The Vancouver Sun
June 26, 1998
By Elliott Pap

TORONTO -- Anyone who plays defence for the Oshawa Generals will face an inevitable comparison to the greatest General of them all, Bobby Orr.

Bryan Allen is by no means the next Bobby Orr, or anything close to him, but he is an outstanding blueliner who is rated by Central Scouting as the best defensive prospect in Saturday's NHL entry draft.

Others in the hockey world aren't so certain. Some scouts prefer the offensive-minded Brad Stuart, others like the stay-at-home Allen. In any case, the Vancouver Canucks will almost certainly take Allen in the No. 4 slot if Stuart, as many expect, goes No. 3 to Nashville.

"Bryan is probably the best kid we've had here on defence since Bobby Orr," said Oshawa Times sports editor Jim Shaw, who has been covering junior hockey for 40 years. "Obviously he's not the same type of player as Bobby but he is a super kid, a big, strong skater who is not afraid of the rough stuff."

Allen, a native of Glenburnie, Ont., doesn't turn 18 until Aug. 21 and will be one of the youngest players taken in Buffalo on Saturday. He is still busy growing, however, and is listed at 6'4" and 208 pounds. His coach in Oshawa, John Goodwin, figures he can easily bulk up to 215 or 220 by the time he physically matures.

"I think he's going to be a great pro," said Goodwin. "People like to compare him to Derian Hatcher but I think he's more intense, shift in and shift out, than Hatcher. He's probably the best player I've been involved with in the four years I've been here."

Allen does not have much offensive upside, which is precisely what Vancouver needs, and would give the Canucks another defenceman who possesses similar qualities to Bryan McCabe and prospect Brad Ference. Still, Allen is considered a better pure talent than Guelph centre Manny Malhotra, and Vancouver will take the General and go from there.

In today's watered-down NHL, it seems you can never have enough defencemen. The New York Islanders stock-piled young blueliners and then began to deal them to fill other needs. The Canucks could find themselves in a similar situation two years down the road.

"Allen is a big, huge guy who obviously is going to fill out a lot more," said Jack Birch, the Canucks' director of amateur scouting. "He's a defensive-type defenceman with a mean streak. Kenny Slater [Canuck scout] knows the family and we have no concerns about his character and personality. He's a great kid."

Allen's mean streak and toughness keep popping into every conversation. His penalty minutes -- 126 in 48 games -- are nowhere near the 324 Ference had in his draft year but that may indicate Allen is better disciplined. His junior coach says he is hardly an angel.

"He plays with a bit of an edge to him," Goodwin said. "He's very intense, very mean and clears the front of the net. As a 17-year-old, we expected a lot from him. He always played against the other teams' top lines and when he was out of our lineup I think we went something like 1-17. I see him as being a No. 2 or No. 3 defenceman in the NHL, if not a No. 1. "

Goodwin is so high on Allen he think the young General will need just one more season of junior before making a successful jump to the NHL.

"I think he's that close," Goodwin remarked. "I'd say he's a year away at the most. I don't think anybody in our organization anticipates having Bryan past this coming season. In fact, I'm concerned we won't have him back this year."

There is almost no chance that Allen, if drafted by Vancouver, would make the big team in 1998-99. But there is every chance he will be sliding on a Canuck jersey and shaking new general manager Brian Burke's hand sometime early Saturday afternoon. He doesn't have a problem with that.

"Playing in the National Hockey League has been my lifelong dream," Allen said. "I don't care where I go as long as I get an opportunity."



BACK