Andrew Cristall – 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Andrew Cristall

2022-23 Team: Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Date of Birth: Feb. 04, 2005
Place of Birth: Vancouver, BC, CAN
Ht: 5-foot-10 Wt: 165 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: LW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2023 first-year eligible

Rankings

While many prospects in the Western Hockey League are being overshadowed by phenom Connor Bedard, the class remains strong with high-end talent. One of those players is Kelowna Rockets left wing, Andrew Cristall. He has been on a torrid scoring pace all season with 84 points in 49 games, a 1.71 per game average. Even though there was a bump in the road with a lower body injury, he has continued to pick up where he left off as he’s continuing to dominate. 

Cristall is one of the top playmakers in this class, as he’s very creative and evasive possessing high-end offensive IQ. He’s very deceptive and shifty with his movements as he maintains great control of the puck, handling it confidently in high traffic areas and even beating defenders one-on-one. Whether it’s feathering a puck through a defender’s stick or his feet, he’s always making slick plays and dekes. His soft hands allow him to make moves in tight on the net to fool goaltenders and leave them in the dust.

Cristall is very smart at identifying and spotting the cross seams and passing lanes as he’s able to confidently execute a passing play to his teammates. He does a great job to lead the rush as he’s great drawing in opponents to open space up and connect with crisp passes or making a quick give-and-go. He’s always finding the open ice and when he does that’s when he goes into attack mode, letting his skill and creativity do the rest of the work.

Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide

Even when there’s nothing to be done, Cristall always finds a way to make something happen and keep the play alive. When facing a lot of pressure and despite being smaller in stature, he maintains excellent control and body positioning. He’s effective at shielding and protecting the puck coming out of the corners and taking it to the middle of the ice. Even though he could add more muscle, he’s always battling to get to that area. When he displays his patience, he can get a quality shot on net as he has great accuracy and power.

Although he doesn’t have the best skating mechanics, he still possesses decent speed but can improve on it. He does a great job utilizing the whole surface in order to maintain offensive zone time….