Projection: Top-Six Power Forward

Strengths: Puck-Handling, Physicality, Shooting

Development Opportunities: Skating

Veitch’s combination of size, physicality and on-puck skill make him one of the more intriguing archetypes this draft class has to offer. The biggest hits I’ve seen all year have come from Veitch, building up speed as the F1 on the forecheck before laying out defenders below the goal line and helping force rushed decisions and turnovers as a consequence. He finished tied for 7th in goal scoring in the entire OMHA this year for York Simcoe, a testament to how good he is as a shooter with the ability to beat goaltenders clean from distance with velocity and accuracy. The handling ability is what makes his game so intriguing for a big man, as he’s able to pull pucks through and around defenders in one on one situations while also driving off the halfwall in the offensive to gain access to the middle of the ice and create dangerous chances off the cycle.

As of right now the skating is what is holding Veitch back from being a truly dynamic QMJHL prospect, as he lacks a true separation gear and did rely on speedier forwards to get him the puck in space when the game opened up. That being said, Veitch’s physical tools and offensive acumen already make his floor extremely high and he should be able to step in right away to a QMJHL line up, despite the current skating deficiencies.

Veitch was one of the best players at this entire event from start to finish, finishing tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 7 points in 4 games and showcasing his patented combination of power and skill. He flashed his high-end puck skills on multiple occasions, most notably along the perimeter where he was able to use his size advantage to win battles for loose pucks before executing a toe drag to get off the wall and attack the middle of the ice for a premium scoring chance. He was quite the effective playmaker off the rush, opting to attack wide on defenders, use his puck protection ability to extend his puck touches while drawing pressure towards him before hitting the trailer option up high. Veitch was also quite adept at catching passes in motion in the middle of the ice in the offensive zone, maintaining his momentum forward and getting full velocity on his shots through weight transfers that lead to a few highly impressive goals throughout the tournament. I noted a few effortful backchecks as well where he was able to chase down puck-carriers and help nullify odd-man rush opportunities.

With Veitch, all of my notes revolved around his physical tools. Whether it was applying physicality on the forecheck, protecting the puck with his frame, the power on his shot, or his skating, everything was about the advantages he created from his physical tools. Almost shift after shift, Veitch was exploding up ice, protecting the puck wide, getting a step on defenders, and making something happen off the rush. He showed an ability to make power moves toward the goal, distribute from the exterior to teammates net front, and score by rifling shots from medium range, and he was just a non-stop offensive threat. This combination of a well-rounded offensive game and physical abilities makes for a really exciting prospect that would be high on my OHL list if he weren't eligible for the QMJHL draft.

I’ll be the first to admit I expected a bit more out of Veitch, at least production wise, throughout this tournament after he finished with just 3 assists in 4 games after coming in as one of the more heralded Atlantic prospects for the QMJHL draft. However, after compiling my notes and reviewing the tape I can say with certainty that his lack of production certainly wasn’t for a lack of creation or effort on his part. If you’re expecting a player who’s able to drive play on his own and create chances individually then you’d only be a tad bit right with Veitch. He did flash some high-end one on one attacking ability which allowed him to pull pucks around defenders in full speed and gain access to dangerous areas of the ice. Despite that, I think where Veitch excels the most is his ability to leverage his size to create turnovers and turn those into high quality chances for his teammates. He’s a player who is so aware of his own strengths on the ice and he uses often and efficiently to create positive results on a consistent basis. He was often the first one in on the forecheck, combining his long stride and physicality to limit defenders time and space on their retrievals and deliver crushing body checks which allowed him to win access to loose pucks. What separates Veitch from the majority of the strong north-south forecheckers is his ability to quickly get pucks to the middle of the ice whether it be with a quick pass from below the goal line or making a hard cut to the front of the net to get a shot off from in tight. Veitch was equally dominant along the boards by coming out with the puck in a large majority of his puck battles to generate even more touches for himself before looking to attack the interior. I thought he even showed some strong flashes as a creative distributor off the rush by driving wide, drawing pressure towards him and executing a combination of spinning backhand and no-look feeds to teammates who could then attack into space.

While I could provide a lengthy, in-depth assessment of Veitch's high-level play, in the interest of time, I need to focus my time on the many OHL Draft eligibles, but the Newfoundland native still deserves a mention. I mainly appreciated his game for how he used his physical tools and tactical handling to drive the net. Benjamin constantly protected the puck to the outside, combined power moves and swift puck touches to cut in and drive for premium chances. I could rave more about the presumed QMJHL draft-eligible forward, but needless to say, he's no doubt a high-end player.

The volume of high-danger chances that came off of Veitch’s stick made him one of the more noticeable forwards in this championship game. His blend of size and skill make him a hard player to defend against and that was evident here. He was constantly attacking the middle of the offensive zone, both as a puck carrier and as a passer, by using his frame and slick puck skills to get inside positioning and challenge goaltenders with his powerful release or execute crisp passes to his teammates through seams. He tied up the game at 1-1 in the first period with an impressive backhand snipe over the goaltender’s left shoulder from in tight off a well-executed passing play between him and his linemates on a controlled zone entry. Although he didn’t find the scoresheet again, he still remained one of the key drivers of offence throughout.

Veitch was his team’s most effective forward throughout this game, flashing strong playmaking with a few instances of high-end individual skill. I thought he did a great job of distributing to teammates off the rush, either by slipping pucks through sticks to a linemate in stride before working his way into space for a return pass or skating wide into the offensive zone, drawing pressure towards him and dishing to open space in the middle of the ice. He showed some power to his game as well, on one rush in particular when he shielded a puck from a defender while attacking the middle off the rush and drew another defender towards him as he entered the zone before kicking it outside to a linemate in space. His goal was a combination of hard work and above-average skill as he won a battle for the puck in the middle of the ice in the offensive zone, drove the net and pulled the back around the goaltender to his backhand before depositing it into the back of the net to tie the game at 6. He nearly scored his second of the game later in the final frame when he toe dragged around a defender from off the wall to get inside but was denied in tight.

As always in a viewing YSE, Veitch jumped off the page. Ben was always involved in the forecheck, applying relentless pressure to the Quinte defenders, and never shying away from an opportunity to engage physically. With the puck, Veicth was looking to attack the middle of the ice, relying on his handling to drag pucks around sticks and get shots off from the premium scoring areas.

The offensive driver for his team, Benjamin seemed locked onto the Huron-Perth net, forcing his way through defenders to create rush opportunities for himself shift after after. Intercepting a neutral zone pass, he got a step on the defenders and powered his way into the slot to get his team an early equalizing goal. On this play and others, he also displayed a knack for pulling the goalie slightly out of position. These two key skills together make him a fairly developed scorer who can be self-reliant, and someone who can take the game into his own hands when his team needs a goal, which in this game kept them in it.

Veitch was heavily involved in his team’s offense from start to finish, using his rare combination of size and skill to create offense for himself and his linemates. Once again, he was doing plenty of damage on the forecheck, using his frame to outmuscle smaller defenders with ease and make quick one touch passes to the front of the net. He showed a great ability to play under pressure as well, dealing with contact around the perimeter as he assesses his options and executed on many passes towards the interior. His biggest sequence of the game came on the power play when he peeled back at the offensive blueline, attacked downhill and pulled a puck through a defender to get into space to get a shot off from a high-danger area.

Veitch was the only Newfoundland forward who was able to create offense individually throughout this game. He had a really strong rush play in the first period when he flashed his stickhandling ability to pull pucks through multiple Nova Scotian defenders in the offensive zone to work his way into space before executing a slick backhand feed to the slot for a scoring chance. Throughout the rest of the game I thought he was fully engaged in board battles and using his strength to come out on top and generate puck touches for himself. I liked how wasn’t shy to attack the middle of the ice, drawing defenders towards him in the process before kicking it outside to a teammate who could then attack downhill into space.

What impressed me most about Veitch throughout this game was his ability to use his size to create advantages for himself and his teammates all over the ice. He came out of the gate flying in this one, getting in on the forecheck with speed and delivering crushing body checks to PEI defenders. He was dominant below the goal line as well, winning a large majority of his puck battles before executing quick feeds to the slot. Veitch was even difficult to contain as a puck-carrier in transition, demonstrating the ability to turn around defenders with his speed to create space up high. He had a nice sequence in the first period when he drove wide around a defender, stopped up quickly then executed a spinning backhand feed to the middle of the ice that lead to chance from the high slot.