David Farrance | D

HT: 5-11 | WT: 189 | Shoots: Left

Team: U.S. U18 National 

With their third-round pick, No. 92 overall, the Predators grab defenseman David Farrance from the U.S. National Development team.

Farrance is committed to Boston University, where he will join fellow Nashville prospects Dante Fabbro and Patrick Harper. Fabbro and Farrance could possibly be paired together, allowing them time to build chemistry that could potentially carry over from BU to Nashville.

What makes Farrance dangerous is his skating ability and his speed. His quickness and mobility allows him to keep up with the speediest of forwards. He has great offensive ability for a defenseman, which is no surprise for a Nashville defenseman. He piles up the assists thanks to his ridiculously accurate passing skills. Stylistically, his game resembles Ryan Ellis. Farrance is still a very raw prospect, which is exactly why he is a perfect fit for the Nashville system.

He struggles a little with physicality in front of the net, so he will need to work to improve upon that. He also needs to work on fine-tuning his defensive game overall and could benefit greatly from adding some muscle to improve his strength.

What they’re saying about Farrance:

“Skating and acceleration are this player’s assets. Continues to impress with his hockey sense and offensive capabilities as a D man. Not big in stature but is not pushed around in any zone. Has ability to change game in a shift with either a rush up ice or simple one on one play.” – Bryan Smolinski, ISS Scout

“Offensive defenseman, that’s him. He’s got all the tools, is so dynamic, and he has that hockey sense you can’t teach. He sees the game before it happens, just a tremendous player.’’ – Mike Ferreri,  former hockey coach at Victor High School