2001 Draft Profile: Tim Gleason
There is no doubt Tim Gleason has the skills to become a very
very solid NHL defenseman. Smooth skating and quick passing are Gleason’s top
2 strengths. Yet Gleason is missing something. It might delay his arrival to
the NHL. Gleason doesn’t have the hockey smarts a NHL d-man should. Now there
are varying reports from scouts, but most feel Gleason needs to improve his
hockey smarts in order to be a successful NHL player. Stephen Weiss hands
down is the smartest player in this years draft. If Gleason had the smarts of
Weiss he would probably be a top 5 selection. Yet this will cause him to most
likely be a mid to late first round pick. At 6’0, 200 pounds Gleason is a
two way player. He has above average offensive skills and is very good in his
own zone. Sometimes he gets out of control and starts running around in his
own zone. If he can harness his ability and make quicker and smarter
decisions he can be a very very solid player. Yet between now and draft time
there isn’t any more chances to change his game. It looks like Tim Gleason
will have to develop on the pro level, which is the hardest level of all to
develop your game.
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