With the 73rd overall pick, the Nashville Predators selected defender Luke Prokop at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Prokop, at 6’4”, is a right-handed blueliner of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. In his second full season of Canadian junior hockey, he scored four goals and 23 points in 59 games.
Prokop didn’t make my final draft board of the top-93 prospects in this class, and my first reaction is that this is a questionable reach. He’s a solid skater for his size with good mechanics, lateral mobility and agility. It’s a tool he can use to close gaps quickly and force puck-carriers to the outside, but he doesn’t do it consistently.
As he heads back to Calgary, I’d like to see a quicker acceleration into transition from the plays he breaks up and more confidence in his shooting ability from the point.