NHL Draft profiles: Vanacker's injury didn't hold him back

This is the tenth story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential second-round picks for the Penguins at 44th and 46th overall.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Marek Vanacker had a massive year.

Vanacker, an 18-year-old winger for the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs, led his team in scoring and tied for 16th in the entire league with a 36-goal, 46-assist season in 68 games -- a giant leap from his four goals and 12 assists in 55 games the year before.

And he did it while injured almost the entire season.

Vanacker showed up to the NHL Scouting Combine at the start of June with a sling around his left arm, having undergone shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on June 3.

"It happened sometime in November, at the very start," Vanacker explained. "I didn't really think anything of it, I kind of just played through the whole year with it. Never really thought anything of it."

Vanacker added that he didn't think the lingering injury impacted his game very much, other than the "off and on" pain throughout the year that he had to focus on keeping out of his mind. Doctors told Vanacker that he'll likely be sidelined for four to six months, with six months being more likely. That'd keep him out until around early December next season.

Even with the injury, Vanacker finished the season strong. The Bulldogs were eliminated in six games in the first round of the OHL playoffs, and Vanacker was a point shy of the team lead in scoring with three goals and four assists. He went on to play for Canada at the U18 World Junior Championship, scoring one goal in six games on the way to a gold medal:

Vanacker is a left-handed shot listed at 6 feet and 178 pounds. He describes himself as "a hard, two-way player. Fast on pucks, and can create a lot off the offense and try to make others around me better." He played on both the power play and penalty-kill for Brantford.

Vanacker models his game after Ryan O'Reilly, admiring the Predators forward's competitiveness and reliability, but adds that he "likes to bring a little bit more speed" to his own game. The Elite Prospects draft guide compares Vanacker more to Brandon Saad and quotes a Western Conference team's scout, who says Vanacker is "hard to play against, has high compete. He’s got a great shot, plays on the inside. He can play on the defensive side, maybe even be a matchup type of guy. You know, 6-on-5, if you need a goal, then you put him at the net-front. He can do a lot for you."

Despite the praise for his shot, Vanacker points to that as one of his biggest focuses moving forward, along with his lateral game, hoping doing so would "open up a lot more on the offensive end" for himself.

Vanacker attributed his giant leap offensively this season to "a big offseason" and just a more mature game overall. And with a different kind of offseason ahead of him due to his injury, he's aiming to use the next few months to do what he can in the gym to get even stronger.

While Vanacker wasn't able to participate in the fitness testing at the combine due to his injury, he was able to take part in the interview process. He was a pretty popular guy too, meeting with 31 teams -- every one but the Lightning. He said he found his meeting with the Penguins "unique" in the way that they used videos of his own highlights and lowlights to "test" him and his thinking of the situations. He also found it "pretty cool" to be in the room with Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza, who was among the Penguins' contingent that made the trip to Buffalo.

The Penguins have two picks in the middle of the second round, at 44th and 46th overall. That's right about where major ranking services expect Vanacker to hear his name called. TSN's Bob McKenzie and Craig Button both had Vanacker ranked 47th on their lists. Some have Vanacker lower -- like Dobber Prospects ranking him 53rd, or Flo Hockey ranking him 50th. Some also have him ranked considerably higher -- like McKeen's Hockey ranking him 32nd, and Elite Prospects having him 33rd.

Vanacker had a great season, taking major strides from the year before. While he'll remain limited by his injury this summer and into the start of next season, it's intriguing to think about what he's capable of when he isn't battling through a shoulder injury.