New York Rangers: Analyzing Sean Day’s final OHL season

The New York Rangers’ prospect Sean Day was sent back to Windsor of the OHL this fall. Let’s take a look at how he has done.

When the New York Rangers drafted Sean Day in 2016, it was met with mixed reactions. Day was given immense accolades before his junior career began. Since then, his career has been more up and down than most can say.

Blessed with sublime skating and strength, Day has natural gifts in the game of hockey. The smoothness and speed with which he can get up the ice is unparalleled. When the puck is on his stick, he can carry it through the neutral zone with ease and makes end to end rushes regularly.

However, the uncertainty behind him comes from a variety of factors. He often has a tendency to make very bad reads when the puck is not on his stick. His defensive hockey IQ is not that high, and his perceived effort level can often be questioned. Essentially, challenge Day wide with speed and you’re likely to get around him quite easily.

He also has not produced at a level in juniors that points towards him being an effective offensive defenseman. While Day has the puck carrying ability few in even the NHL do, his distribution and chance creation does not match what a player of his skill set should be producing. His best season came as a 19 year old, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists in 63 games.

While that may not look bad at all from a pro production standpoint, remember: this is juniors. Most players, especially in his age group, produce considerably more than he has. John Moore, a frequent comparable to Day, scored more in his one OHL season than Day has in any of his.

Sean Day’s Current Year

Currently, Day is with Windsor in what will be his final OHL year. This is the season that Day needs to show a marked improvement in his two way game. It is up to Windsor to use him in a role that best compliments his unique talents.

So far, through six games, Day has produced just three assists. A small sample size, of course, but both the Rangers and Windsor will likely be looking for more from him. This is the year for Day to explode offensively and show he can use his puck moving ability to be a strong producer on the back end.

Another thing that has been concerning from Day both this year and last is his lack of improvement in his weaknesses. The aforementioned poor defensive reads continue to occur, just as his ability to walk around opposing defenses with the puck on a string continues as well. His game has, simply, remained stagnant for most of his career with little to no improvement.

This, then, is a big season for Day to focus on strengthening the weaker parts of his game. What is fortunate is that what comes naturally to him are skills that cannot be taught. With good coaching, his future can be successful. His struggles are in areas that coaching and confidence can alter with time, if he is given those tools.

For now, sending Day back to the OHL was the right choice. He can play a full year on a strong junior team, and be used in a role that makes him a hugely important cog in their lineup. However, his production rate must pick up, and his weaknesses defensively must strengthen, in order to predict a successful NHL career.