Luca Marrelli, D/Oshawa
He’s got the length at 6’2, plus plenty of time to pack on size to his frame, but that’s not why I rolled with one of the 2024 NHL Draft’s more underrated prospects who could find themselves going in the back half of the first round. For one, I like Luca Marrelli’s experience, with 187 regular season games completed already for the Oshawa Generals and 214 total when you count the playoffs.
In those first 126 regular season and playoff games, Marrelli only put up five goals and 40 points. But that changed in 2023-24 when he finished the regular season with six goals and 57 points, plus an additional 13 points and two goals in 21 postseason appearances. But let’s take a break from talking about points, because the blueliner is capable of much, much more than helping his team score.
If the Flyers “reached” for a player like Marrelli, they’re getting a smart defenseman who almost always plays with confidence and consistency. While these may sound more like intangibles, you can still see some respectable physical play in his game, something that’s useful when it involves disrupting an opponent’s sequences.
Tankathon’s mock draft has Marrelli going 65th overall to the Utah Hockey Club, so with the last pick in the second round, I can’t help but digress. For a player whose productivity finally matched what is an outstanding offensive game, and a solid defensive game to match, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marrellis was a “surprise pick” in the early second round, or even a late-first round pick if he could make a last-second effort to increase his stock.
(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)