Red Wings NHL Draft Prospects Profile 1.0 features a high-scoring forward with ideal size

Does Greentree have any other real drawbacks other than average skating?

If there’s one more inconsistency to Liam Greentree’s game, or better yet, a part that needs to improve before he’s pro-ready, it’s his compete level. Other prospects slated to go between 10th and 15th in the NHL Draft, like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, for example, is someone you can never count out during a sequence, whether or not his team has the puck. 

This isn’t the case with Greentree, as sometimes he’s got the will to chase down opponents, but there are other times when he looks like he’s relying on others to do the work. For a player his size, the compete and physical play needs to be there 100 percent of the time he skates onto the ice. 

This becomes even more important when he’s engaged in puck battles, which, once again, the overall sense of urgency seems to lack. If he realizes the higher the compete, the more eventual scoring chances, Greentree will engage in more puck battles and work to regain possession for himself and his teammates, but it’s not there just yet. 

Greentree also gets caught puck watching at times, and when opponents take advantage, it doesn’t end well for him or the Spitfires. So while his awareness is fine for the most part when he and the Spitfires have the puck, it’s a different story when they aren’t in possession, so that aspect of his game must get more consistent in 2024-25. 

How intriguing is Greentree’s play on the ice?

If my observations and the video from NHL Draft Pros linked earlier serve as any indication, Greentree is more than intriguing. Like all prospects slated to go outside the top five, his game holds more than a few flaws, but they’re minor. 

Suppose Greentree played for even a halfway decent team last season, and there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have forced so many plays. If he gets stronger, that, in turn, will take care of his skating, and he’ll be more comfortable getting physical with opponents both in open ice and along the boards. 

(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)