#3. Braden Schneider, RD (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)
If Schneider was a 30-year-old player heading into Unrestricted Free Agency, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs would offer him $8M per season. That’s the type of player you should think of when you think of Schneider.
"“A two-way, right-shot defenseman capable of playing the power play and the penalty kill with great competitiveness and smarts. Schneider scored 42 points (seven goals, 35 assists) in 60 WHL games,” said Mike Morreale of NHl.com."
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Schneider can not only provide a physical element but he can score as well. With comparisons to Jacob Trouba, scouts believe that he’ll be a top-four defenseman in the next few years. He’s literally the perfect fit to Toronto’s blue-line, but like I’ve mentioned before, the team shouldn’t draft him because of that. If Schneider is the best available player when they draft, go ahead and select him, but if they have other players higher on their own rankings, then select the other player instead.
After reading what Steve Kourmianos of The Draft Analyst says below about Schneider, it could be hard to resist selecting him:
"“He uses his length and strength well off the rush, too, but his biggest asset is his ability to take away time and space in the defensive zone, close out the wall, win puck battles and advance the play back up ice with a quick outlet.”"