Team: Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
Date of Birth: 09/22/2003 – Chicago, IL, USA
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180 lbs
Position: Right Wing
Handedness: Right
NCAA Commitment: Ohio State University
Player Introduction
2022 NHL Draft talent in the USHL is coming from unsuspecting places this year. Most notably: the Des Moines Buccaneers, who are establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the league in terms of Draft talent, through the likes of studs like Jackson Dorrington and Davis Burnside.
Burnside, in particular, is in contention for one of the best 2022-eligible forwards in the USHL, outside of the NTDP, in a year where the league’s strangely devoid of many star talents. But Burnside’s incredibly high-energy, yet uniquely charismatic, style is more than eye-catching. He is effective on both sides of the puck and knows how to make his presence felt in many different ways. And while he might now have dazzling stickhandling or blistering speed, his ability to shut down opponents and control possession has led him to a strong scoring, creates an easily-projectable future, and makes him well worth a pick in the first four rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Shutdown Defense
Burnside does a lot of things well, which makes it difficult to talk about what makes him special. But his one-on-one defense is certainly cut from a different cloth. Trap systems in the neutral zone are fairly rare in North America, especially in the USHL, but Burnside’s solo efforts in the middle of the ice are reminiscent of just that. He has mastered the covert strike and uses great small-area speed to cover the neutral zone from board-to-board.
This clip is perhaps the most powerful piece of evidence in any argument for Burnside. In under 20 seconds, the winger is able to confidently break up two different plays. In the first, Burnside reads the breakout well and is able to bat the breakout pass back to the defenseman. And while that denial would’ve been enough for many wingers, Burnside stays with the play with a quick pivot, opening up his body to the puck-carrying defenseman and immediately attacking the stick. He confidently breaks up the play in an incredibly tight situation; on the back of seriously-fundamental hockey. He reads the play, uses a nice check to disrupt the puck, then opens his body and uses an active stick to finish off the breakup.
In the second play, Burnside flaunts terrific one-on-one ability. While it might not be the most elegant play he’s ever had, Burnside shows great anticipation, reading the opposing winger’s movement through the neutral zone and patiently preserving his attack until he’s confident he’ll be able to disrupt the lane. When he does strike, Burnside makes sure to go through the three steps of puck-disruption beautifully: stick-on-puck, take the stick, take the body. He makes sure to knock the puck loose and hit his opponent’s hands, forming a physical barrier between them and the puck. This is a play that every player practices on-end but few are able to perform so fundamentally in game situations, especially in the open-ice.
Both of these plays show an astronomical level of practical fundamentals. Off-puck, defensive ability is one of the most coveted traits in young forwards. And while Burnside’s play certainly needs refining, he showcases that his fundamentals are very clearly at the ready. As he continues on with his career, he’ll be able to skip over a major piece of development because he already knows how to attack the stick, pressure opponents, and win puck battles at a very mature level.
Active Stick
The entirety of these plays relied first-and-foremost on Burnside’s active stick; perhaps the most persistent part of his game. Burnside is an incredibly aware forward and combines that with great stickplay. His ability to busy-up lanes cuts the ice in half and forces the issue.
This clip shows just how dangerous Burnside’s stickwork can be. It’s a simple play, and he makes it looks entirely effortless, but that’s exactly what makes him so dangerous through the neutral zone. Staying aware and ready lets him poke the puck free as the defender goes to make a move and, with a quick proceeding stick-lift, Burnside is able to completely remove the defender from the equation and walk into the zone for an easy goal.
This play had three components to it: highly-aware defense, stick-on-stick play, and a clean stick-lift. And it’s a sequence that’s definitely not uncommon for Burnside. Both of the aforementioned clips have shown just how well he is at closing the gap and lifting sticks: two abilities that are a lot more uncommon among Draft prospects than one would be lead to believe. But Burnside has already taken major strides towards mastering them just a few months into his Draft year.
And this great one-on-one talent bleeds into the defensive zone just as well as one would think. Burnside makes an extended effort to stay constantly aware, which makes him incredibly impactful in defensive setups, particularly on the penalty-kill.
This PK shift from Davis Burnside (#22 White) deserves a close look. Watch his lane awareness, his active stick, the inside-out play. He forces the puckhandler to the boards and totally shuts down the PP. Great example of high-energy, aware defending. #2022NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/tCSE2zhuqm
— Gabe Foley (@NHLFoley) November 7, 2021
While Burnside doesn’t dominate play in this clip, it shows just how aware of lanes he is and what he goes through to remove options from the opposing team. His edgework and light-footed skating keeps him agile and quick in setup plays. He jumps on opponents quick and when he’s on the weak-side of the play, makes sure to place himself exactly where he needs to be. The above clip also shows just how smart he is. It shouldn’t be a shock when a player so perfectly protects the bumper, or forces defensemen inside-out. But Burnside shows not only how well he knows the fundamentals of setup plays but also just how effective he is at deploying that knowledge in critical situations.
Offensive Kick
Burnside’s offense is far less elegant, and fundamental, than his ability on the other side of the puck. But it’s very clearly effective. Burnside currently has 22 points in 29 games, good enough for fifth in points-per-game and fourth in overall points among all USHL forwards in their first year of Draft eligibility to play in at least 15 USHL games.
But breaking down the factors that lead to that offense isn’t the easiest feat. Unlike his smooth-and-coordinated defense, Burnside’s offensive abilities are much more situational. He’s a strong hockey mind that finds ways to work his way into the hot areas of the ice, strip the puck, and turn play around, all factors that rely on a variety of different strengths.
Statistical Backing
Burnside’s ability to break up play and win back possession is the undoubted specialty of his game. His 58 percent Fenwick-For Percentage (FF%) is second on Des Moines, behind only Tiernan Shoudy, a 2002-born winger in his fourth season of USHL experience. Burnside also leads all Des Moines forwards in neutral-zone takeaways, with 26 tracked by InStat so far this year. Burnside also has an emphatic lead in zone entries on the Buccaneers. His 129 successful entries this season is a staggering 34 more than any other forward in Des Moines.
Team-leading numbers like these help really highlight Burnside’s great ability to strip the puck and get it into the offensive zone with pace, a pivotal piece of his game.
Offensive Zone Setups
Like a lot of his game, Davis Burnside’s processing of setups in the offensive zone are a bit atypical. But despite however unique his style might be, he shows off a few different habits that have created an incredibly effective mix between high-scoring aggression and defense-first passivity. In this one shift, Burnside shows off each of these patterns. Breaking down each respectively gives a great look at just how methodical Burnside’s seemingly-chaotic offense is.
Des Moines enters the zone with a simple 2-1-2 forecheck that many players at the junior level have down-pat. Just as simple is the rotation into the “attacking triangle” setup, a movement Burnside makes smoothly. But while a lot of players at all levels instinctively move into the low-slot and fight to open a lane, Burnside cheats towards the high-slot in preparation of the puck moving the other way. This cheating doesn’t pay off in this shift but it’s an added layer of positional-awareness that only bolsters his value as a defensive asset. Burnside is rarely caught off-guard by changes in possession and his high-zone positioning makes it much easier to pressure opponents as they exit the zone, as shown by earlier clips, attributes that contribute largely to his great FF%. And even when the puck doesn’t change hands, Burnside’s high-slot positioning provides a vision of the zone that he takes serious advantage of.
When his role in the high slot becomes moot, Burnside’s quick to crash the net and continue working to get into an open lane. He stays diligent and avoids over-committing to the net-front battle, which allows him to roll off of his defender seamlessly when the puck is shot wide. After retrieving it, he shows his great hip-work yet again, boxing out a pressuring opponent and using a tight cut to create enough space for a pretty shot. It’s an exciting play where Burnside’s undying motor earns and awareness earns him a flashy goal; one that shows many different aspects of what is a truly versatile offensive skillset.
Repetition
This shift as a singularity is strong but nothing phenomenal. Burnside plays the forecheck well, shows off nice weak-side positioning, battles into lanes in front of the net, and then gathers the puck and flexes a pretty shot for the goal. All good, nothing insane. But this shift is a microcosm of how Burnside approaches offense. It’s his ability to apply at least one of these four habits to every single shift that really sets him apart. Burnside is always moving and always finding his way into the danger areas of the ice, thanks to an incredibly flexible package that’s entirely based on his tremendous hockey IQ and play-awareness.
Burnside’s offensive tendencies are, for the most part, reminiscent of a typical modern-day grinder. He embraces battles in the slot, knows how to headman an aggressive power-play, and has the strength to win battles with larger defensemen. But, as many of the above clips show, he has an added layer of finesse to his game. Burnside knows how to create space effectively with the puck on his stick and react to opened lanes with a nifty pass or quick shot. But that aspect of his game is certainly a little more muted than one would hope. As he continues his development path, learning to bring out that layer of pizzazz could turn Burnside into something much more special than the bottom-six grinder he may look like on the surface.
Of course, Burnside’s future doesn’t sit as an offensive-standout. His scoring is impressive, relative to the USHL’s other forwards in their first year of Draft eligibility, but each piece of the above shift’s puzzle is based on a strength that also ties into Burnside’s great defensive ability; including his grit in front of the net, his high-slot positioning, and his ability to use his hips to close out options for his opponents.
Gauging His Development
Burnside’s game is far from perfect. But his ability to break-up play is incredibly coveted in players of his age and sets a comfortable floor for his future potential. He does everything that coaches want out of their bottom-six studs: he creates chaos for the other team as they try to fight their way up the ice, leading to tons of opportunities for his team in transition and sky-high possession statistics. It’s a style of player that provides a ton of ease of mind to coaches and a style that the NCAA, and Ohio State in particular, is popular for fostering even further.
In drafting Burnside, a team is getting a forward with a comfortable floor, thanks to tremendous defensive ability, built on the back of an always-active stick and great spatial awareness. He closes gaps well and converts broken-up plays into quick movements up the ice with great effectiveness.
On the back of this, Burnside projects as a future bottom-six forward that can be relied on heavily with penalty-killing deployment. But there’s an added layer to his play that could turn Burnside into something much more. Burnside is constantly involved in plays and has shown flashes of great passing ability, a solid shot, and a strong ability to stickhandle under pressure. But, at the same time, he’s shown weaknesses in all of these categories as well. If he can find a way to become more consistent with one of these areas — let alone all three — Burnside could quickly develop into a transitional star, capable of consistently creating high-danger chances through odd-man-rushes and smart play along the boards.
As aforementioned, Burnside’s promise as a high-octane offensive-asset isn’t nearly as prominent as his value as a gritty, tenacious presence in the neutral and defensive zones. But with how strong he is in these areas already, any future team is granted much more liberty in developing the offensive areas of his game, hoping to create a promising two-way threat out of the currently-defense-first Burnside, rather than having to spend time working to adjust any defensive weaknesses to the pro level: a hurdle that’s quite common in young players. If he “hits” as an offensive asset as well, the sky is the limit for Burnside. But even without bolstering scoring, there’s no doubt that his style will blend very well with professional hockey. And that confidence makes him well-worth a selection in the top-four rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft.