2021 NWHL Draft Prospect Profile: Grace Middleton

F Grace Middleton, UNH (Hockey East)

Hometown: Midland, Michigan

Later in the draft, you always look for players with upside. Middleton has always been somewhat buried on the depth chart at UNH, feeling most comfortable in a middle six role. She has been productive in her limited ice time, and possesses excellent vision, and an extremely high hockey IQ, especially in the offensive zone. She doesn’t have the best foot speed, but she’s a smooth skater, and is good enough laterally to make up for her lack of north/south speed. She’s got a fairly good shot, but her puck distribution is very clearly her forte. She also started to take a larger leadership role as a senior, moving everywhere in the Wildcats’ lineup to try and provide some stability to a young forward corps, including some extended time at center for the first time in her career. Importantly, she’s good transitionally; she has consistently been one of the better Wildcat forwards at controlled zone entries, a skill which should easily transition to the next level.