The Canucks’ prospect development camp is less than a week away. Fans will be eager to see the Canucks’ new prospects from the 2018 draft, included 7th-overall pick Quinn Hughes, but there will also be some unfamiliar faces.
Among the Canucks’ drafted and signed prospects will be several invitees: players invited to camp who are hoping to earn a contract or, at the very least, gain some valuable experience and increase their profile for the future.
On Monday, I introduced you to one of these invitees, the bane of spell-checkers everywhere, Jarid Lekosevicius. Today, it’s time for Tanner MacMaster, a speedy centre who had a tryout with the Utica Comets at the end of last season.
Tanner MacMaster – Centre
6’0″ – 185 lbs – Jan 8, 1996 (22)
Calgary, AB
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (38-13-20-33)
MacMaster has a lot going for him: quick feet and hands, offensive creativity, and excellent hockey sense. Back in 2014, he was ranked 120th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, but went undrafted.
The biggest reason: lack of bigness. At the time, MacMaster was listed at 5’9.25” and 156 lbs. He made up for his size with elusiveness — “The worst part is he’s hard to hit, he’s hard to track down,” said one former teammate. “He’s really sneaky.”
Plenty of players can overcome their lack of size — the Canucks are banking on it with some of the prospects now in their system — but he also played in a Junior A league, the AJHL. Generally speaking, players in Junior A have put up prodigious numbers to get drafted, particularly when they’re also undersized.
While MacMaster had a respectable 40 points in 48 games, while dealing with injuries. It wasn’t enough progression from the impressive 24 goals and 48 points he put up in 54 games the previous season as a 16-year-old.
Since 2014, MacMaster has added a bit more size, though it’s hard to ascertain just how much. He’s still listed at 5’9” on one part of the Bobcats website, but 6’1” elsewhere on the site.
On the AHL website, he’s listed at 6’0” and 185 lbs, while other sources have him at 5’10” and ~170 lbs pretty much everywhere else. In game video, he looks a lot closer to 5’10”. At the very least, we can be confident he’s not 6’1”, as those who follow Quinnipiac hockey closely have let us know.
He's definitely not 6'1
— Quinnipiac Hockey Blog (@QHockeyBlog) March 16, 2018
MacMaster spent the full four years at Quinnipiac, putting up decent numbers until his breakout year as a senior. Last season, he tallied 13 goals and 33 points in 38 games, tied for 67th in the NCAA in scoring. He was second in goals and points on a struggling Quinnipiac team and was buoyed by freshman Odeen Tufto, who led the Bobcats in points.
MacMaster’s college career doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but there’s good reason to be intrigued by his invite to camp. After his college season ended, MacMaster signed a tryout with the Utica Comets and immediately made an impact.
Playing mostly at left wing, MacMaster was given plenty of leash by head coach Trent Cull to produce offence, getting decent minutes at even strength, as well as some power play time. He rewarded Cull with 7 points in 13 regular season games, then continued into the playoffs, putting up 4 points in their 5-game series against the Toronto Marlies.
You can see a couple of his points in this highlight package from a regular season game against the Toronto Marlies. He gets an assist at 1:41 and a goal at 2:13.
MacMaster, wearing number 7 on the near boards, picks up a drop pass from Lukas Jasek, then pulls up to create some space. He pivots again and the two Marlies lose track of who’s supposed to be checking him. That gives him enough space to spot Jalen Chatfield cross ice and he hits him with a perfect pass.
Then MacMaster cleans up a Jasek rebound off the rush and buries it into the open net. There’s not much to the finish, but he shows good speed through the neutral zone and goes to the right spot on the ice.
With players like Michael Chaput and Cole Cassels out of the organization, MacMaster could have an opportunity to play at centre next season. If he can continue to make his linemates better, MacMaster could be a solid AHL centre. Whether he has the upside to play in the NHL remains to be seen, but he’s certainly worth watching after his performance with Utica,
