An early 2002 birthdate, Laatsch has a huge frame and possesses strong mobility allowing him to have a solid impact on the defensive side of the game. For a player of his size to have the agility and lateral quickness he has is impressive, he uses long powerful strides to get up to speed and cover the ice rather quickly. A strong defender but he contributes some on the offensive side. Laatsch has a powerful shot, and can put his entire frame behind it every time he lets a slap shot go from the point. He can use his body to angle off opponents into the corners and away from the high-slot. He loses puck battles a little too frequently for a guy his size, allowing other players to get positional advantage on him on too many occasions. He makes simple passes and shouldn’t be asked to drive transitional play or make complicated reads in the offensive zone because that’s not the type of player he is and he doesn’t have the skillset to be effective in those areas. A massive player with the ability to defend well is the type of player that usually hears their names called on the final day of the draft and Laatsch seems to be following a similar path.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide