2017 NHL Draft profile: Gabriel Vilardi is the best of the rest

In a class with two players who are clearcut choices at first and second overall (Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier), it’s only natural to turn your attention toward options for the no. 3 pick. At third overall, there is no consensus pick for the 2017 NHL Draft.

But at Future Considerations, Vilardi has solidified himself as our third-ranked prospect. A year after being named to the OHL’s Second All-Rookie Team when he posted 38 points in 62 games, Vilardi was sidelined by a knee injury to start the season due to a collision at Canada’s under-18 training camp. Still, Vilardi quickly established himself as not only one of the more dynamic players in the 2017 class, but also one of its most versatile. A naturally gifted right-shot center, Vilardi switched to the wing in the back half of Windsor’s season, as well as the team’s surprise run in the Memorial Cup.

Despite missing some time, Vilardi emerged as the Spitfires’ leading scorer by season’s end with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in just 49 games. Among all under-18 OHL players, the 17-year-old finished third in points per game (1.24) to Owen Tippett (1.25) and Nick Suzuki (1.48), both of whom played on higher-scoring teams than Windsor. Along the way, he picked up more than three shots per game while winning 51.1 percent of his draws and staying out of the box (Vilardi finished the season with just 12 penalty minutes).

Down the stretch, Vilardi was even tougher to contain and picked up a CHL Player of the Week nod in March when he posted nine points (four goals, five assists) in back-to-back-to-back multi-point games.

If there’s one thing that stands out about Vilardi’s game stylistically, it’s his on-ice awareness with and without the puck. While most high-end teenage players develop primarily off their strongest overwhelming traits (a shot that can beat a goalie cleanly becomes overused or skating prowess leads to a player dropping his head and going wide too often), it’s the sum of Vilardi’s parts that distinguishes him — he can beat teams in a variety of ways and he always has his head on a swivel to make sure he’s making the right play. With the puck, Vilardi finds his teammates with time and space because he’s constantly surveying the ice for trailers or lanes.

Vilardi also does an excellent job using his size and strength to protect the puck and create space for himself, even if it means slowing down his stride to allow the play to develop rather than forcing a chance on net. While he doesn’t have high-end top speed, Vilardi does a good job changing pace (he’s actually pretty agile) to open up the offensive zone and plays aggressively when he needs to and the opportunity presents itself for a power move to the front of the net.

Without the puck, Vilardi is an active forechecker who hunts down loose pucks and gets underneath opposing players along the wall to win possession, either continuing the cycle or creating a clean zone exit with an outlet pass.

With the puck, Vilardi has excellent hands in tight or out wide, allowing himself to make crisp, effective plays under pressure or beat defenders to open up time and space for his shot in the slot. As a shooter, Vilardi has a quick, low release that can cleanly beat goalies — though he could stand to use it even more than he does rather than constantly looking to pass. Because he’s so strong on the puck, Vilardi is a constant threat in the offensive zone and a player who, even at the NHL level, will be difficult to knock off the puck.

This season, against best-on-best competition at his level, Vilardi thrived. In the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, Vilardi picked up a goal on a game-high six shots.

Watch below the way Vilardi (No. 13 in red) tracks the puck, cuts across the front of the slot to the far post, and finishes off the rebound with a little chip play in tight:

At the Memorial Cup, he followed it up by playing at a more than point-per-game pace, including a four-assist performance in Windsor’s 4-2 win over Erie in round robin play. Three of the assists were primary, but the fourth is the most impressive. Watch each of them below. On the first goal, notice again how Vilardi (No. 13 in white) pivots at the top of the frame and tracks the puck to below the goal line by keeping his body in front of the play, before he wins the battle and uses his quick hands to complete the pass to Jeremiah Addison at the near post.

Notice in the second goal how Vilardi beats the Otters in a different way. This time, he keeps his head up and pushes the play from the neutral zone boards to the middle of the ice, drawing attention before dropping the puck wide to open up time and space for his teammate’s shot.

On the second goal, after changing positions with the point man, Vilardi feigns like he’s going to pass the puck down low before sending it across the ice, putting the goalie out of position (though he’s helped by the net front screen).

On the fourth and final goal, while Vilardi picks up the secondary assist, he does an outstanding job tracking the play to below the goal line (like he did on the opening goal), winning a battle surrounded by three Otters players, and shoveling it to the slot. Notice here how he shields the puck with his body to maintain control:

In Vilardi, you’ve got a possession-driving catalyst who has shown he can dictate the game from the wing as well as he can at center. Long term, while he projects as a center (right-shot centers with offensive flair are few and far between in today’s NHL), Vilardi’s versatility and his knack for playing several positions on the power play and the penalty kill will make him a valuable piece in an NHL top-six.

Note: Scott Wheeler is a senior scout with scouting service Future Considerations. He also formerly scouted the NHL draft for McKeen’s Hockey. This is part of a series of 2017 NHL Draft profiles he’ll be writing for SB Nation. You can follow him at @scottcwheeler.