Niagara Ice Dogs defenseman Vince Dunn is a player who’s draft stock has risen considerably throughout the season, owing to a very solid second half in which his point production actually increased as the play-off race intensified. Though he lacks a bit in size, his defensive awareness and offensive power have put him in the upper tier of 2015 draft eligible defenseman. He has slotted in at 32nd on the Central Scouting North American skater list – a surefire second round pick, with the potential to be snapped up in the late first round.
The slick-skating, silky-smooth Dunn lead all draft eligible defenders with 18 goals, and ranked sixth in OHL defenseman points, with 56. Even though he is a dangerous powerplay option, Dunn is also a very productive even strength player, ranking sixth in even strength points, with 9 goals and 29 points. His points/60 is also quite high, at 2.11, even more impressive when considering the amount of ice time he receives.
Dunn’s point production peaked during the second half of the season, which coincided with the IceDogs tearing up the OHL standings. Through Dunn’s first half, he had a respectable 21 points in 34 games. In his final 34 games, he posted 12 goals and 35 points – tops in second-half production for all draft eligible defenders in the entire Canadian Hockey League, and second in points/game, behind only St John’s SeaDogs’ Jakub Zboril. Dunn continued his hot streak in the play-offs, potting a whopping six goals in eight games during the IceDogs’ play-off series against the Ottawa 67s and the Oshawa Generals.
With a very fast first-step and strong stride, Dunn is able to glide over the ice with ease, giving him the speed advantage against most opponents, even the especially speedy, shifty forwards. He is rarely beaten to dumped pucks, and his strong vision results in creative outlet passes. He has a powerful, accurate and well-timed shot, which often finds it’s way through traffic.
Like some other notable draft eligible defenders, Dunn plays a high-tempo two-way game, relying on hockey smarts and use of skating to fuel his defensive zone presence. He is prone to occasionally getting a bit too fancy with passes in the d zone, and prone to adventurous pinching, leading to turnovers and odd-man rushes against. But while these deficiencies are troublesome, they can be easily overstated as major issues, which they are not.
Dunn plays in all situations for Niagara, and is their most relied upon defender. He slots in on the first pair at both even strength and powerplay, and kills penalties on the secondary defense pair. He’s estimated to receive well over 23 minutes per game, highest on the team, and is estimated to play over 37% of Niagara’s even strength minutes – seventh among draft eligible defenders, but with the second highest levels of even strength production. Niagara head coach Marty Williamson referred to Dunn as “probably our best defenceman”, high praise for a team with a solid blueline featuring some notable veteran players.
I had the chance to watch Vince Dunn three times during the season, and he was instantly noticeable with his play. I was not particularly focused on him during my first viewing, but he did a lot to change that very quickly, standing out with a few excellent puck carries from the defensive zone all the way into the offensive zone, generating a scoring opportunity for the IceDogs. His supposed defensive liabilities were not in evidence during the games that I viewed; no, he’s not going to bowl you over with physicality, but he’s fast enough to make up for any pinching errors he makes, and very difficult to get around due to his pivoting skill.
Because of his current and potential ability, his style of play, his role on Niagara, and the rapid improvement he’s demonstrated over the last two seasons, Dunn is certainly a player who Columbus should be targeting with their 34th or 38th picks. It would not surprise me if a team reached and nabbed him late in the first, but hopefully he’ll be available for the Jackets to select.
In my opinion, drafting Vince Dunn would go a long way to softening the blow of a potential Mike Reilly snub.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
