It's fitting that 5-foot-8 star Martin St. Louis was selected for induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame this week - a champion for the little guy at a time when smaller players are finally starting to take on larger roles in the NHL.
St. Louis went undrafted, signed with the Calgary Flames, and was eventually traded to Tampa Bay, where he led the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup the same year he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. But he was seen as an outlier - the one guy under 5-foot-10 able to prevail in a league where 6-footers are the norm.
St. Louis' stardom didn't quite open the door for players of his physical stature, leaving those with the skill but without the typical size for the NHL to find less traditional paths.
Undrafted Lightning forward Tyler Johnson (5-foot-8) signed an entry-level contract with the team in 2011 and was a Calder Trophy finalist his rookie season. Newly acquired Buffalo Sabres forward Conor Sheary (5-foot-8), also undrafted, worked his way from the American Hockey League to the big club in Pittsburgh, where he helped the Penguins capture back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat (5-foot-7) scored 28 goals as a rookie this past season. That followed three 100-plus-point seasons with the Erie Otters of the OHL, which somehow weren't enough to convince teams he was a first-round talent.
Though DeBrincat clearly possessed elite skill, concerns about how his size would affect his ability to succeed at the NHL level depressed his draft stock enough that the Blackhawks snagged him 39th overall in 2016.
These examples finally seem to be resonating with NHL front offices, which are becoming more willing to take chances on smaller players. At the NHL draft, more players once considered too diminutive for pro hockey are being selected every year.
In 2017, 13 skaters 5-foot-9 or shorter were drafted. In 2018, that number rose to 23. While the average height of an NHL player has remained stable around 6-foot-1 for some time, scouting and drafting indicate the tide may be shifting in favor of smaller players - even on the blue line.
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Of the 31 players selected in the first round this June, eight were under 6 feet, including four defensemen: Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), Ty Smith (New Jersey Devils), Rasmus Sandin (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Nicolas Beaudin (Blackhawks). As teams prioritize skating and puck-moving ability on the back end, they may be more willing to look beyond size. Torey Krug of the Boston Bruins, for example, only stands 5-foot-9, but he's a dynamic player and strong skater who excels at moving the puck up ice.
At 5-foot-10 (according to him), Spokane Chiefs rearguard and Devils prospect Smith is all too familiar with concerns about his height, but rejects that narrative.
"You always hear you're small when you're 5-foot-10 and around there as a defenseman, but I think that size isn't really an obstacle for me," Smith told theScore at the NHL Draft Combine. "I think being smaller is a bit of an advantage. ... Normally you're quicker and more mobile. ... It's definitely easier to work on things in tight."
He added, "Being lower down to the ice and ... kinda getting underneath those big guys when it comes to battling them in front of the net and things like that. I guess escaping in small areas is a little easier when you're smaller. I talked to some big guys that I've played with in the Western (Hockey) League, and play against, and they said it's hard to hit small guys that are quick, so I have to keep working on my quickness."
Canucks prospect Hughes, 5-foot-7, is faster and more agile than many taller, bulkier players.
Rather than using size and reach to break up opponents' opportunities, the Michigan defender relies on an intelligent approach he can execute quickly. He gets a good angle on an opposing skater, positioning himself to use his stick to disrupt their chances and take away time and space.
"I think when I'm on the ice (the) team's gonna have the puck the majority of the time," Hughes said at the combine.
Smith believes the NHL is gradually becoming friendlier to players formerly considered small by hockey standards.
"Size is less of a factor now," Smith said. "There still (aren't) very many defensemen that are 5-foot-10 or smaller in the NHL, but ... it's kinda trending that way. My coach, when he played junior, I looked up his numbers - Dan Lambert - and he had some crazy numbers for a defenseman. He was only 5-foot-8 and didn't really get much of a chance because of his size."
In 1988-89, Lambert put up 102 points for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. He only appeared in 29 NHL games, however, and eventually spent 10 seasons playing pro hockey in Germany. If he'd been born 30 years later, like Smith, maybe his height wouldn't have been such a factor.
"I think it's definitely not an obstacle for me, and it's always exciting to prove people wrong," Smith said.
Hannah Stuart keeps a close eye on both drafted and draft-eligible prospects and can usually be found trying to learn more about hockey analytics. She has previously written for FanRag Sports, The Hockey Writers, and Hooked On Hockey Magazine, and can also be found at High Heels and High Sticks. Find her on twitter at @HockeyWthHannah.
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