Jordan Gavin commits to RPI
The former WHL #2 overall pick will look to get back on an NHL track at RPI
Back in the beginning of February, we reported that RPI picked up a commitment from ‘06 LW Jordan Gavin. Listed at 5’11” and 180 LBs, Gavin was one of the top prospects in all of Canada for his birth year as a teenager. He’s had a long and winding path to get to where he is now, which we will get to in a bit. This year, he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL where he had 16 goals, 42 assists, and 58 points in 68 games. Let’s take a look at his path given how unique it is.
Before the WHL
Gavin was a prolific scorer in U15 hockey with his high-end skill and elite hockey sense. He put up a whopping 24 points in only 6 games when the season was shortened due to COVID. This led to his selection as the #2 overall pick in the WHL draft following the season, behind Berkly Catton who just played out the full season with the Seattle Kraken in the NHL as a 19 and 20 year old. He also was selected ahead of Charlie Elick, a 2nd round pick for Columbus, and Roger McQueen, who was taken in the top 10 by Anaheim. That should give you an idea of the type of can’t miss prospect he was at age 14.
Since the WHL does its draft a year earlier than the other junior leagues, the players who are picked don’t join their team full time until a year later. Gavin played his age 14-15 year old season at the U17 level, where he again put up ridiculous numbers despite playing up an age group. He had 48 goals, 57 assists, and 105 points in 28 games! Players are still allowed to get a handful of WHL games as an affiliate player at that age, and Gavin played 9 games with the Tri-City Americans after turning 15 years old.
The 2022-23 Season
Gavin was able to join Tri-City full time in 2022 despite still only being 15 at the start of the season due to his late birthday in November. Despite his age, he was immediately a dynamic player in the league with 54 points in 62 games, which is extremely impressive for a 15-16 year old playing in junior. That was 3rd in the league in points for U17 players, and he was only 1 point behind Berkly Catton and Ryder Ritchie despite being younger than both.
He was as good as anyone in his age group, and that was evidenced by his selection to Team Canada Black for the World U17 Hockey Challenge. Joining him on the team were Macklin Celebrini, Sam Dickinson, Zayne Parekh, and Lynden Lakovic just to give a few names.
The 2023-24 Season
While most of the players in his age group were in their draft year this year, Gavin was not yet because of his November birthday. He started off the year playing for Team Canada in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup as one of Canada’s best U18 players and as part of an absolutely loaded team that included 16 top 3 round picks, 10 first round picks, and 7 top 15 picks! He took a backseat to all of that talent, but the fact he was on that team shows he was in that conversation.
Gavin lit up the scoresheet again during the season although he didn’t take a huge jump in production. He went up to a point per game with 68 points in 68 games, which was 8th in the league among U18 players and still an elite mark for his age. Among players who were not yet draft eligible though, he was 2nd in the league only behind Gavin McKenna. He ended the year as a clear NHL draft prospect and one of the top prospects in western Canada.
The 2024-25 Season
Entering into his draft year, Gavin had a statistical profile in line with a clear first round pick. However, he wasn’t looked at as a first round pick and top NHL prospect anymore heading into the year due to questions about how his game would translate up levels. He was viewed as more of a top 3 round pick in the preseason. Scott Wheeler had him listed in his honorable mentions in his preseason top 32 rankings.
The NHL downgrades undersized players unless they have elite skating and compete level to go along with elite production. When Gavin’s production started stagnating during the year, his status as an NHL prospect fell alongside it. In the NHL Central Scouting October watch list, Gavin was rated as a C prospect, meaning projected for rounds 4-5.
In November, Scott Wheeler ranked him 59th in his rankings, but as the year went on, Gavin fell out of Wheeler’s rankings entirely and didn’t make his final top 100. In NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings in January, he came in at 123rd among North American skaters. In their final rankings in April, he was unranked and did not make the cut out of 224 skaters in North America. Obviously, he ended up going undrafted after finishing the season with 57 points in 68 games.
Scott Wheeler’s report in his November rankings do a very good job in explaining the slide and the question marks surrounding him, in my opinion.
Gavin’s a fall 2006 birthday who was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam draft after top 2024 prospect Berkly Catton. He lit it up in the prep school circuit, registered 54 points in 62 games in his rookie season two years ago, and played to a point per game as one of the top offensive players on Tri-City last season. Typically players with that statistical profile/track record get first-round ratings to start their draft year but questions about Gavin’s style of play and whether he has another level to find have followed him and, frankly, revealed themselves early on this year a little.
There are times when I think he can drift to the perimeter but he’s also more than capable of opening up and taking pucks from the wall to the inside (which I’ve seen him do plenty of, though I’d like to see him do even more of it). He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up to receive passes. He does a good job leading rushes through neutral ice and then identifying the trailer in transition. He’s got decent outside speed. He’s got great hands and an accurate shot from the slot. He makes a lot of slip plays under sticks. He reads coverage at a high level. But there are also times when you’d like to see him drive play a little more, or take charge a little more. Gavin relies on his smarts and sense to make good reads and his understanding of how to play in the offensive zone is high-end but questions about his pace/competitiveness do linger.
Neutral Zone had an in-depth NHL scouting report on him last year as well, which also explains why scouts saw shortcomings in his projection.
Jordan Gavin is a highly intelligent, multi-positional forward who blends poise, deception, and playmaking IQ with reliable two-way detail. While not flashy in his approach, Gavin’s consistency, vision, and execution at both even strength and on special teams make him a trusted player in all situations. With 57 points in 68 combined WHL games this season (0 PIMs), Gavin has shown clear offensive upside, leadership maturity, and a strong foundation to build on. However, limitations in strength, puck battle efficiency, and game-driving ability at 5-on-5 remain hurdles to projecting him as a lock NHL player without continued development.
Why Gavin Should Be Drafted
Advanced Processing & Playmaking Intelligence
Gavin demonstrates high-end hockey sense, particularly in transition and the offensive zone. His reads are timely, and he layers deception into his game with shoulder fakes, delay plays, and spatial manipulation. His 1.56 pre-shot passes/game and 86% pass completion rate reflect his playmaking precision. Gavin makes subtle, quick decisions—on and off puck—that generate consistent offense without needing to dominate shifts.
Positional Versatility & Special Teams Usage
He plays both wings and can support in the middle when needed. Gavin was leaned on in Brandon and Tri-City as a top power-play option (3:05 PPT/game) and a contributor on the PK (1:18 SHT/game), which speaks to his hockey IQ and trust from coaches. His ability to be effective without the puck—through intelligent routes, spacing, and rotation reads—adds value that isn’t fully captured in basic stats.
Effective Without Penalty Risk & High Situational Awareness
Across 68 games this season, Gavin recorded 0 penalty minutes, showing elite discipline and body control. His ability to stay on the right side of the puck and still finish checks, track defensively, and press with a sneaky stick on the forecheck speaks to his hockey maturity. His 12% scoring chance conversion on 2.1 chances/game is also a strong indicator of touch and offensive polish.
Why Gavin Should Not Be Drafted (Yet)
Below NHL Size & Low Puck Battle Win Rate
While he has good mass for his height (190 lbs), Gavin’s 41% puck battle win rate on the season (including 45% with Brandon) underscores his current limitations in strength and physical leverage. At the NHL level, forwards his size must excel in tight areas and win more 50/50s to stick in middle-six roles. This is one of the clearest areas where Gavin needs off-ice development to close the gap.
Not a Line Driver at Even Strength
Despite his IQ and offensive feel, Gavin isn’t a dynamic puck transporter or primary line driver at 5-on-5. His 5.2 giveaways/game against 2.9 takeaways/game reflects a player still refining his timing and control under pressure. While he supports play well and makes smart touches, he doesn’t consistently tilt the ice on his own or create off broken plays—he needs skilled linemates to maximize output.
Needs More North-South Pop
Gavin plays a composed game with layers of deception, but his explosiveness—especially when attacking inside—is still developing. He shows bursts in transition but lacks consistent push to separate from defenders or force defenses to collapse. As such, many of his touches occur in the perimeter-to-slot corridors rather than inside the dots. If he can add another gear and strengthen his base, his game will become more dynamic.
Projection & Recommendation
Projection:
Versatile, high-IQ middle-six forward who can contribute on both special teams and elevate possession lines through smart reads and execution. Ceiling tied to how much he can improve strength, burst, and puck battle efficiency.
Draft Range: 4th Round. Strong candidate to climb into 2nd tier of eligible forwards with another step in strength, speed, and consistent shift-driving next season.
Development Path:
WHL Top-6 role with continued special teams usage. Priority strength training and lower-body explosiveness focus. Expect leadership roles in his future.
Verdict:
Gavin brings a mature, composed, and detail-oriented approach to the game that NHL organizations covet. While his toolkit doesn’t jump off the page, his brain and reliability do. If he adds another gear physically and becomes more assertive in puck battles, he projects as a reliable depth NHL forward with the versatility to support skilled players or stabilize checking lines. Strong candidate for long-term development investment.
This Year
That all brings us to this year, where Gavin stayed at around the same production level with 58 points in 68 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and he will again go undrafted in the NHL draft this summer.
To be clear, this isn’t meant to have a negative slant whatsoever; it’s just adding context on how a former top prospect in all of Canada ended up going undrafted and is now slated to attend RPI this fall. To be quite frank, RPI basically never lands players of this stature and raw talent, and it was a huge recruiting win to beat out some big programs to land him!
From watching Gavin, he is clearly a dynamic player, especially with the puck on his stick. He has high-end skill with outstanding hands. The puck is practically on a string when it’s on his stick, and he can dangle defenders regularly. He also has a great shot and can finish his chances with an accurate wrister and a pretty good one-timer.
The main strength of his game though is his absolutely elite IQ level. He processes the game at a high level and always seems to find impossible seams and passing lanes (seriously, watch those highlight videos). He then executes those passes easily with his skill. Gavin also has excellent decision making with the puck and creates scoring chances frequently in the offensive zone with his reads.
Another example of his incredible hockey sense is his ability to stay out of the box. He went 3 YEARS without taking a penalty in the WHL. When taking his first penalty in 3 years, the WHL felt they had to record a video to make note of the incident, which was a delay of game penalty. In total, Gavin record 10 penalty minutes in his entire WHL career, which was 275 games!
Fit at RPI
Gavin will enroll this fall at RPI and will likely slide immediately into the top 6 at LW. He will be one of the most naturally gifted players to ever don the Cherry and White, and his skill and hockey sense will instantly boost RPI’s scoring ability at the top of the lineup. He has the ability to be one of the top freshmen in the league, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he’s on the All-Rookie team at season’s end. He is going to come in with a chip on his shoulder to prove the NHL scouts wrong and show that he can add more strength, pace/speed and competitiveness, and he will have every opportunity to do that at RPI. I can’t wait to see him suit up for the Engineers. Congratulations to Jordan and his family on his commitment!
The Rensselaer Wheat Kings are taking over!