2015 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Joel Daccord

Joel Daccord

Position: Goaltender
2014-15 Team: Cushing Academy (NEPSIHA)
College Commitment: Arizona State (2016)
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
Height/Weight: 6'2.25"/197
Date of Birth: 8/19/96
Final Central Scouting Ranking: 10

The name Joel Daccord should ring a bell for those who follow the sport of hockey. His father Brian Daccord is the founder and president of Stop It Goaltending and is a former goaltending consultant of the Boston Bruins.

The younger Daccord, who just completed his senior season at Cushing Academy, is carving out his own niche in the sport and will most likely hear his name called at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Fla.

Learning the game from his father, Daccord has always been a technical goaltender with solid fundamentals. However, it was a change in his goaltending philosophy that might have allowed the North Andover, Mass. resident to truly turn a corner this season.

"He's always been technically sound. Because his father is a goalie coach, he didn't always get credit for being as athletic as he is," said Cushing coach Rob Gagnon. "Some people thought he played too technical."

"This year, though, he played like an athlete," explained Gagnon, a former collegiate player at UNH.

Daccord's athleticism doesn't stop at the doors to the hockey rink. He's also the captain of the soccer and tennis teams at the Ashburnham, Mass. prep school. He's twice been named the Athlete of the Year at Cushing and is likely to win the award again this year, according to Gagnon.

Daccord, who back-boned the Penguins to the No. 2 seed in the New England Prep School Elite Tournament, was stellar all season. He has good size that he combines with the physical tools and knowledge of the position to form the makings of a top goaltending prospect. Even in showcase events such as March's Beantown Spring Classic, Daccord stood out.

Daccord's mental game might be just as tough and as well accomplished as his physical game. Gagnon bragged about his goaltender's ability to maintain composure and not let a soft goal rattle him.

"He's calm, cool and collected," Gagnon said.

A hybrid butterfly goaltender, Daccord is expected to play the 2015-16 season with the Sioux City Musketeers, the USHL organization that owns his rights, before matriculating to Arizona State for the 2016-17 season.

Daccord's stock rose significantly this past winter and his hockey-playing future seems more set in stone with his commitment to the Sun Devils. A second-year draft eligible, Daccord seems destined to be drafted somewhere in the last two rounds.

Daccord likely won't be the only Penguin interested in the goings on in Southern Florida the last weekend of June. Teammate David Cotton, a BC recruit, is pegged for somewhere between the second and fifth rounds while fellow senior Bailey Conger is considered a potential dark horse.

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Jeff Cox covers college, junior, prep and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.