Canucks Draft Preview Series: Jarred Tinordi
[Editor’s note: The Vancouver Canucks currently own six picks – including the 1st round, 25th overall pick – in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In this week leading to Friday’s draft, Matt Lee previews some potential Canucks picks.]
Jarred Tinordi
Position: D
Team: USA National Team Development Program
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 205 pounds
Central Scouting Ranking: 38th among North American Skaters
THN Ranking: 22nd
Once again, the Canucks are poised to select a prospect who plays the role of defensive defenseman to a tee. And for someone who was favourably compared to Calgary Flames blueliner Robyn Regehr, Jarred Tinordi seems to fit that bill.
Jarred Tinordi is the son of former NHLer Mark, who as a hard-nosed defenceman from the late 80’s to late 90’s played 663 NHL games with New York, Minnesota, Dallas, and Washington. For the past two years, Jarred has been with the United States’ national team development program, playing on both the U-17 and U-18 squads.
Like Dylan McIlrath who I previewed earlier, Tinordi isn’t going to blow anyone away with offensive ability but he plays a smart defensive game and with even bigger size than McIlrath. Some scouts believe that once Tinordi is done filling out, he could weigh somewhere around 230 pounds. He has the body to become a shutdown defenseman in the mold of Willie Mitchell and has the hockey bloodlines to fill that role.
In a debate between McIlrath and Tinordi, some argue that McIlrath is a more intimidating presence but doesn’t have the defensive acumen nor the bloodlines that Tinordi possesses. However, it’s difficult to say Tinordi isn’t as mean as McIlrath when Tinordi plays in a league where toughness and tenacity aren’t as emphasized as McIlrath’s WHL.
Another aspect of Tinordi which makes him a tempting selection is that he captained the USA U-18 team last year. In other words, he oozes leadership and for a club which values intelligence and integrity, Canucks management is certainly looking at those characteristics which Tinordi could one day provide on their backend. With centres Ryan Kesler and in the long term Cody Hodgson fulfilling the leadership role up front, Vancouver has few defensemen who can provide those intangibles from the back end.
Some fans might remember Tinordi from this year’s World Junior Championship, where the big blueliner suited up for the gold-medal winning United States team in Saskatoon.
The biggest knock on Tinordi are his puck skills, or lack thereof. As The Hockey News eloquently put it from one scout, “When he plays a physical, nasty, pass-first game, he’s as good as there is… But when he starts to dangle, his warts show”.
They said it: “For Jarred to be at his best, he just needs to be steady. He’s very intelligent, keeps himself in good position and is capable of making the first pass. And that should and probably always will be the foundation of what will bring out the most in his game.” – USA U-18 head coach Kurt Kleinendorst
