Baker brings athleticism and has the size teams are looking for in a defenseman, and while his confidence has grown in the offensive end, he still leaves a lot to be desired defensively. He’s got active feet that are quick and can get him around, but he lacks a strong foundation, which causes issues in deriving power and keeping balanced in direction changes or contact. While he covers a lot of ground thanks to his lower body strength and athleticism, his stride is very upright and stiff. He speed is fine at the junior level but would be exposed as the competition turns from teenagers to men. His timing and indecisiveness plagues him in the defensive side of the puck as he struggles physically and positionally when defending in man and zone coverage. His reach is his best asset, but his narrow center of gravity can leave him stuck in neutral in terms of reacting quickly to the play and he can be pushover in board battles, puck retrievals or at the net front. He plays an incredibly loose game and is constantly making questionable decisions both with possession and in his positioning without the puck. His stickhandling needs improvement in the offensive zone and while he has improved, he still has a lot of room for improvement in the offensive zone. Besides making the simplest of passes, he struggles to make a lot happen through the neutral zone and off the line. He has size but needs to improve in the other areas of his game.

– FCHockey’s 2020 NHL Draft Guide