MnB's 2015 NHL Draft Preview: Christian Meike

Name: Christian Meike

Position: Defenseman

Birthday: 1996-01-23 (Age 19)

2014-15 Team: Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

2014-15 Stats: 2-5-7 in 10 games played with Skipjacks 18U, 0-1-1 in 4 postseason games

Measurables: 6'0, 165 lbs

Final Rankings:

Did not qualify for final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

The Skinny

While we usually stack up the odds and give full breakdowns and scouting reports, Meike missed the entirety of the 2014-15 USHL season due to injury. As of now, he stands to fill out and ultimately serve as a puck mover (though not a scorer) on the blue line at even strength and on the powerplay. Having the raw skill and instinct as a defenseman to be offensively conscious is as important as ever. The coaching staff at Michigan will certainly figure out what makes him tick on the ice, and he should be able to develop consistently during his time in Ann Arbor.

So far, Meike stands as a skill defenseman in transition with good hands, though he doesn't have that great of a shot.

The above, however, might be generous for the 19 year-old.

With young defensemen, it's really hard to determine what type of package a team is getting. The lack of playing time is especially worrying, given that his current strengths will almost certainly become weaknesses once he hits the ice against NCAA competition (if he does at all, quite frankly).

Right now, he has to really fill out and bulk up, not the easiest of tasks while coming back from injury. MnB is looking forward to watching Meike in practices and see if he cracks the lineup. He has a lot to prove.

Draft Prediction

There's no need to really go that far, Meike will not be drafted this year.