Wang is the type of defender that NHL front offices salivate over. His hulking 6-6 frame blends well with a smooth skating style and good edge work. He is a mobile two-way force on the back who uses his size to close the walls in on attacking players coming up the wing, while his wingspan makes it difficult for wingers to beat him to the outside. The downside is that he is a very raw prospect in almost every other area, similar to other players with a similar stature. While he boasts a strong hockey IQ, his awareness is not always on par in the defensive zone. Sometimes he gets lost in the defensive zone when under duress with a cycle or being hemmed in his zone, Wang struggles to have the three-dimensional mobility to adapt.

Selected at thity-third overall, Simon Wang is now a member of the San Jose Sharks.

Starting the year in the OJHL, Wang had scouts salivating as a 6-5 D-man with standout skating ability.

The upside for Wang is that larger players take longer to develop their skating to coordinate with the rest of their skillset. His decision-making and IQ are certainly less teachable than the skills that he does have. At the peak of his potential, Wang is a shutdown top-four defenceman who could log significant minutes on the penalty kill.

Final Rankings – Wang is one of the rawest prospects in the draft, but his rare blend of size and skating makes him an intriguing long-term project. While his defensive game and decision-making need significant refinement, flashes of offensive awareness and strong tools offer upside if developed with patience and structure.—

To be fair, the expectations placed on Wang were ridiculously lofty. However, I also think it’s fair to say that his arrival in the OHL was disappointing. Wang picked up only 2 assists in 32 regular season games and was mostly glued to the bench throughout the Generals’ playoff run. More than that, Wang’s pressure-tolerance, breakout passing, and ability to make plays in the OZ were big points of struggle. He has a physical, athletic and technical profile that puts him a step ahead of many, but Wang will likely have a long development curve as he learns to think the game at a higher level.