Branden Troock

History

2009-10: Selected by Seattle in the first round (12th overall) of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, Branden Troock missed much of the season after suffering a head and neck injury in an October tournament. He appeared in nine games with the Thunderbirds and skated for the CAC Gregg Distributors midget AAA team in Alberta. Troock appeared in a pair of games in late December before joining the Thunderbirds at the end of the season and had 2 goals with 4 assists and was plus-two with 4 penalty minutes. Seattle missed the WHL playoffs after finishing last in the U.S. Division. Troock scored 19 goals with 18 assists and had 38 penalty minutes in 27 games for CAC. Troock had three points in two playoff games as fourth-place CAC was swept in a best-of-three series with Sherwood Park.

2010-11: Troock missed the entire season due to complications from his head and neck injuries.

2011-12: Troock returned to skate in 58 games for Seattle and represented Canada at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. He scored 14 goals with 12 assists on an offensively-challenged Thunderbirds team that finished last in the WHL’s U.S. Division. Troock finished minus-16 with 83 penalty minutes. Playing for Canada’s bronze medal squad at the U18 WJC, he had 1 assist and was minus-one with 10 penalty minutes. Troock was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and was ranked 65th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Troock was limited to 19 games due to a lingering shoulder injury in his third WHL season with Seattle. After trying several times to get back on the ice through the season, he finally had season-ending surgery in early February. He scored 5 goals with 6 assists (with six of his points coming in a nine-game stretch in January) and was -5 with 19 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Troock made his debut in pro hockey with Dallas AHL affiliate Texas after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with Dallas in April 2014 following his WHL season with Seattle. He skated in one regular season game and one playoff contest for the Texas Stars. He had no points nor penalties in his two games with the Calder Cup champions. Troock was the third-leading scorer for the Thunderbirds in his third WHL season despite missing 14 games after suffering an upper body injury in January. He scored 24 goals with 34 assists and was +1 with 69 penalty minutes in 58 regular season games. Seattle finished second behind Portland in the U.S. Division and lost to the Winterhawks in the second round in the playoffs. Troock scored 4 goals with 3 assists and was -1 with 8 penalty minutes in nine playoff games.  

2014-15: Troock competed in the 2014 Traverse City rookie tournament and began his first pro season with Idaho in the ECHL. He skated in five games with the Steelheads before being re-called by AHL affiliate Texas. He skated in 49 regular season games as a 20-year-old rookie in an injury-filled season scoring 6 goals with 9 assists, and was +4 with 27 penalty minutes. Texas finished second in the West Division and was swept by Rockford in a first-round series. Troock did not appear in any playoff games. He scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was +1 with 2 penalty minutes in his time with Idaho.

Talent Analysis

Troock is a big, powerful winger that uses his edges well when skating; very sharp on his skates with good agility and balance.  He has a good shot that he can get upstairs with aplomb but needs to improve his slow release.  Troock wants to have the puck at all times and will forego the easy play or pass to challenge a defender one-on-one.  He appears to be plagued with tunnel vision in offensive situations.  However, he has nice hands and a willingness to make life difficult for defensemen with his skill and his physicality.  Troock lost valuable development time to head/neck injuries and as a result is still lacking maturity in all facets of his game.

Future

Troock is in the second year of his original entry-level contract with Dallas in 2015-16. He has spent the bulk of the year with the AHL's Texas Stars, missing time at one point due to an upper-body injury and skating in eight games for the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads during a brief demotion. Troock is a project power forward who continues to develop his game. His hard-charging style leaves him susceptible to injuries, which have kept him off the ice. Talent-wise he has the makings of a late round steal if he can stay healthy. He is equally likely to spend the bulk of his career in the AHL or in Europe.