Fraser Minten is a forward who won’t knock your socks off offensively, but he uses his hockey IQ to play a solid 200-foot game that coaches love. For a bigger guy he’s quite smooth and really in control of his physical attributes. While not a burner of a skater he still manages to cover ice quite efficiently and fluidly, and is incredibly hard to knock off balance or off his feet. He’s responsible in his own end, understanding the need to be on the defensive side of puck battles and always providing ample support to his defensemen. When he does have the puck he’s not one to make any low-percentage plays and risk turning it over. With his smart, responsible and consistent he is it’s easy to project him being able to stay a center at higher levels. He uses his teammates well, with the caveat that he seems to lack a bit of offensive creativity. He’s not a player who is going to create many highlight-reel plays on his own, even though he has fairly good playmaking abilities. He shows some flashes of above-average vision, threading passes between feet and under sticks, and at times that catch opponents by surprise. He’s also not afraid to hold onto the puck to allow the play to develop further into a better scoring opportunity for his team. In order to make himself more dangerous of the offensive end of things, he could work on developing his puck skills a bit further. He’s often prone to losing the puck in tight-quarter battles. Minten doesn’t quite show enough offensive skill to comfortably say he has the ability to produce consistently at the next level, but he more likely than not will become a quality third-line, shutdown center who can sporadically chip in offensively and helps on the penalty kill.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide