Jared McIsaac
Position: Defence
Team: Halifax, Mooseheads, QMJHL
Date of Birth: March 27, 2000
Birthplace: Truro, Nova Scotia
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 194 pounds
Shoots: Left
Prior to the start of the Mooseheads season there was a significant amount of hype around McIsaac, and though he had a solid season with Halifax he saw a dip in his draft ranking. He reminds me a lot of Ryan Murray, mainly from a skating and positioning perspective. I doubt he offers notable offensive numbers in the pros, but he’s about as safe a defense prospect as you’ll find in the draft.
Halifax is hosting the Memorial Cup next year and he’ll be a leader on a loaded Mooseheads squad.
Here is his scouting report from Future Considerations:
McIsaac is a smooth-skating, two-way defenseman…he focuses on keeping his end clean first and foremost before adding to the offensive play…effortless skater with agility and balance…a long flawless stride…his cuts and transitions are fluid…incredible hockey sense…thinks the game at a very high level, and makes great decisions with the puck on his stick…keeps things simple, but can add a bit of flair where he sees an opportunity…pin-point breakout passes he delivers crisply and accurately…he really controls the puck well at high speeds and will skate it end-to-end when he gets room to rush the puck up ice…possesses a real cannon of a shot from the point…plays opposing puck carriers aggressively and stands up attackers at the blue line…keeps a close gap pushing opponents to the outside and applies good pressure to force mistakes…plays with a mean streak in the corners and around his own crease…doesn’t shy away from working hard…confident and mature…he’s a calming, safe, reliable two-way defender that has top-pairing NHL upside.
And here is his scouting report from Bill Placzek at Draft Site:
Another offensive defenseman with 200 foot capability. Plays solid in his own end and continues to improve as he gains strength and adjusts to the faster pace. Doesn’t get intimidated or flustered and is willing to challenge attackers by stepping into them or funneling them outside. Played solid in the Ivan Hlinka in the summer, and continued to improve his game all season with Halifax. Has grown to almost six-one and is very mobile puck carrier at 190 pounds. Has found a nice balance of get up and go and stay back and defend, in this the year of the “offense man.” But still prone to forcing plays and some real issues with his lack of awareness and processing in high pace close quartered defensive zone situations. He is going to have to be more self aware of when pressure is about to close on him and better vision and having his head up on a swivel before getting blind sided or stripped.
2017-2018 Statistics (QMJHL)
Regular Season: 65GP / 9G / 38A / 47PTS / 86PIM
Playoffs: 9GP / 0G / 4A / 4PTS / 8PIM