Slater Koekkoek
Position: Defense
Team: Peterborough Petes (OHL)
Age: 18
Date of Birth: February 24, 1994
Place of Birth: Winchester, Ontario
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 183
Shoots: Left
2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| 26 | 5 | 13 | 18 | -7 | 17 |
Sidelined by a torn labrum in late November, Slater Koekkoek’s Central Scouting ranking dropped from 17 to 23rd among North American skaters. Thus, he becomes somewhat of a wild card in the upcoming draft.
Based largely on that, Koekkoek appears to be a mid to late first rounder. Despite the injury abbreviated sophomore season, it should be considered that he was the Pete’s #1 draft pick (7th overall) in the 2010 OHL Priority Draft.
More critical than the shoulder injury, is that Koekkoek lost the better part of an entire season in his development cycle. In many cases, that would knock a 3rd or 4th rounder down to the 6th or 7th round. Yet due to his considerable upside and skill set, Koekkoek remains a likely first rounder in June.
His reputation has been built upon a solid foundation of speed and puck moving ability. In his abbreviated season, it looked like he was starting to come into his own, registering 18 points in his 26 games.
Scouting Report:
The Scouting Report:“Koekkoek has a tremendous package of size, skill, and potential which could be a home-run in a few years. Koekkoek was playing 30+ minutes a night with the Petes before the injury. Koekkoek is a great skater and does a good job of moving the puck and making good decisions. His skating ability allows him to lead rushes and his offensive zone play is very good. He’s still in the progress of filling out his frame and improving his defensive zone play, but the skill-set that Koekkoek brings to the table cannot be overlooked.”
Why he’d be a good fit in Columbus:
It isn’t out of the question that Koekkoek could enhance the Blue Jackets defense some day. Given his ability to take charge on the ice, this is another young player who might develop into a great NHLer in the future.
He has proven himself a valuable teammate in Peterborough. His own combination of hockey smarts and the ability to regularly play over 30 minutes a game make him attractive to many clubs. Blend in quality skating, a booming shot and the fact that he doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, Koekkoek could become a sleeper in this year’s draft class.