Philadelphia Flyers
Starter
2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 37: William Horcoff is a strong, big netfront presence
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...am-horcoff-is-a-strong-big-netfront-presence/
After yesterday’s profile on hulking Russian winger Danill Prokhorov, we’ll now move to one of the larger centers of this draft class: Michigan center William Horcoff. Horcoff is the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, who carved out quite the NHL career across parts of 15 seasons with Edmonton, Dallas, and Anaheim.
Horcoff measures in at 6-foot-4.75 and 190 pounds, and he’s been known to use all of his frame in molding his power game to the collegiate level. During his time with the USNTDP, Horcoff was never the highest skilled player on the ice, but he leveraged his size, strength, and positional awareness to be a relatively important piece on those teams. So, let’s get into what makes Horcoff an intriguing early-second round grade in this draft class.
Pre-draft rankings
No. 50 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 57 by Elite Prospects
No. 50 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. by Daily Faceoff
Bio
DOB: January 23, 2007
Birthplace: Birmingham, Michigan, USA
Position: Center
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190 lbs
Shoots: Left
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Horcoff is really good at the things you’d expect a third-line center in the NHL, power-forward type to excel at. He’s real sturdy on the ice, goes to the front of the net, battles for rebounds, has a surprisingly good set of hands and moves, and he’s shown a capability to deflect pucks with regularity. In a 6-foot-4 frame, Horcoff’s a massive skilled body in front of the net, and it’s not hard to imagine Horcoff scoring quite a lot of “dirty but good” goals in the pro game.
We’ll get into the flipside later, but Horcoff’s stock really shot up after his move to Michigan. With the Wolverines, Horcoff registered 10 points in 18 games and started to mold his game into the power forward style that might best suit him in the pros. A good example is in the play below, where Horcoff (No. 44) holds his ground in the front of the net to simply force the puck past the Ohio State goaltender.
It’s a really simple, translatable game for Horcoff, but it showed early signs of really working at the collegiate level. He kind of parks himself at the front of the net, and relies on his sheer strength and stick skills to be an effective deflector of pucks, rebound-collector, and to make himself available for netfront passes from his teammates.
Horcoff’s also a bit of a physical specimen in general, backed up by his ridiculous results at the NHL Combine. He was one of the highest performers last week, even breaking the all-time long jump record at the event. It’s not everything, but it’s at minimum a positive sign that Horcoff has the work ethic off the ice to really maximize his size and physical tools.
What’s not to like?
The things that are not to like about Horcoff can really be traced back to his time with the USNTDP and what prompted his midseason move to Michigan. Horcoff’s development was really stagnating with the national program, in a relatively down year for the USNTDP. Horcoff’s one of the top guys from the program this year, alongside fellow late first round to early second round projections William Moore, L.J. Mooney, and Jack Murtagh. Horcoff struggled with developing his game in terms of upping the pace with the USNTDP, and had mediocre scoring numbers against junior competition (14 points in 28 games). The skill with the USNTDP was at a considerably lower level than previously years, and Horcoff still looked a step below the rest.
Horcoff’s upright skating stride was often exposed, particularly in how slow his first few steps are. He has a pretty strong work ethic and is very willing to get to the dirty areas, but there’s not much separation speed at all, which really limits him as a puck carrier through the neutral zone. Horcoff might just be a guy who is the second or third guy on a line, and can really be maximized by players who are play-drivers and high-end puck carriers. If Horcoff can get set up in the offensive zone and allowed to be a menace up front, there’s probably 20-25 goal potential here at his best. We’ll see, but if he’s going to make it, he seems to have the makings of a bottom-six NHL center.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Horcoff’s a center, and everyone in hockey knows the Flyers need quite a few in the system. Horcoff’s physical presence in the Flyers’ playing style is intriguing, but we do wonder if Horcoff could effectively play the fast-pace, north-south style that the Flyers are likely to employ under Rick Tocchet. He’s not a strong skater, not the best forechecker, and not dynamic enough carrying the puck quite yet. We’ll see, but there are a few notes of caution with Horcoff and how he’d adapt his game to a Tocchet system.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Definitely. Almost every prospect that we are profiling from here on out in the BSH Community Draft Board will have a realistic possibility of being a Flyer come draft week, as the Flyers have a haul of picks in the second round that they’ll have a chance to use on players in this tier. Horcoff belongs in that tier, and considering the Flyers’ organizational need at the center position, Horcoff could be one of the many darts they throw at the dartboard in their attempts to address the problem.
What scouts are saying
“Horcoff, the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, was doing just OK to start the year at the U.S. NTDP. He left midseason to join Michigan where his game took off from that point, making a real difference for his team at the college level as a U18 player. He’s a very skilled big man who can make small-man-type plays in tight areas. He sees the ice at a high level and has a creative offensive mind. Horcoff is also good enough in the hard areas and can play the body when he needs to. The issues in his game at the top level will all come down to pace. I’ve seen slower 6-foot-5 guys, but his first few steps are going to be a struggle in the NHL. The rest of his game is good enough, though, that I see a projected middle-six winger.”
—Corey Pronman, The Athletic
“Twice, he pulled a puck through an opponent’s legs off the wall after winning a battle, one time cleverly going out of his way to dangle through them, which created a clear lane to drag the puck to the net front for a chance. He has vision and the skill to prolong passing windows and shift defensive gaps when given some room. He attacks the middle, slows down, and kicks the puck wide, or delays along the wall to wait for his teammate to jump into the lane as he seals off pressure. He does a great job supporting plays: He controls his speed, adjusts his route, and presents his stick for passes.”
—Mitchell Brown, Elite Prospects Draft Guide Game Report
With one USNTDP player out, we’ll bring another one in. This time, it’s the small, controversial forward L.J. Mooney.
“I’m still so upset at the injury L.J. Mooney was handed earlier this year. Just when I thought he was finding his legs and confidence, he explodes and misses a length of time with a knee injury. I saw the first couple games he played on the mend and he just did not look the same whatsoever and my hopes of him being a favorite in the class were somewhat dashed. Since January 1, Mooney has landed 18 points in 16 games and my last few games have been a huge step up from early in the season. Mooney is incredibly exciting, hard-working and dynamic and the last handful of performances I’ve seen have been a ton of fun. Surprising to many, he’s one of the most physically involved players in the whole draft class, being relentless with applying pressure all over the ice and doing whatever he can to outperform the questions he faces about his size. He’s still very much a complimentary offensive player, but one heck of an exciting option at that. His quickness, agility, skill level, and playmaking creativity is simply wonderful, and he has the work rate to do his best to overcome his size limitations. He’s another player who I think people will overcorrect on and let fall in the draft, and while he’s a longshot to be an NHL player, if he hits, he’s going to be awesome. His style of play requires near perfect execution and constant effort, but I just can’t not believe in the guy.”
—Will Scouch, scouching.ca
Source
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...am-horcoff-is-a-strong-big-netfront-presence/
