National Hockey League 2023 draft prospect Aram Minnetian was born in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, on March 19, 2005. The 18-year-old defenseman is a tremendous skater who is good on his edges and has a great, powerful stride. The 6-foot, 170-pound right-shot blue liner excels on the rush with good stick-handling skills. Minnetian has been described as having a solid skill set in all aspects but is not elite at one particular thing. The Boston College commit might be able to take advantage of a weaker defensive group in the upcoming draft.
Alex Rykov is ranked by many hockey evaluators in the top 75 in scouting reports, most ranking him around the early third round in the upcoming NHL Draft. The following list will show the scouting rankings for Aram Minnetian:
Ranked #60 by Inside The Rink
Ranked #78 by NHL Central Scouting (NA)
Ranked #50 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #56 by Daily Faceoff
Ranked #64 by Bob McKenzie/TSN
Ranked #77 by Craig Button
Offensive Game:
Much of Minnetian’s offensive success starts from plays in his own end or through the neutral zone. Minnetian reads the play well and uses his speed to transition and turn takeaways and turnovers into scoring chances. The skilled defenseman has shown the ability to jump in the rush, and his shot from the point can also be a weapon moving forward.
Minnetian was rated higher at the mid-season point and has seen his stock drop a bit as the draft approaches. The fact that this is a forward-heavy draft certainly helps Minnetian’s draft possibilities.
Related Story: 2023 NHL Draft – Nashville
Diving Deeper:
For the last two seasons, Aram Minnetian has played with the National Development Program with Team USA. During the 2021-22 season, Minnetian totaled 12 points, but his offensive production improved to 31 points in 2022-23. In the U18 World Junior Championships, the offensive-minded blue-liner had a goal and three assists in seven games.
Final Thoughts:
As the draft approaches, new Boston College defenseman Aram Minnetian would expect to be drafted as early as the late second round and as late as later in the third round. Playing in Hockey East this upcoming season will help Minnetian with the pace of play and physicality. If Minnetian can show poise with the puck and commit to playing in his own end, a team might be getting a steal later in the draft.
