Top 25 Under 25 –
#18 – Logan Stanley
6’7” 231 lbs – Defence – Shoots Left
OHL 2017-2018 Season: 61 GP – 15G – 27A – 42PTS – 111PIM
OHL Career Stats: 219 GP – 24G – 56A – 80PTS – 336PIM
How and why is Logan Stanley at number 18 in the the Winnipeg Jets top 25 under 25? To put things simply, there is a lack of organizational depth at his position, left-handed defence, that means that Stanley isn’t that far away from the NHL line-up.
In terms of the overall pecking order for pro defenders who shoot left, Stanley probably sits in sixth spot:
- Josh Morrissey
- Joe Morrow
- Ben Chiarot
- Dmitry Kulikov
- Sami Niku
- Logan Stanley
Stanley had a pretty good year in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, despite getting cut by Team Canada prior to the World Juniors. He put up 42 points in 61 regular season games, and 16 more in 19 playoff games. His efforts earned him the Bob ‘Snowy’ Schlieman Award as Most Offensive Defenceman during the regular season, and the Charles Chalkin Memorial Award as co-Playoff MVP (with goaltender Mario Culina). The Rangers lost in the Western Conference finals, with Stanley playing more than 50 minutes in a double overtime game seven loss.
It would take some doing for Stanley to get into the NHL lineup this year, but injuries to defenders are not exactly rare. The Jets are also high on Stanley, and have been since drafting him in the 1st round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He remains with the big club just days before the regular season begins, while Sami Niku has already been sent down.
He has upside, of course, and it seems likely that his rookie season as a pro will go better than Simon Bourque’s did (three assists in 46 AHL games). But how much ice time will he get, even in the AHL? The Moose back end is filled with decent talent this year, with Niku, Bourque, Tucker Poolman (most likely), Nelson Nogier, Luke Green, Peter Stoykewych and Cameron Schilling all names that are vying for six spots on the Moose team. Depending on how the Moose manage things, somebody talented isn’t going to be playing a lot. It’s a good problem to have in terms of talent, but not in terms of development if it comes at the expense of younger guys. But having veterans like Stoykewych and Schilling around also helps develop the younger guys.
It’s tricky.
I don’t expect Stanley to be with the Jets much longer, as his contract is easy to send down.
