It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will be held on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Next in line for our rankings is Windsor Spitfires captain, Liam Greentree.
Who is Liam Greentree?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Greentree | RW | Left | 6’2″ | 198lbs |
Greentree’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-2 | GTHL U16 | Markham Majors U16 AAA | 22 | 13 | 12 | 25 |
| 2022–23 | D-1 | OHL | Windsor Spitfires | 61 | 25 | 20 | 45 |
| 2023–24 | D+0 | OHL | Windsor Spitfires | 64 | 36 | 54 | 90 |
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | Canada U18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Greentree’s career can be tracked back to his AAA play in Markham. On the U16 Majors team, Greentree suited up for 22 out of 23 games scoring 13 goals and 25 points. He led his team in both goals and points, tying for third in assists. This was good enough to land on OHL teams’ radars as he entered the 2022 OHL Draft. Greentree was selected with the 34th overall pick by the Windsor Spitfires.
The following season, Greentree entered his rookie season with the Spitfires. Greentree was on a very good Spitfires team that finished third in the OHL. Due to this, minutes were limited sometimes for Greentree. He still was able to put up a very respectable 25 goals and 45 points in 61 games as a rookie.
Team-wise, Greentree finished eighth for points and fourth for goals. In the playoffs, the Spitfires were to play the 12th-ranked Kitchener Rangers in the first round. Unfortunately for Greentree and the Spitfires, the Rangers pulled off a crazy upset, sweeping them four games to none and sending them home early. Greentree didn’t exactly do much scoring only one point in the four games.
On a more positive note, Greentree did take home a few accolades. He scored the most goals out of any rookie with his 25 and made the OHL First All-Rookie Team. Rookie of the Year was something he was in contention for but it was won by exceptional status rookie, Michael Misa.
Now we enter this season, a big season for Greentree as he was named captain of the Spitfires and it is his draft year. Starting off with the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Greentree was invited to wear the maple leaf for Canada. He only played three games throughout the entire tournament scoring one point but he and Canada were the ultimate U18 gold medalists after taking down Czechia 3–2 in overtime.
Then came his OHL season and he was poised to have a big one. With lots of top players having departures via aging out or trades, Greentree was left as the best Spitfire. The Spitfires didn’t have a good year at all, finishing second last in the entire league. This didn’t stop Greentree from having a great draft year campaign.
In 64 games, Greentree found the back of the net 34 times and added 56 assists for 90 points. He led his team in all scoring categories, especially points where he had 24 more than his closest teammate. League-wide, Greentree finished just outside the top 10 for points, tied at 11th and only two points back of 10th. He also placed inside the top 20 for goal scoring being tied for 16th. During the season, Greentree was invited to the CHL top prospects game and played for Team White. Greentree scored the game’s opening goal which was also the lone goal for Team White as they lost 3–1.
Greentree’s strengths
Ability to score
Greentree’s best trait is his ability to score and his shot. Greentree possesses a deadly wrist shot that often beats goalies. He can use it from a distance or even close to the net. A lot of the time he’ll be positioned on the left side of the ice and will walk around the dots, firing it past the goalie, post and in. Other times, he’ll do it from the right side of the ice in a very similar fashion.
Most of his goals come in that style and it makes him a complete threat on the power play. His backhand also is a danger for the opposing team’s goalie. He can use his strong feet to protect the puck while being pressured, then keep the puck to his backhand and add enough power and accuracy to find the back of the net.
Then when in tight, he’ll very often fight off defenders pressuring him from behind, drive the net, and then roof it off his backhand. He has a real knack for scoring and it’s about his positioning sometimes over his shot. He’ll keep pace with the puck carrier, giving them the option of throwing it across and he’ll redirect it in. He can also play a net presence, tipping pucks or cleaning up rebounds.
Skill/Creativity
Another candidate for Greentree’s best trait is his skill and creativity. On a low-quality Spitfires team, Greentree is able to make his own space and create dangerous chances. He draws defenders to him, leaving his teammates open for offensive opportunities. Other times when the defenders are drawn, he’ll use his strong backhand and forehand to keep them from stealing the puck and can even use it to get by them which resolves all pressure.
Even with less explosiveness in his stride, Greentree can use his hands and edges in a creative manner to avoid attack and create that elusiveness that a fast stride would. One-on-one, Greentree can use his skill to create separation or fake out defenders. He’ll pick up the puck and either make quick movements to get around or take a powerful toe-drag shot to avoid any possible blockage. The toe drag seems to be a favourite of his, using it to take the puck from the outside to the inside and around the defender.
He loves to attack the middle of the zone, his hands and creativity allow him to do so, weaving his way around opponents and creating chances. It is very intriguing to see how much he loves that pull to the inside move while consistently beating defenders with it.
Vision
Greentree’s vision doesn’t stand out as much as his other two strengths but it still bolsters his game. He can do a lot being able to turn away from pressure while quickly reading the play to make a pass or develop a chance. It helps that he can draw pressure on himself allowing for his teammates to be open and he can send a nice pass over to a teammate for quality opportunity.
One of the things that he does lots is working his way to the middle of the zone knowing there is a teammate near the net, and then finding that teammate for a goal or dangerous chance. He can even work in the perimeter around the boards. Greentree can make long tape-to-tape passes to his teammates or position himself to receive the puck and cut to the middle.
He’ll add his ability to protect the puck to get around defenders and then spin to find a wide-open teammate. He does these really nice but simple deceptive plays that give him the offensive advantage. His vision can even shine off the puck, reading the play and positioning himself for the oncoming result. For example, he’ll read when his teammate is about to shoot for a rebound and quietly drive toward the net to clean it up.
Greentree’s areas of improvement
Speed
With his bigger frame, Greentree doesn’t have the most powerful stride which is common among other power forwards. His lack of explosiveness can get him caught on the rush. Whether it’s exiting the defensive end or making his way through the neutral zone. The slower-paced skating gets him caught by defenders resulting in turnovers or a slow feel to the game. He’ll be able to work around his lagged speed with nice moves but when he feels the pressure due to the quicker-paced defender, he’ll attempt to force a play.
Even with his strong stance, this lack of speed can make it very hard for him to shake defenders sometimes. He’ll make a really slick move and will appear like most top players do in the transition but he just can’t seem to get past that final defender. There are some really good traits to Greentree’s skating such as his agility and deceptiveness but until he’s able to build that lower body strength for a quicker stride, it could hold him back.
Consistency
Greentree falls victim to the struggle with consistency that most top players on bottom-feeding junior teams do. It becomes the question of whether this is him as a player or the pressure of being that guy on a terrible team.
The play can sometimes die with Greentree’s possession. He’ll skate around too much with the puck, turning into defenders and losing it. His poor stride can get in the way as he’ll have the confidence to attack the defender head on but then it just amounts to nothing. I’d like to say the majority of the time he can work around that defender but sometimes it just raises an eyebrow.
When his play is off, he doesn’t like to chase down the puck in the offensive zone, possibly waiting for the play to come to him. He’ll often opt out of chipping and chasing even though it is the best option. His off-puck play can be questionable too when it comes to the defensive side of things. Puck-watching can become a habit allowing for the opposing team to create high-quality chances.
Greentree sometimes also cheats for offence, having a similar effect to puck-watching. Being handed many big roles such as penalty kill and defending a lead late may have an effect on his inconsistent effort.
Greentree comparables
A player that Liam Greentree really reminds me of is Dallas Star Jason Robertson. Both are scoring forwards with a deadly wrist shot and a very rounded offensive game. Puck protection and being strong on their feet come with both their games. Speed issues highlighted Robertson’s game in junior and now the same is happening to Greentree. I don’t think Greentree’s guaranteed to be as good as Robertson but I can definitely see him being his ceiling.
Fit with the Flames
Wingers are the last thing the Flames need at this draft but picking up a guy like Greentree wouldn’t hurt. Matt Coronato is already there for a scoring role and Samuel Honzek is there for a power forward, but Greentree isn’t really similar to either of them. Another thing is Greentree typically plays the right wing and besides Coronato, the Flames really don’t have another strong right wing prospect but plenty of left wing.
Summary
Liam Greentree is the full package when it comes to offence. He quickly developed from a second-round selection in the OHL draft and has claimed many responsibilities such as captain. Scoring and creativity highlight his game and make him a threat to the opposing team. With his talents and flaws, Greentree projects to be at least a middle-six scoring forward while likely ending up as a top-six guy with top-line potential.
Risk: 1.5/5
Reward: 4.5/5
NHL Comparable: Some version of Jason Robertson
Projection: Top-six, scoring winger
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov
