With the puck on his blade, he can create magic. He is extremely creative with it and can find an open lane with ease to set up his teammates. His creativity is something that was improved this season compared to the last couple.
The only negative surrounding his offensive game is his decision-making. It’s extremely inconsistent and lacks the sharpness needed for a player who in many ways has good hockey sense. He isn’t an unintelligent player at all but tends to be tunnel-visioned on either a shot or a pass. This means too many attempts are blocked, which often limits his great shot. If he can get more awareness and avoid overlooking a better option, he has the potential to become a point-per-game NHLer.
Defensive game
As a captain, Liam Greentree improved a lot in his own zone. He had a far better work rate than in the past. You could say that his motor and physicality finally became a factor. He took leadership and looked far more interested without the puck than he had in the past. However, this still needs improvements when the puck is away from his long reach. When it is, he can look disinterested and lack the drive to stay in the right headspace to stay with his man. However, with the puck in his reach, he is a strong presence. He is able to close down attackers with his stick and tenacious motor and get a stick on shots and passes.
He does need to be better positionally and have more consistency to be serviceable in his own zone. If he can continue his current improvements things are looking good on that front.
Projection and Comparison
As we see from Liam Greentree’s scouting report, he is in many ways the definition of a boom or bust player. His ceiling is sky-high and his raw talent on the puck is amazing. He has a fantastic shot and strong passing, while also being a big body presence. His skating is looking to improve and nearing okay rather than below average, and he shined as a captain with great leadership qualities. All attributes you want from a player. The worry is his floor, due to his inconsistent decision-making and engagement away from the play, that has to improve. Same with the skating that needs to be slightly more refined. Without significant improvements, he will not make a significant impact in the NHL.
In terms of a stylistic comparison, he has a lot of similarities to Jason Robertson. Both are great scorers with a lethal shot and a strong vision for their teammates. And both with similar question marks when drafted. This is by no means said in terms of abilities, since that is for time to tell, but he plays a similar game to the Dallas Star superstar.
Main photo credit: BENJAMIN CHAMBERS/ERIE TIMES-NEWS-USA TODAY NETWORK
