NHL Draft
2014 NHL Draft Prospect: Michael Prapavessis
Nov
Michael Prapavessis is a defenseman for the Toronto Patriots in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Prapavessis is in his second year in the OJHL and he is having an excellent season. The 6’1” 180 lbs defender was recently selected to the Team Canada East roster for the World Jr. A Challenge which took place in Yarmouth last week.
Prapavessis name popped up in OHL news this week, as the London Knights obtained his rights from the Saginaw Sprit via trade on Tuesday. Michael is currently committed to RPI and still plans to go the NCAA route. “My older brother went that route and I feel it’s the right choice for me. I signed my letter of intent today.” Michael said he isn’t interested in visiting with the Knights.
We have watched Prapavessis for a few years. He was a member of the high powered Mississauga Rebels team which won the 2012 OHL Cup. Some other players on that team included: Robby Fabbri, Brett Hargrave, Santino Centorame, Kyle Jenkins, Dylan Di Perna, Damian Bourne and Jake Evans to name a few.
Prapavessis has developed steadily over the past two seasons. He has also grown a couple inches. His current coach, Jason Fortier, likes what he sees from Michael on a nightly basis. “He’s a real competitor, he is hard on himself and tries to be a difference maker every game. He is a player we count on to log a lot of minutes and he is very productive in those minutes. He’s a hard worker and it’s paying off.”
HockeyProspect.com’s Mark Edwards gave a short scouting report on Prapavessis:
“Mike is excellent with his stick, he’s really effective using it defensively and tends to rely on those stick skills more often than using the body. I’d like to see him add a physical element to his game but there is no denying how effective he’s able to matchup right now using that stick, smarts and positioning. He’s impressive on 1 on 1 rushes. His gap is very good and he anticipates and uses his feet well to matchup on players going wide. His stick is well positioned. Offensively he can skate the puck and makes good outlet decisions. He mans the blueline on the Patriots 1-3-1 powerplay. He’s solid, making good decisions but not what I would call a powerplay stud. His is shot is probably his biggest weakness right now although it has improved. My favorite thing about his game is simple, he’s a very smart hockey player.”
Prapavessis is on the radar for the 2014 NHL Draft. He was added to the NHL Central Scouting watch list today. He spoke to us about his game “I think I’m pretty solid defensively and pretty good on the powerplay. I want to get stronger and be more physical. I know I will need to be stronger.”