Barrie Colts 2019 Draft Prospect: Luke Bignell #OHL #NHLDraft

Luke Bignell is currently unranked by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2019 NHL Draft.

Bignell was drafted by the Barrie Colts 85th overall at the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. The Kitchener, ON native, joined the Barrie Colts as a rookie in the 2017-18 season. Over 56 regular season games, Bignell would go on to total 7 goals and 5 assists. He showed signs of being an offensive threat with his quickness and strong forecheck. Not only was he aggressive when producing offensive opportunities but he also had physical elements to his game including a readiness to drop the gloves.

In his sophomore season, I got the chance to talk to him about what he had worked on in the offseason. The forward said his main focus was to work on his size and speed, and those attributes were more noticeable in his second season. Bignell had a bigger role on the team this year. While he might not have seen a tremendous increase in point production with 9 goals and 10 assists, he still was a force offensively. He played in all 68 regular season games for the Colts and was always a physical threat that opposing players needed to be conscious of.

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As previously mentioned, Bignell has speed and solid work ethic. Though his frame isn't huge, he certainly has worked hard to add mass and used it to throw some large hits. Again, he was prepared to fight to defend teammates. Even though he didn't produce a lot last season, he often generated chances and showed patience with the puck. If Luke works on his skill set this offseason, I'd expect him to be a threat next season.

Bignell will be a greater menace if he can work on his hands. Not that it was an area he was weak, he still could improve his puck handling and passing. He also struggled in the face-off circle only winning 42.5 percent of draws. Due to these numbers, it's possible that he ends up on the wing next season depending on the options Barrie has at center.

Overall, Luke is a high energy player with a great work ethic and a physical upside. While it doesn't appear he will have his name selected at the NHL Draft, there is no doubt there is potential there. One thing is for sure, and that 2019-20, Luke will be a solid depth player the team will hope to help generate offence.