Eric Gelinas
Age - 20
Height - 6' 4"
Weight - 200
Position - Defenseman
NHL Comparable - Brayden Coburn

Strengths - Eric Gelinas is a big, strong defenseman who has the tools to become a physical force on the backend. He knocks opposing players off the puck with ease, and isn't afraid to mix it up. While Gelinas is best known for his physical play, and work in his defensive zone, he is quite capable of contributing offensively. Gelinas, a converted forward, has a very good shot from the point, and has displayed good puck-moving abilities quite frequently throughout his time in the QMJHL. Gelinas is a very good skater, which isn't exactly common for 6' 4" defenseman.

Weaknesses - At times Gelinas tries to do too much in the offensive zone and play outside of his abilities, which is never a good thing. Gelinas also goes out of his way to be physical, which occasionally leads to chances and/or goals against him.

Career Projection - Average second pairing defenseman

Overall Analysis - Gelinas is a solid two-way defenseman with a very good shot. If he sticks to his game and plays within his abilities, he can be an effective powerplay QB. Gelinas can also play the penalty kill, as he is a big, physical defenseman who isn't afraid to battle in front of the net, or block shots. While Gelinas has his weaknesses, none of them are weaknesses that coaches can't fix. If he continues to develop in Albany, he could find himself in the NHL in 2-3 years.

Note - my prospect profile on Jon Merrill from yesterday can be found here.

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