2024 NHL Draft Profile: Why Dallas must draft Charlie Elick

He's a tall, mean, 6'3 right shot defender. What's not to love?

It’s draft month here at the Stars Stack. That means we’re done talking about the past, and fully invested in the future.

If you’re not a draft nerd, well, you should be. When it comes to prospects, some make the cut but many don’t. Regardless, every journey, whether it’s Julius Honka or Logan Stankoven, can help make you a more informed hockey watcher.

Let’s kick off this draft month with right-handed defensemen, Charlie Elick. Is he a poor man’s Chris Tanev, or a rich man’s Jani Hakanpaa? Something in between, or something else entirely? That’s what we’re here to unpack.

The Bio

• Date of Birth: Jan. 17, 2006

• Age: 18

• Height: 6′3

• Weight: 191lbs

• Position: Defense

• Shoots: Right

• Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

What the pros are saying

Below I’ve highlighted a few choice quotes from the most familiar, and most respected public outlets.

From EPRinkside (ranking him at #26):

• Physical, proactive defence is Elick’s game. He’s an explosive backward and lateral skater, which he uses to instantly take the middle, then teleport across the ice and prevent the entry. His stick is seemingly in every lane, tipping every pass or shot inside his wing span. His mobility allows him to stay tight to the off-puck threat, but then easily win the race to a retrieval at the end boards. But pressure isn’t his only trick; he understands when to mitigate risk by steadily eliminating space.

From Scott Wheeler (ranking him at #43):

• He’s got a good stick and great feet defending the rush and gapping up, but can also step up and lay the body, which he does with force (he's one of the hardest-hitting players in the draft, regularly driving through players to sit them down along the wall and occasionally even leaving his feet). He’s got a good, clean first pass that I’ve seen him stretch the ice with. He showed he can use his skating to be more involved in the rush/transition this year. There are times when his decisions can catch him out of position, and he needs to continue to develop some soft skill, but teams are high on his toolsy makeup as a staunch defender with length, athleticism (he crushed on-ice testing at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game with the second-best overall results among the 12 defensemen) and standout mobility.

From Corey Pronman (ranking him at #22):

• Elick isn't a natural puck-mover and can make some questionable puck decisions. He will need to clean that up, but he has good hands and isn't a negative with the puck on his stick. In a role where he just needs to defend well and make a basic outlet, he could potentially have an NHL career.

Unimaginative, misleading comparables

• Braden Schneider

• Chris Tanev

• K’Andre Miller

• Tyler Myers

• Darnell Nurse

• Mattias Ekholm

• Josh Manson

• Adam Pelech

• Carson Soucy

The numbers

Elick didn’t have a big year, numbers wise, scoring 27 points in 65 games for an anemic Wheat Kings squad (outside of a cameo by Red Wings hot shot Nate Danielson, they didn’t have anyone) and then 3 points in 7 games for Team Canada at the World Juniors. However, that’s not why he’s projected to go in the first round. In eight games tracked for the Wheat Kings, here was his preliminary profile.

Data and visual courtesy of Mitchell Brown.

Not sure what this chart means and need a quick and dirty explainer? I’ve got you covered! Click here to learn more from a man who knows less.

So far his profile looks exactly as advertised: he’s a big dude who doesn’t drive offense, but can transition the puck up ice, and defend in all three zones. A true, blue, modern day, shutdown defender who excels at getting the puck out of the defensive zone with possession.

The tape

Personal observations

I’ve made this comment over and over again, but once more into the soapboxing breach, dear readers: yes, Elick is a prototype of the modern shutdown defender. Bigger defensemen are starting to pick up small man talents. You can’t just crosscheck someone and block shots if you want to be an effective shutdown defender. In fact, the phrase “stay-at-home” might as well be extinct. In the same way elite forwards have to be able to defend from the offensive zone (tracking back, killing counter transitions, etc), defensemen need to be able to leverage offensive talents in the defensive zone. A good first pass, a quick breakout, or heavy possession of the puck — this is the blueline position as it currently exists.

Elick is mostly that guy. His skating is not just “good for a big man.” It’s effortless. He’s smooth in open ice, and while he’ll draw comparisons from Stars fans to Lian Bichsel, Elick is simply a better, faster skater. Dallas already has an offensive presence for the near future with Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley forming its backbone. Someone like Elick, a three-zone co-pilot, seems perfect for how the Stars are designed. Who knows; we may even get to see Heiskanen finally put on his strongside in the next four years!

Silliness aside, I’m a big fan of Elick’s toolkit. I think being able to defend via offense is the most important skill a defender of any type, whether puck mover or shutdown, can have in the modern game. And I think any defender who profiles as logging heavy minutes needs to be able to defend in transition first and foremost. Elick fits that profile, although not completely.

One of the reasons why I’ve latched onto Bichsel as a serious presence is because he’s an agile skater, quick for his size, but also — quality hands in tight. Bichsel commands control of the puck in the DZN in multiple ways, but he’s also a problem-solver. Elick doesn’t seem to have that problem-solving ability; he overhandles the puck a little, and relies a bit too much on his readily-accessible physical tools. Here I think his offense is limited not merely because he’s not creative, but because he lacks that AND the reading skills to capitalize. Overall though, there’s a lot to like.

How he improves Dallas

Like it or not, every team has to view the draft as a way to improve their pipeline. Whether this bleeds into the proverbial discussion about BPA vs. Need doesn’t matter. If you’re a team that lacks defenders, you’re gonna draft defenders when you need to. If you don’t have any left wingers (like Dallas), you’re gonna draft left wingers when you need to. This is how you get players on cheap contracts.

The Stars don’t have that with their defensive group, especially on the right side. That’s what makes signing Chris Tanev so ideal: you’re probably signing him to a two-to-three year deal, which gives someone like Elick the perfect window to contribute when the time is right. The best Dallas can boast right now is Christian Kyrou, Gavin White, and Jack Bar. Forgive me but none of these players are interesting as blue chip prospects. Kyrou is another Nils Lundkvist, White I’ll actually go to bat for but it doesn’t seem like Neil Graham will, and Bar is an extreme longshot. Dallas didn’t just need Tanev; they were desperate for him. Elick stands to fix this cupboard problem.

There aren’t many red flags with Elick either. The prospect of a Heiskanen-Elick, Harley-Bichsel top four sounds too awesome to be true. Yes, Elick can be aggressive, and he doesn’t have standout offensive puck control, but I never understood this criticism as a defect. When we evaluate forwards, isn’t the dominant language centered around their offensive skillset? Elick is a defensemen. He’s good at defending. What’s not to love?*

*This wasn’t entirely rhetorical. I do think just as big-minute forwards should be defensively responsible, I don’t think it’s silly to ask that big-minute defenders be able to generate chances. Don’t they always say that “offense comes from good defense?” If that’s true then offense should at least partially be there. Nonetheless, while I don’t personally see the offensive potential, I do see top four potential.