Logan Stankoven: Why Height is Overrated in Hockey
The bias of height in the NHL and scouting
Logan Stankoven was drafted by the Dallas Stars 47th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. As a projected first-round pick at that time based on many mocks and many consensus choices, Stankoven not only fell out of the first, he fell midway to the 2nd round. He made headlines recently within the last week and a half, as he notched career milestones like his first NHL game, point, goal, and provided an immediate impact in a middle-six role in a short time window. Why did Stankoven fall to the 2nd round then? His height.
Height is a very interesting topic in the NHL, as subconsciously as humans, we're wired to look at taller people as "better" without actually rationalizing why. It makes sense why teams look for height in their scouting process, as it has automatically assumed that height leads to more success at the NHL level. That's not always the case, however, as we see the consistent evolution of smaller, more agile, more speedy forwards who can evade contact better than taller counterparts. Taller players have range, physicality (Typically but not always), and are often assumed to be better with the puck since they have more radius than smaller players, and sometimes taller players can be inconsistent with decision-making.
Logan Stankoven is the perfect recent example of how height doesn't link directly to NHL success. There's many other examples like Stankoven, both forwards and defenders, and even goalies. However, Stankoven's immediate impact didn't come through his height, it came through his translatable skillset that had foundational elements to it, which helped him become a successful NHL player right away. That was why he would've been a slam dunk first-round pick otherwise.
There's two main things that separate smaller players from bigger ones in today's game:
Competitiveness
Hockey Sense
I put competitiveness first here over hockey sense because hockey sense without the competitiveness factor doesn't mean much. Competitiveness added to the hockey sense makes players separate themselves from the pack, especially smaller ones, which makes Stankoven such a threat. He isn't the utmost dynamic skater, but first he uses his competitiveness and mindset to hunt pucks down relentlessly, basically like a gnat. In the stint he had with Dallas recently before getting sent down, he was one of the most tenacious players in that middle-six for them. He was pursuing pucks, he was using speed, angling guys off on the forecheck, and if D1/D2 tried evading him behind the net, he'd catch up instantly with his focus, tracking, and speed.
He was all over high danger areas, trying to get inside body position, working to get around defenders, and he showed aggression and energy with his stick to set him free as well. He brought a lot of competitive elements within his compete level itself that forced him to outwork opponents, and allowed him to create sustained success when tracking pucks. He was also relied upon consistently in that middle-six RW role, which was perfect for him, since he brought so much energy every shift he was out there. Opposing teams weren't expecting that, and again, that helped him force pucks loose individually and create turnovers.
The other factor here is Stankoven's hockey sense, as his pure instincts make him an instant threat as a scorer. He can also make a ton of highlight reel plays on his forehand and backhand since he can find narrow windows to pass through. More notably, his goal-scoring and ability to be a shot threat was through positional instincts. He could one-time pucks immediately, shoot off the catch, off the rush, off one foot, and use his lower center of gravity to weight transfer with power on his shots. He brought various translatability within his shot dynamics that helped him transition to the NHL smoothly.
For him, he was still trying to adjust to NHL speed to find those scoring areas inside the house, but he in a lot of the games he played he was able to do a great job of staying between checks. He wasn't too close to the play nor too far away, but could lurk away from defenders in order to create space for himself effectively, and look to create passing lanes for his teammates in dangerous areas as well.
Stankoven won't need much more time to develop in the AHL, as he's already been dominant in the league there. He currently has 57 points (24G, 33A) in 47 games, and he is 2nd on the team in scoring as a 20-year-old. There's not much more to be said about him, as all Dallas needs to do at this point is find a consistent role for him on the team so he can further develop. The translatability factors within his scoring instincts, especially as a goal-scorer, his playmaking, but also the translatable components within his competitive nature and his mindset have continued to separate him as a young player already.
In his time with Dallas, he really worked well with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston in some of the games that he played there. Johnston especially, as those two created instant chemistry and fed off each other as scoring options. Benn provided some stability and scoring to that line as well, which helped the trio as a formidable middle-six line that could be relied upon in many different situations. There's young skill, dual-threat playmaking, but also veteran leadership and a veteran skillset with Benn that made this line really fun to watch.
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