2015 NHL Draft Profile: Jack Roslovic

The Player

Jack Roslovic

Right Wing/Center

Team: US National Team Development Program U18

Height: 6'1" Weight: 182 lbs.

2014-2015 stats: 65 games played, 27 goals, 52 assists, 79 points

Final NHL Central Scouting Rank: 39th among North American skaters

What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Roslovic is a smooth puckhandler that excels in one-on-one situations and can make dazzling moves with speed and in tight spaces. He is excellent at using those skills to gain zone entry and establish possession in the offensive end. Once in the offensive end, he's an effective passer that sees the ice well and does a good job finding open areas of the ice away from the puck.

He has added some muscle over the past two seasons, but still has a lot of strength to add. He looked great playing against his age group, but was neutralized too easily in some of the NTDP's games against older college competition this past season. He'll also need to improve his shot to be more of a complete scoring threat rather than a pass-first player.

Is he trending up or down heading into the NHL Draft?

Roslovic started his career at the NTDP on the U17 teams fourth line as a gawky, gangly center, and he ended his career alongside 2016 first round picks Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk on the U18 team's top line at the World Championships.

The big change for Roslovic came early this past season when a meeting with head coach Tony Granato helped push Roslovic to take his game to the next level. He saved his best performance of the season for his last with a very strong World U18 tournament.

Where is he projected to go in the Draft?

Roslovic has been steadily rising up draft boards all season. After his strong World U18 tournament, there was even some talk of him slipping into the tail end of the first round. It's unlikely he lasts past the second round of the draft, and with his hometown team of Columbus holding a pair of picks early in the second round, it would make a fantastic story if they selected the homegrown product.

How does he project as a pro?

There is tons of upside here. Roslovic has the offensive ability that he could potentially play wing on a first or second line at the NHL level. He certainly held his own playing with that level of talent at the NTDP this past season. There's no guarantee he reaches that level, but the potential is there. He's definitely more of a skill player, meaning he'll likely need to be productive in a scoring role because he's not as likely to succeed in a defense-first role on a lower line.

Where will he go next?

Roslovic is committed to Miami University. With the RedHawks rebuilding their offense after losing Austin Czarnik and Riley Barber to NHL deals, Roslovic should have the opportunity to step right into the Miami line-up and see significant playing time right away. He'll likely need at least two to three years to continue to build physical maturity, but may not need much more than that if he continues on the same upward development curve.