Braden Schneider shift-by-shift video and scouting notes -- February 21, 2020

Video of every shift from Braden Schneider's three point outing against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Feburary 21, 2020

One of the draft’s best defensive defencemen, Braden Schneider looks almost certain to become a first round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6’2, 209 pound defenceman plays a physical, aggressive defensive game and excels at protecting his own blueline, frequently closing off opposing attacks before they can even enter the offensive zone. However, there are legitimate questions about Schneider’s ability to impact the game offensively and as a puck carrier.

As I outlined in my similar exercise focusing on Portland Winterhawks’ forward Seth Jarvis, these posts have two main purposes: provide a quick, efficient way for those without the time or resources to watch draft eligible players on the ice (25 minutes is a lot quicker than the two and a half hours it takes to watch an entire game live), as well as outline my thought process and the things that catch my eye while I watch these games.

I’m still finding the best way to do this, so we’ll be using a slightly different format this time. Rather than an individual clip for every one of Schneider’s shifts like I did for Jarvis, we’ll have one video for each period of play and I’ll reference timestamps every time I see something notable. This streamlines the process and should cut out the excessive loading time that seemed to be an issue when close to 20 different videos were embedded into a single post. Let me know which one you prefer. And if the analysis isn’t of interest to you, the full three-period shift-by-shift is right here for your enjoyment:

Period One

00:13— Schneider is generally quite conservative in the offensive zone, patrolling the blueline and only infrequently committing further into the offensive zone. He initially steps up to the hash mark to keep the puck in here, but backs off when the puck bounces his way a second time. I have to imagine that the more offensively-geared defencemen in this draft— like Jamie Drysdale— would have taken their chances there. It’s up to you whether to frame this as a good or bad play: high-pace, risk-taking defencemen are the new wave in the NHL, but losing that battle would have resulted in a potentially costly odd-man rush the other way. One thing is for sure though: it’s demonstrative of a consistent conservative offensive trend in Schneider’s game. He does pick his spots though to activate when it’s a more sure play— just seconds later on that shift he jumps up into open ice to cut off an opponent’s pass.

00:35— Another trend present in Schneider’s game is a fairly consistent shoot-first mentality. If he has space on the blueline, expect him to shoot more often that not.

00:50— Like I said, there’s another point shot.

01:48— Whereas Schneider is conservative offensively, he loves to step up and play aggressively without the puck. Rush defence is a crucial element of every good defensively-oriented defender’s game. If you can stop an attack before they gain your blueline, you’re saving yourself and your teammates a ton of work. Schneider loves to step up at his own blueline, typically with success like the forced chip-in here.

02:09— Schneider isn’t overly quick, but he’s mobile enough to take advantage of the space given to him. I like how he takes a few steps forwards before delivering a pass for a controlled entry here.

02:25— That being said, there are times where Schneider’s lack of high-end quickness can be detrimental to his transition game. By the time he gets his feet moving and gets out from behind his own net here, both Edmonton forecheckers know exactly where he’s going and are able to force a turnover. I do like the quick processing to recognize the long pass when he regains the puck though, even if it doesn’t work out.

03:25— Schneider is much more aggressive on the powerplay. Abandons the point to drive into the slot and then apply quick forechecking pressure when the puck changes hands.

03:57— Another point shot.

04:07— Powerplay assist. Secondary.

05:17— I’ve referred to Schneider as “limited” in transition before and plays like this are why. He can do what’s expected of him in that area— basis outlets, the odd stretch pass, taking space and even occasionally leaving a forechecker in his tracks in certain situations. But when he has a forechecker on him, he doesn’t seem like much of a problem solver capable of making high-end plays to escape tough situations (which is the vague trait that I look for in defencemen). Frequently, he opts for the simplest play possible. In this case, there’s one forechecker closing in on Schneider and another moving in on his defensive partner in the opposite corner. Playing the puck to the other defenceman isn’t beneficial at all— all that’s happening is the puck is going from one player in a tough spot to another player in a similarly tough position. There’s no creativity or real problem solving here— there’s no move by Schneider to throw off his forechecker and create any space for himself, no attempt to move the puck back up the close wall, no nothing. He just makes the easy play and then his defensive partner has nowhere to go and it’s a turnover.

06:18— First real carry of the game for Schneider. Long, powerful stride; fluid crosssovers. Gets around nicely.

07:07— Here’s a really great play. Takes the first forechecker out of the equation with a long sweep of the puck from backhand to forehand, creating time to get his head up and make a long pass through the neutral zone. That’s one example of him going beyond the simple play, and it shows the benefits of when he does.

Period Two

00:47— An opponent gets a step on Schneider wide, but he recovers very nicely and separates body from puck. The puck is immediately cleared. This is what I mean when I talk about ending defensive possessions before they even begin with excellent entry defence.

01:12— Another good hit in the corner. The puck isn’t immediately recovered this time, but that’s a great example of good, effective contact. Knocks the man off the puck and creates a puck battle.

02:20— Strong blueline defence, recognizes that the attacker has a backchecker right on him and steps up accordingly. Entry denied.

02:25— Has space to wheel and takes advantage. Lack of separation speed prevents him from turning the play into anything notable though; forced to dump puck in, a decent but undesirable result.

03:08— Another point shot.

03:23— Looks like Schneider tries to spin off the forechecker, an advanced transitional play, but seems to stumble. He’s not agile or compact enough to pull those plays off with consistent success. Recovers well and ends up making a solid pass.

03:42— Not a lot of options on this play but the decision to move the puck into pressure isn’t a good one. Rimming the puck around the boards the opposite direction may have been superior, or Schneider could have created more options for himself by picking the puck up in stride rather than stopping and eliminating all mobility.

03:58— Takes him a bit of runway to get going, but the speed that Schneider reaches here is impressive. He’s a very predictable and linear attacker though; there’s no lateral movement or other creativity to create options for himself and the defender is able to cut off his route to the net fairly routinely. Dumps the puck away without thinking once he curls off and turns it over.

05:01— Another point shot, this one turns into an assist after his teammate bats the rebound out of mid-air.

Third Period

00:44— Powerplay assist after a lengthy possession. Schneider is fine as a powerplay quarterback; he can distribute to his wings proficiently and has a decent wrister that we’ve established that he likes to use. You’ll notice that he doesn’t really do anything exceptional on the man advantage though. Basic passes, point shots that infrequently turn into goals or good opportunity, and the occasional activation deeper into the offensive zone. Is that enough for an NHL unit? Depends on the team he plays for, but I don’t think it will be.

01:00— Aggressive on the zone entry, engages with stick first and finishes with the body. Effective play, separates man from puck.

01:20— Quick read in the corner, able to identify an open teammate on the breakout even with pressure bearing down on him. Pass is a little off.

03:11— Makes a mistake that could have been costly. Schneider’s aggressiveness in his own zone will sometimes end up in players getting in behind him like this, but that style should yield a positive net result.

03:35— Good touch on the glass play for his teammate to skate onto the puck. One of the rare occasions where using the glass turns into a positive play.

04:38— Another excellent close off in the corner. Attackers going down Schneider’s wing rarely fare well.

04:39— All of the penalty kill work on the major penalty is quite good. Nice block here.

04:57— Good recovery in the corner, gets his body between the opposing forward and the puck, moves to his partner for the clear.

05:33— Steps up, forces a dump-in, and then finishes the body in the corner. Puck ends up being cleared as a result.

06:35— Steps up at the blueline and forces an offside. Even when there’s no direct puck or body contact, his aggressive style pays off.

06:49— Nice turn to prevent the forechecker from taking the puck. His size is useful in the corners: when you don’t have to worry about getting rocked, you’re a lot more free to protect the puck with your body in these situations.

06:58— Has a lane to skate the puck up the middle, but tries to distribute and the puck is tipped into the bench. Increased comfort skating the puck would go a long way in situations like this.

07:27— Steps up in the neutral zone and stops the opposing attack before it starts.

Thanks for following along. Feedback is always appreciated and if you’d like to see more like this, please subscribe to have future posts delivered straight to your email inbox.