Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - In the next part of our multi-faceted profile series for the 2023 NHL Draft, we travel to Western Canada and take a look at forward Andrew Cristall of the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
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Cristall is the first and only Canadian prospect of our draft series, and has been discussed as one of the most polarizing players in the draft, in terms of possible draft position.
The Vancouver native is ranked 15th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He has been projected to picked as early as 12th overall, but as late as 35th overall in Round 2.
Profile:
Cristall is another smaller player in this draft class, standing in at only 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds. Despite his small size, he is a textbook playmaker with great stickhandling and passing ability.
Cristall put up monster numbers in the WHL this season, keeping pace with soon-to-be No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Connor Bedard for the first half of the season. However, an injury sidelined Cristall for five weeks, which set him back off that torrent pace.
The 18-year-old winger ended up recording 39 goals and 56 assists for 95 points this season in only 54 games played.
Cristall also recorded six points (2+4) in seven games for Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF U-18 World Championship, earning a bronze medal in the tournament.
Positives:
Cristall is a fantastic playmaker, utilizing great stickhandling and skating abilities to create plays to set teammates up for highlight reel goals.
He can open up his hips and utilize his inside edges, specifically to create space between him and defenders, or draw attention to himself to open up other passing lanes. Pairing this passing ability with good vision leads to many impressive cross-ice passes.
If skating doesn’t get him where he needs to be, Cristall utilizes his premier stickhandling ability to turn defender after defender inside-out and open himself up for great offensive opportunities.
Negatives:
Risky plays often lead to some risky turnovers, and that is a significant problem that Cristall shows a little bit more than to be expected for a player of his caliber.
When these turnovers do happen, he seems to lack the urgency to get back and help on the defensive side of the puck, which leads to high danger chances and sometimes goals-against.
Having this lack of drive on defense, along with a lack of physicality due to his size leaves some big question marks about his defensive ability at the NHL level.
While this can be coached out of a player, it is a difficult thing to adapt to at a high level.
NHL comparison:
Cristall’s hands and creativity make him very similar to a good group of NHL stars. However, he looks most like one member of the Buffalo Sabres, Jeff Skinner.
Skinner showcases speed and elite skating ability when scoring goals for the Sabres. He also utilizes his stickhandling ability to get out of tight situations.
The Sabres winger has recorded 624 points in 932 NHL games, and has been a key piece to Buffalo's offense for the past five years. Skinner also won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season during the 2010-11 campaign with 63 points in 82 games.
Where does he fit on the Sabres?
The Sabres have recently drafted many high quality shooters in the past few drafts. Names such as Jiri Kulich, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka are featured on the list, but the team hasn’t focused specifically on the playmaking position.
Cristall would bring an exciting energy, and could learn well under a player like Skinner given their similar playstyle. By the time he is ready to contribute at the NHL level, he could make a huge impact on the second, or even first line for the Sabres.
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