Vince Dunn Scouting Report – 2015 NHL Draft

2015 NHL Draft Profiles: Vince Dunn

Vince Dunn – 6’0, 187-pound left-shot defenceman from the Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

Vince Dunn Rankings

• #36 by Bob McKenzie
• #51 by ISS Hockey
• #32 by NHL Central Scouting
• #34 by Future Considerations

Vince Dunn’s Scouting Report provided by Brock Otten of OHL Prospects.

Vince Dunn Strengths

• Offensively, Vince Dunn is a juggernaut. His ability to handle the puck at top speed rivals that of some of the best forwards in this draft. He’s able to create a lot of extra time and space for himself with his slick puck handling skill.
• Dunn is also super aggressive in jumping up in the play, which is where a lot of his goals come from. He’s adept at sneaking behind defences and jumping into the slot. His skating is also a big time strength, as he pushes the pace of play.
• Defensively, there are some things to like for sure. He’s not big, but he’s not afraid of mixing things up and he does a good job of hustling to get back to the defensive end after rushes. And he uses his mobility to his advantage defensively.
• Dunn started slowly (like the rest of the IceDogs), but his game improved every month. In his final 32 games (including the playoffs), he had 41 points (including 17 goals). Prorate that to a full season and you’re looking at some pretty ridiculous numbers. The 0.5 goals per game rate is particularly impressive.

Vince Dunn Criticisms

• One negative is Dunn’s decision making at times. Because he’s ultra aggressive offensively, he can be prone to some poor choices when it comes to forcing passes up ice, or bad pinches. But as he gains experience, these types of mistakes could be limited.
• From McKeen’s Yearbook (buy here): His biggest liability lies in his inability to contain and defend .. struggles against elite puck rushers and players with size, losing battles down low .. needs to work on gap control, relying on his skating to recover.

The Verdict

• Most of the popular ranking services have him just outside the top 30, but Dunn might be one of the top pure offensive blue liners available this year and a team could be intrigued enough by the upside to grab him inside the first round.

Vince Dunn Career Notes

• Drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 OHL Priority Draft.
• Opted to spend his first OHL-eligible season with the Thorold Blackhawks of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
• Led OHL rookie defencemen in scoring in 2013-14.
• Finished sixth in OHL scoring among defencemen in 2014-15.
• Closed out the 2014-15 season with 31 points in his last 24 games.
• Scored four goals in a single game in Game 1 of Round 1 versus the Ottawa 67s in the 2015 playoffs.
• Ranked 3rd by McKeen’s among offensive defencemen in the 2015 draft class, behind Zach Werenski (1) and Ivan Provorov (2) and ahead of Noah Hanifin (4).
• Favorite current player is Drew Doughty. Chose his jersey #4 after Bobby Orr.

Vince Dunn Interview

Courtesy of The Pipeline Show:

On liking the move from forward to defence in minor atom:
I think I am able to control the play a little better. I like to set up plays and take guys one on one; things like that. I can do that from defensive positioning and it’s a better opportunity for me to show my offensive abilities.

On describing his defensive game:
I’ve tried to work on my defensive side of the game this year. It’s something that scouts and coaches have told me; that if I can perfect that, I can be the best I can be. I think my offensive abilities are there and I’ve shown them as much as I can this season, and especially in the playoffs. I don’t think that’s an issue. I’m always trying to improve my defensive side of the game.

Like you said, I’m a pretty averaged sized defenceman in my league. There’s no need to try to run around and try to take guys’ heads off, sort of thing. I try to use my good stick to my advantage and take away guys’ time and space out there with my good speed and skating ability. I try to just use my stick as much as I can, and I know I can step up and make a hit when it’s needed, but I don’t need to be doing that all the time as long as I keep people in front of me.

On the reasons for his big production jump this past season:
I think maybe a bigger role this year, trying to lead the backend as much as I can. I think maybe my confidence has helped me this year. I’m a lot more confident with the puck and on the powerplay, so that’s definitely helping my scoring this year.

On giving advice to younger defenceman for getting pucks on net (18 goals in regular season):
Like you said, just trying to get pucks on net. It doesn’t have to be the hardest shot as long as you can get it through. I picked up so many assists off guys just burying my rebounds off shots I just floated on net, or some that I’ve floated on net that have just gone in for me. You might not think it’s the best shot, but if you can get a shot on net you should always take that first.

On if he would describe himself as a late bloomer:
Maybe not a late bloomer, but I definitely needed a little bit of experience before stepping into the OHL. My Junior-B route, missing my first eligible year of the OHL, was the best choice for me. I don’t think being the eighth defenceman, not playing at all, would’ve benefited me at all. Playing big minutes in Junior B was definitely a great thing for me. I learned a lot, I played against stronger guys. I got used to the game and got a little bit of an extra step on the way up.

Vince Dunn Statistics

Vince Dunn Video

Vince Dunn – Shift by Shift: 

Vince Dunn – Highlights: