HW 2011 Prospects: Duncan Siemens

Hockey Wilderness has decided to rank their 30 favorite prospects in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and will analyze each and every one of them. So on draft day, you'll have a good sense of who's who.

With each post, you will get to understand what type of player he is, and how he can help the Wild. You'll understand his strengths, flaws and get to understand what type of player he'll develop into.

The HW's Rank - The average rank of several of our favorite available rankings, weighted appropriately.

Summary Scout Notes - A broken down version of comments offered by each service. To read the whole explanations, click on the source site and search.

Now, introducing Saskatoon Blades defenseman Duncan Siemens:

Duncan Siemens

#5 / Defense / Saskatoon Blades

Height: 6-3

Weight: 192

Born: Sep 7 1993

Don't forget to check out the Hockey Wilderness 2011 Draft Page as well. Just click on the picture.

History And Accomplishments

2008 WHL Bantam Draft - 3rd Overall, 1st Round

2009 Team Saskatoon Blades Rookie Of The Year Award

HW's Take:

Unfortunate last name but a 6'3 192lbs frame to back him up, Siemens has that physical edge that teams love on the blueline.

Rangers took Dylan McIlrath over Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley last year because of the interesting package of physicality, mobility, character and skill. Siemens has that but also potential offensive skills to add to that.

Siemens is a safe bet to become a physical defenseman in the NHL level. He has all the tools and he will be relied on back in Saskatoon in all situations. Perfect place to develop a defenseman.

But what seperates Siemens from being picked top 8 from being picked top 30 is his offensive upside. He has the big shot, and he can move the puck well enough. However, offense just isn't his main game and he needs to learn how to get the pucks towards the net.

Still, there will be many teams very interested in the entire package Siemens offers and won't be surprised to see him pick top 10.

HW's Projection

Second pairing physical defenseman - can play in all situations

Summary Scouts Notes

For full explanations, click on the links:

B2011DW

big, fiery and has some upside ... brings the lumber with his mobility and tough edge ... gap control is very good, and he plays a sound positional game ... powerful stride and good lateral agility ... can do it all including fight ... very poise ... has zeal and passion for the game ... offensive upside is a question ... does not have game-breaking element

HFBoards

Very physical and not afraid to drop the mitts ... a good skater, has some offensive tools, a good shot, good passer and is as tough as nails ... a great passer and has a very hard shot ... a strong and powerful skater ... very good in his own zone defensively and can put out some points on the board ... good shotblocking ability ... underrated offensive ability ... very mature on and off the ice ... the epitome of a team player ...  has a nasty streak ... handles the puck too often coming out of his own zone ... shot still needs some work to improve his timing and accuracy

The Scouting Report

an all around defenseman with nastiness ... outstanding package of size, skill, and skating ... loves to take the body ... has the size and strength that makes him an extremely difficult player to play against ... a very good skater for his size and has a good shot ... able to make the first pass out of his zone ... steady type of player that’s good in his own end ... decision-making (especially in his own end) is also a concern at times ...

Video Evidence

Where Does He Fit With The Wild?

The Wild have tons of depth defenseman. All are quite mobile, alot of have size (or bigger than Siemens). But none have the upside of Siemens.

Spurgeon, not sure if he counts as a prospect anymore. Scandella might have a similar offensive upside but Siemens just offers that extra physical push that would make him the second best prospect with the Wild (after Granlund).

Good Choice At #10?

Great prospect, interesting tools, but not what I want at #10.

I know theres all this talk of best prospect available, but #10, there will be a group of prospects that have similar levels of talent. If I were to be picking first in that group, I would want a prospect that meets some sort of organizational need.

Siemens meets the lack of bluechip prospects, but nothing else. We have defensive d-men. Scandella, Stoner, Falk etc. I rather see us pick another bluechip prospect at #10.

How Does He Look As A Wild?

Comment away!

Special thanks to Brock Otten, Kirk Luedek, Scott Campbell, and Dan Shrader