We took a look at all 35 players in the system that are aged 25 or younger (as of October 1, 2023) and ranked them. Welcome to the Top 25 Under 25. At #23, meet the 6’2″ right shot defender turning heads in the Lightning system following a breakout age-18 season.
Bio
Age: 19
Position: Right Defense
Draft: 2022 Round 7 (#223 overall)
2023-24 Team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
2022 Ranking: Not Ranked
Stats
Scouting Report
When Gill and Klavs Veinbergs were taken with the very last two picks of the 2022 NHL Draft, not much was made of them. But fast forward a year and those who prospects seem to be heading in the right direction and bringing some promise along with them. Dyllan Gill concluded his second full season in the QMJHL as his team’s third leading scorer (first among defenders) and as the Alternate Captain. All at the age of 18-years-old. He quickly made a name for himself as a two-way defender on the playoff team with strong offensive upside from his skating, passing, and shooting.
Right away, he jumped out to me as a Nick Perbix-type. Someone who can play in all situations, be a reliable defender for a coach, and can keep up with the leaps in play that comes with moving from junior to pro. In his scouting reports and quotes that I’ve shared below, Gill very often makes good decisions under pressure with the puck and plays a close-checking game away from the puck. With his size and physical maturity (already 190 lbs for a teenager) he’s already started beating up on junior competition.
“He’s got wheels and could have more confidence in himself to carry the puck instead of just passing, as he can be an exciting puck carrier to watch. Gill really shines on the power play. He plays with purpose and intensity. Crisp passing and good puck protection by lowering his center of gravity and leaning into guys, thus extending his reach further away from himself. Easily could be a second pair defenceman with second powerplay duties that works his way to the top powerplay.”
Caleb Kerney, Dobber Prospects
“Gill can move pucks off the back wall in his zone safely and smartly. He closes on attackers quite rapidly in the defensive zone. He’s capable of rotating at the right place, at the right time to manage risk and remove plays from the opposition, and he participates in the offensive game both as a puck distributor and a blue line shooter.”
Elite Prospects 2022 NHL Draft Guide
“When asked about the kind of player he is, Gill described himself as a ‘two-way defenseman that can play in all situations.’ ‘I’m trustworthy,’ Gill explained. ‘In junior, I can log a lot of minutes. I play against the other team’s best guys. I play with confidence. I have a high hockey sense and I’m patient with the puck.'”
Chris Krenn, NHL.com
Some of the qualities of Gill’s game that jumps out at me is his leadership position on a young team that made the playoffs last year and is on the move up the standings, thanks in part to him. He was the alternate captain at 18 years old and could be named the full captain this year after Édouard Cournoyer aged out. I’m always giving an extra boost to prospects who are leaders on their team. It indicates to me a player who is driven, who everyone knows can be relied on, and can carry responsibility.
Again, I thought I ranked Gill higher than most, but Lee and Alex both had him in the teens. Honestly, I can’t disagree with that considering he looks like a very promising prospect with loads of runway in front of him. His draft position became a lot less important after last year.
One piece of news that caught my eye while doing my research is that Gill had to have surgery after the season to heal an injury he’d been playing with for most of the season. Hopefully the recovery time was short and he’s able to get going with his teammates at the start of the season. The story I found this from also mentioned the Lightning being there along the way with Gill as he managed his injury and supported him throughout.
“Season over for Dyllan Gill. Unfortunately, he had surgery in the past few days to heal an injury that has plagued him throughout the season. Speedy recovery and come back to us strong next season.”
