Mitchell Vande Sompel is doing his part to erode the distinction between defencemen and forwards as hockey continues to evolve.
The Oshawa Generals defenceman's unique skillset has been utitlized in many ways across his two Ontario Hockey League seasons, with coach D.J. Smith often using Vande Sompel as a forward on the penalty-killing unit. During the latest phase of the playoffs, Vande Sompel was even more versatile; due to injuries, he moved between the blueline and left wing while helping his team win the Eastern Conference and make the OHL final.
"The biggest thing for me with doing both is now I can better tell when certain forwards are going to make moves in certain situations," says Vande Sompel, who is NHL Central Scouting's No.