Josh Davies is a forward whose entire game revolves around his speed. He’s one of the fastest skaters in this whole draft class and often uses his speed in different ways. He can use his fantastic acceleration to reach his top speed so quickly, it allows him to catch defenders flat-footed so he can get behind them quite frequently. He can force defenders to panic when he’s on the forecheck because he closes on them with such quickness, and he’s also not afraid to use his momentum to finish checks. His hands are good enough to handle the puck while he’s at top speed, which allows him to create a lot of clean zone entries for his club. Defenders have to respect his speed coming through the neutral zone, which allows him some time and space to create offense. He can beat goalies shooting off the rush, and he also does a good job selling a shot if he sees a teammate open for a cross-ice pass. He isn’t quite as effective in his own zone. Positionally, he can get lost due to puck-watching and standing still, and he’s not physically mature enough to impose his will along the wall or in the corner. But when it comes to loose pucks or pressuring his defenseman on the blue line, his speed becomes an asset again. The issue with him and the reason he may fall to the later rounds in this upcoming draft, is he doesn’t always seem be involved and giving 100 percent every shift. He can go prolonged periods throughout games where he just blends into the play. If he’s not using his speed to create space and offense for his team, then he’s not helping. If he can sort out his consistency issues, a team may find themselves with a future third-line player that skates on a power play unit as well.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide