(Photo: Mihockey.com)
Basic Player Overview
2019/20 Team: Frölunda HC U20 (SuperElit)
Position: Defencemen
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 201 lbs
Handedness: Right
Introduction
Mancini is a very interesting player because of his story. It’s not typical for US-born players to spend their minor and junior years in Europe. Mancini has chosen that path. Last year he signed a contract with Frölunda HC in Sweden and he’s going to stay there for one more year. He decided that because of their tremendous player development. They practice there as professionals. On-ice sessions in afternoons are a sure thing, but three times a week they go to the weight room in the morning and right after they’re on the ice for skills practice. And it looks like it pays off.
Now he’s in talks to be drafted, but not very high and there is still a chance he won’t be selected in any of seven rounds. He spent most of the season in the SuperElit league for U20 players. In 38 games he scored 9 goals and picked up 5 more assists. He was also +28. Next season he will have the chance to get a shot in SHL but Frölunda is known for their quality and also quantity – Lucas Raymond knows that very well. He’s also committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he will start playing in the 2021/22 season.
Skating
Mancini is an amazing skater, he skates very smooth, and many times it looks like he’s flying. His agility on his blades is truly incredible, he can change direction in high speed, and his strides are not too wide so he can pick up pace very quickly. He has great acceleration but he also doesn’t have to be fast to go around opponents.
In this clip, you can see a perfect example of variety in Mancini’s movement. Backhand, forehand, moves forward, then backwards, dekes around the defender, and scores.
Shot
Mancini doesn’t have the best shot in the world, but I think it’s slightly above average. He’s using his wrist shot very often, and it’s accurate. He’s a big man, at 6’3’’, so he also has a very powerful slapshot but he’s not using this type of shot very often, in which he has to improve his accuracy in.
His wrist shot is also pretty quick, especially when he skates at high speeds like in this clip.
But when he stays on his feet and he’s not moving, it looks like he’s just throwing the puck.
Vision and Hockey IQ
This is the part that sends Mancini down a little bit. It’s not like he’s a slow thinking hockey player or is unable to be creative, but on the other hand, it doesn’t look like it’s only bad decision making. There are many types of red flag warnings in his game. Here are two as examples:
1) Selfishness — Mancini is a great player but sometimes he’s holding the puck too much. He wants to shine and he wants to shine with the puck on his stick, and nobody can fault him for that as an offensive defencemen. But sometimes his selfishness is acceptable because when he’s on fire, and it’s pretty often, he does amazing things.
2) Decision Making — If he’s under pressure he can easily get away from a defender with a deke or smart movements. But when he’s under pressure and he can’t use that movement and there is a huge gap for a pass, he struggles to deliver the puck there. You can see that in this clip. He skates along the boards and there are two defenders closing on him. He could pass the puck to the left where there is an open teammate. But he only throws the puck on net.
I don’t want to end this part negatively. I believe he can improve in this area and remove those issues. For proof and hope, watch this clip.
Defensive play
Offensive defencemen can have struggles when defending. That’s a well-known statement. But it’s actually not that bad with Mancini. He can play tough and physical in his own zone, as he’s not afraid to throw his body into 1v1 battles in the corners. He can win puck battles here and there, and can then create offence from it.
He’s sometimes too confident and underestimates his opponents. He has to realize that he can’t do whatever he wants to in his d-zone.
Also, he should improve his d-zone positioning as well as closing opponents in the neutral zone to make it hard for them to cross the blue line.
DY Environment
As written, Mancini skipped most of the U18 games (just 8 games with 6 points) and played in the Swedish U20 league, where he recorded 14 points in 38 games. He played on a pairing with Simon Edvinsson (2021 eligible), and played nearly 20 minutes per game, but there were games he played Thomas Chabot-type minutes – games with much more ice time.
Draft Rankings
#146 — Future Considerations
#82 — NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
Expected Round of Selection
Unfortunately, it’s not a sure thing he’ll be drafted. He can go as high as the 5th round or simply undrafted.
NHL Comparable and Projection
Cale Makar.
Mancini is a typical “high-risk, high-reward” player but maybe with not as much risk as it would imply. The hockey world isn’t talking about Mancini and he’s trying to change that. From my perspective, he’s doing it pretty well. Mancini is a long-term project but if he can reach his potential, he’s going to be a very solid top-4, two-way defender.