Sometimes, life tries to send you subliminal messages to do a particular thing. Maybe you're hearing a rattling sound in your car that's telling you to get it checked out. Perhaps the endless array of H&R Block advertisements popping up around tax season are telling you to file before mid-April.
Whatever the case, these messages are meant to move you in a particular direction. For me, there's been one name popping up in my NHL mock drafts. His name? Carson Cameron.
Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights might not think too much of the defenseman. After all, their top priorities are getting their superstar, Jack Eichel, a brand new deal and nailing free agency. However, the Peterborough Petes prospect does deserve some love.
For one, the Golden Knights don't have much in terms of defenseman depth. No, I'm not talking about the main roster. I'm talking about the prospect pool, where it's Lukas Cormier and not much else.
But Cameron himself is a viable piece to the Golden Knights puzzle. If selected, he'll bring plenty of awesome attributes to the table. So let's meet the defenseman and see what makes him tick.
What makes Carson Cameron a good fit for the Vegas Golden Knights?
It's no secret the Golden Knights love their two-way players. It doesn't matter if it's the forward group like Mark Stone or defensemen like Shea Theodore. If you can play a 200-ft. game, you're a perfect fit for Kelly McCrimmon.
That's exactly what Cameron brings to the table. He stands at 6'2" and has a righthanded shot on the attack. He's capable of growing into his offensive game and is constantly making plays away from the puck.
Do you need a shooting lane open? Cameron's your man.
Want to set up the play early? Look no further.
Of course, that comes with a fundamentally sound defensive game, where he's constantly disrupting plays. That could be enough to land him on the third pair. Think of a player like Zach Whitecloud, only with more offensive potential.
His numbers with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL is also decent. This season, he scored seven goals and 16 assists in 63 games and scored four goals and 22 assists (59 games) the season prior. He also had 12 goals and 22 assists (30 games) with the Central Ontario Wolves in U16 AAA competition in 2022-23.
Now that's good enough to get recognition from your peers. Kelly McCrimmon and the Golden Knights might not think much of the draft now, especially without a first-round pick on hand. However, Carson Cameron would be the late-round steal the general manager is looking for.