San Jose Sharks Draft Analysis: Ninth Overall Pick, Timo Meier
By Felix Chow
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Timo Meier puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number nine overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, the San Jose Sharks drafted Timo Meier of the Halifax Mooseheads with the ninth overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft. My fellow colleague wrote the general summary of him here, but in this article I’m going to break it down more extensively.
Meier stands 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, is a physical right-wing who could move through San Jose’s system fairly quickly due to his size and two-way game. Meier, who was rated in the 10-15 range heading into the draft, exploded on to the scene with a big year in Halifax.
After registering 17 goals and 17 assists in 66 games in 2013-14, Meier netted 44 goals and 46 assists in 61 games, and an additional 10 goals and 11 assists in 14 playoff games.
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According to Eliteprospects.com, the 18-year-old right-wing/center from Switzerland can best be described as “a physically dominant winger with the ability to play in a skill or character role.” Meier is highly aware offensively, and can maneuver himself into scoring areas where he can find one of his teammate or fire off a hard, accurate shot.
Perhaps his greatest strength is his versatility as he’s a highly skilled player who can impact the game in a number of different ways. Need him to factor on your top line and score some goals, Meier can do that. Want him anchoring your third line giving you depth throughout your lineup, Meier is adept at that as well.
Furthermore, Meier helps balance out the Sharks lineup as he’s a different kind of forward from San Jose’s recent first round forwards in Tomas Hertl and Nikolay Goldobin. While Hertl and Goldobin are more offesively skilled, it’s Meier’s all-around game that should see him rise to the NHL in a fairly short period of time.
Also, Meier already has a friend in the organization as he’s teamed with fellow Swiss countryman and San Jose’s 2013 first-round pick Mirco Mueller in international competitions. Having Mueller in the fold should help Meier as he continues his development and what to expect with the Sharks.
As the Sharks could use more offensive depth, Meier can definitely make an impact in the line-up a few seasons down the road when he’s NHL-ready.