OHL Prospect Profile: Maddox Callens

Maddox Callens is one of the top 2003-born prospects playing in Alliance this year. After a successful year playing with the ’02 age group, Callens projects to be a top-10 pick at the 2019 OHL Draft.

– Maddox Callens –

Brantford 99ers (Alliance) | Center

Langton, ON | 2003 | 5-foot-11, 168-pounds

A highly-skilled and dynamic forward, Maddox Callens possesses all the tools to become one of the top players out of Alliance this year. Callens played up a year in 2017-18, playing a vital role in the 99ers Minor Midget season. Despite being a year younger than the competition, Callens thrived in the league, adding 15 goals and 33 points over 33 games, ranking second in both categories among his teammates.

Related: Check out Prospect Pipeline’s 2019 OHL Draft Ranking: October Top-20

Callens is an offensive dynamo, generating offence each time he takes the ice. He is a multi-threat player who can burn opponents with his shot, or dish a saucer pass onto the tape. A strong skater Callens top-end speed will only continue to improve as he grows and matures.

Strengths:

  • Hockey Sense
  • Skating
  • Shot

Maddox’s game begins with a high level of hockey sense. He understands the game well and thrives on reading the game as it’s developing. His all-around vision of the ice allows him to get an advantageous first step. Callens is a terrific skater with a quick first three steps and a shiftiness that allows him to weave through traffic unfazed.

He boasts a strong wrist shot with excellent accuracy that can pick corners which don’t seem to be open. Further, Callens is a smart playmaker as well, utilizing his sense and vision to find open teammates with slick passes through skates and sticks, or passing to an open area of the ice just in time for his teammates arrival. All in all, Callens is a tremendous offensive force that should definitely be in the running for top scorer in Alliance this year on a strong Brantford squad.

Area of Improvement:

  • Discipline

If there’s a potential area of improvement within Callens’ complete game, it may be his discipline away from the puck. During the ’17-18 season, he often took unnecessary penalties in pursuit of the puck or a big hit. In all, Callens racked up 54 penalty minutes during his 33 games, which ranked second on the team and 13th in the league.

Many of those penalties come from a habit that can be easily adjusted with good coaching. Callens simply need to keep his feet moving and improve his stick positioning when he’s defending and pursuing the puck. It’s an underrates asset, but smart stick positioning can often be the first step to becoming a reliable defender.

Future Potential:

Heading into the 2018-19 campaign, Maddox Callens currently projects to be a top-10 pick at the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Leading a Brantford 99ers team that looks poised to have a strong season as one of Alliance’s top teams, Callens should see plenty of ice time in all situations, and appears to be a front-runner for the scoring race in Alliance.

Looking ahead to the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, Callens is heading into the ’18-19 season projecting to be a top-10 pick, with great potential to move up into the top-5.

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