Kevin Korchinski is one of the top offensive defensemen available in this year’s NHL Draft. He’s a magnificent skater who will dazzle you with his edgework and crossovers as he patrols the offensive blue line. He does a fantastic job of working the puck on the blue line and getting it towards the middle of the ice to get a better shot towards the net. He’s got a nice long stride and great acceleration, which allows him to retrieve pucks before anyone else. It also aids him in catching opponents off guard and closing the gap on them quickly. His puck-handling abilities are also a strong point of his game. If he gets the puck under pressure he’s able to shake them off with a quick spin, head-fake or some nice stick work and dance around them. He’s a solid passer who won’t miss any open options, but he also has the odd turnover when an easy option isn’t available, calling into question a little bit his ability or desire to keep things on the safer side at times. He is a highly intelligent player who plays at a high pace. While this is great when he or his team has the puck, when it comes to defending he can get a little over-zealous and lose his positioning. He also struggles at times when it comes to using his body to defend physically, though that’s an element that may simply come with time. One-on-one battles become a struggle if he’s not able to use his stick to strip someone. However, the good news with this is he has size and with lots of room on his large frame to beef up, which may help him tune the physical part of his game. Korchinski showed this season he’s got the potential to become a top-four defenseman in the NHL who could also contribute regularly on the power play.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide