Jordan Subban: Prospect Profile for Vancouver Canucks' 4th-Round Pick

Player: Jordan Subban

Drafted By: Vancouver Canucks (115th overall)

Position: Defense

Final Central Scout Ranking: No. 55 North American skater

Height/Weight: 5’9”, 175 pounds

DOB: March 5, 1995 (18 years old)

Most Recent Affiliation: OHL, Belleville Bulls

Background

It’s safe to say that Jordan Subban has a big name to live up to. His teammate and brother Malcolm was drafted in the first round (No. 24 overall) in 2011, and there is a man named Pernell Karl Subban who plays in the NHL who is related to him.

That’s right: Jordan is P.K.’s little brother.

It’s going to be tough to follow in his oldest brother’s footsteps. P.K. just won the Norris Trophy as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last year, but Jordan can hold his own. He had 15 goals and 36 assists in 61 games for Belleville last year and recorded five points in 17 playoff games at the end of the season.

Full Scouting Report

For what it’s worth, P.K. actually thinks that Jordan is the better player in the family.

“Jordan plays more of a cerebral type of game and is more of a thinker and I play off my instincts and try to do a little bit of everything," P.K. told Mike G. Morreale. "I think Jordan's skill level is much higher than mine."

P.K. is not the only person saying that. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News made a similar observation back in 2011 when Jordan was a 16-year-old major junior neophyte and P.K. a rookie with the Habs.

“It’s a little unfair, really. But you watch the shirt-flapping speed, the sense of authority when he carries the puck, the passion that comes through on each and every shift and you can’t help but compare defenseman Jordan Subban to his older brother."

Campbell continues: “The only difference, major junior scouts say, is Jordan is even better than P.K. was at the same age. A lot better. That’s not to say 16-year-old Jordan will ultimately one day be a better NHLer than the Montreal Canadiens star rookie, it’s far too early to determine that yet, but people like what Jordan has going.”

Lauded as an intelligent player who can quarterback the power play and generate offense by passing to a teammate, passing defenders with his quick feet or slap home a puck from the blue line, Jordan has plenty of tools that would have caught the eyes of scouts regardless of if his name was Subban or Sub-Zero.

NHL Player Comparison

Mike Green of the Washington Capitals. Moving away from the comparison to his brother for a second, Subban offers a lot of what Green does: puck-moving ability, hockey smarts and a strong dose of offensive firepower.

NHL Timetable

Subban has a lot to work on—defensive awareness, positioning, gap control, one-on-one battles—meaning that he probably will not be in the league for three or four years. Expect to see him during the 2015-16 season.

Top-End Potential

He’s a high-risk, high-reward guy. As stated earlier, he could end up being better than his brother, or he could struggle to establish himself in the NHL. He probably will carry the “Jared Staal” label until he gets regular ice time with a team, but like Jared Staal himself, Jordan Subban looks more than capable of living up to his last name.