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Welcome to another draft profile from AATJ! Today, we feature winger and USNTDP candidate Teddy Stiga. A native of Sudbury, Massachusetts, Stiga grew up playing hockey in the Boston area before joining the National Team Development Program and playing youth hockey with the national team and USHL. He had a very good draft season and was a big improvement over previous years, so his draft ranking is a stretch. It will be interesting to see how far he can go.
Who is Teddy Stiga?
– Link to elite prospect statistics –
According to Elite Prospects, Stigar is a nice-sized prospect at 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds. He might want to be a few inches taller, but this size is OK in the NHL if he’s capable, and it certainly won’t be a hindrance. Stigar played high school prep hockey at Belmont Hill outside of Boston in 2021-22, so he’s grown from a high school player to a developmental squad prospect over the past few seasons. He has now committed to Boston College in the fall, choosing to stay in the Boston area, so if he can succeed at the NCAA level, he’ll have a path to future success.
Stigar made the jump from high school prep hockey to the U.S. National Team Development Program for the 2022-23 season, playing 49 games for the U17 national team and 27 games for the USNTDP youth team that season. It was a good first season considering his pedigree, but far from top draft pick type numbers. He had 21 points in 49 games for the U17 team and 12 points in 27 games for the USHL. Again, it’s a great start, but it means he’ll have to make some really good strides in his draft-eligible year to get noticed.
And he did. Last year, he played 61 games for the U18 National Team and 27 games for the USNTDP Youth Team. His numbers in both positions were excellent and a significant improvement over last season. In 61 games for the U18 team, he had 79 points, 36 goals and 43 assists. And in the USHL, he had 38 points in 27 games, 18 goals and 20 assists. A total of 117 points in 88 games, an average of 1.33 points per game. These PPG numbers will catch anyone’s attention, and it also makes Stiga an interesting rookie. His performance last season was equivalent to a first-round talent, but his performance before this season was not. So as you can see in the rankings, this has caused a split opinion.
Stiaga has also played in 14 international games for the United States. Two seasons ago, he played for the U17 team in the World Hockey Challenge, scoring three points in seven games. This is similar to his performance that season. Last year, he played in the World Junior Championships Playing for the United States, his growth was once again on display as he contributed 11 points, 6 goals and 5 assists in 7 games. This was a great game for Stiga and showed the legitimacy of his all-round growth.
What is Stiga’s ranking?
– Central Scouting – Ranked 44th among North American skaters. He was 72nd in the midterm rankings, so you can see how his strong performance this season has affected his ranking.
– Elite prospects – Ranked 23rd overall, which is a huge improvement compared to the Central Scouting Bureau.
-Bob McKenzie/TSN – The midterm ranking was 68th overall, more consistent with the Central Scouting ranking.
-Craig Button/TSN – In the latest rankings, he is ranked 48th overall. In Craig’s mid-term rankings, he was not in the top 64.
–McKean Hockey – Ranked 44th overall (rankings after 32nd are paid).
-FC Ice Hockey – Has not been in the top 100 since February.
-Dobber Outlook – Ranked 24th in April
– Intelligent reconnaissance – 24th overall ranking in spring
What others are saying about Stiga
First, let’s look at Dober ProspectWritten by their scout David Saad:
“It’s getting increasingly difficult to deny Teddy Stiga’s ability to take control of a hockey game. The NTDP-ATV may not always be on the scoresheet, but his two-way play cannot be ignored. After some time apart, Stiga recently reunited with NTDP scoring leader James Hagens and the two have been nearly unstoppable at the USHL level, combining for 31 points in 10 games. Stiga’s BroadCast Unitedligence and speed ensure he’s never far away from the game, and he’s able to create turnovers with good body positioning and simple puck movement, ensuring the puck is always headed his way. Even when the going gets tough, his ability to adapt, both to recognize and capitalize on the plays the opposition gives him, makes his NHL suitability very real. All signs point to him being a very interesting prospect in the U18s; he’ll be spending a lot of time on the ice and getting a lot of attention. He may never make the headlines, but Stiga is the perfect mid-6 winger you want to be closely aligned with a star player, perfect for the role. Don’t be surprised if he surges up the rankings at the end of the season, he’s a blast.”
Next up Smart reconnaissance Their scout John Tessler said of him in his rankings:
“Teddy Stigga always keeps his feet moving without the puck and works hard to provide his teammates with lateral and up-ice passing options. When blocking in the frontcourt or defending the half-wall, he pursues relentlessly and constantly keeps his feet moving and accelerating the instant the puck moves. Stigga typically tries to make contact with the stick rather than blocking with his shoulders or hips. He has great speed to keep up when his teammates push the puck up the ice. Stigga does have trouble dealing with pressure when he’s in trouble. He tends to have trouble separating from the net in the corners when there’s pressure in the back. Stigga has great speed on his long shot, which makes him dangerous. If the goalie gives him an opening, he won’t hesitate to fire. He has the projection of a mid-six winger.”
Finally, please check out the Cap Friendlyrated him as A+ Prospect, and projected to be a future second-line player at the NHL level:
“The players to watch are NHL Draft June is coming up. Small in stature but always involved. Big and strong. Plays at a fast pace and is competitive. Never leaves. Always around the game. Used in all situations for USNTDP. No natural talent with the puck. His offense comes from effort and determination. Not the type of player to slow the game down and be overly creative with the puck. Dependable in all three zones. Tracks 200 feet. Can get in the top or middle six and contribute to team results. ”
That profile brings up some ratings. Here are Cap Friendly’s ratings for each part of his game:
Competition – 98. DZ Start – 85. Hockey IQ – 90. OZ Start – 95. Lethality – 92. Power Play – 92. Physicality – 89. Passing – 79. Shooting – 85. Skating – 95.
A short video
There aren’t a lot of highlights or scouting reports on YouTube right now, but I’ll link here what I’ve watched. First, let’s take a look at some highlights from the World Junior Championships:
Next up, we have a guest from the Locked On NHL Prospects podcast talking about Stiga:
My point of view
Teddy is certainly an interesting player. First, note his flaws. He’s only had one good year, and that was this season. This is a huge leap for him, and I mean an absolutely huge leap. He went from a guy who was supposed to be a late-round pick to a guy who is now rated as a late-first-round pick by some analysts. It’s a crazy move, and it begs the question: Is this change sustainable? Will he continue to dominate for Boston College next season? The NCAA game is much different than the USHL game, so how will he adapt? Can he succeed at the next level? Will he continue to improve? These are all legitimate questions.
Other shortcomings have to do with his game. His skills could be more gifted. Yes, he scored a lot of points this year, but as scouts have pointed out, he’s succeeded through hard work, perseverance, and a very high hockey IQ. He didn’t score 1.33 points per game on the strength of his puck skills. He knows where his teammates are going to be, he knows where the defense’s weaknesses are, and he can exploit what he sees through hard work. That’s great against juniors, but how will that play out at the NHL level, where basically everyone has a high hockey IQ and knows the game as well as he does? That’s another big question mark, because who knows if he can continue to rely on his puck IQ to get results.
That being said, there is a lot to like about him as well. He plays the 200-foot game, is very aggressive on defense, and won’t hurt you in the defensive zone. He can play PK, PP, or 5-on-5, and is smart enough to handle anything you throw at him. He is also a great teammate, and makes his teammates better players just by playing with them. He is the type of player you want to have in your locker room, who will work hard and show others how it can be done simply through hard work and dedication.
When you put all of that together, you can see why his evaluations were so mixed. I can understand the late first-round evaluations of him: he can score, plays hard, has a clear head, and is improving at the right time. At the same time, I can understand the third-round evaluations of him: his skill set is limited, and he relies on smarts and toughness rather than skills. This likely limits his ability at the NHL level. When you draft Teddy, you’re not getting a front-line talent, and you know it.
at last, New Jersey Devils The odds of Stiga being picked eventually are pretty low. The Devils took him at No. 10 and then again at No. 75. Even with the huge difference in where Stiga was picked, he would almost certainly be picked somewhere between No. 20 and No. 70. You definitely don’t want to take Stiga at No. 10, but if he’s still at No. 75, you’d be eager to take him. I’d love to take him in the 30s if I could, but unless some interesting trade happens, NJ almost certainly won’t take him there. But overall, I have to say I like this player a lot. I like guys who have a clear head, have great ideas about the game, aren’t afraid to get dirty and play the full 200-foot game. He has the style of hockey you want to see. I’ll be very interested to see his development wherever he ends up.
Your opinion
What are your thoughts on Teddy Stiga? What do you think of his game and the huge strides he’s made this year in the USNTDP? What do you think of his approach to the game, his strengths, and his weaknesses? Based on all of that, where do you think he should be in the draft? When should his name start being called? Leave your comments below, and thanks for reading another prospect profile from AATJ!
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