NHL draft tracker: Chase De Leo, Portland Winterhawks

Chase De Leo might as well be standing at the junction of production and projection.

Proof of the former is self-evident with the latest modestly proportioned Portland Winterhawks attacker to come up for the NHL draft. De Leo is listed at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds but more than made up for that at each end of the rink this season while tallying 39 goals and 81 points for the eventual Western Hockey League runners-up. Due to his size, the big question with the 18-year-old La Mirada, Calif., native is how high his ceiling will be at the next level. Regardless, De Leo has shown he is a can-always-be-counted-on competitor at the major junior level.

"Size has never once been a negative thought in my mind," says De Leo, who is NHL Central Scouting's No. 36-ranked North American skater. "There is time to grow, even if I don't grow, I have big a heart as anyone in this entire draft.

"It's weird, I was just heading into dinner the other night [during the NHL combine in Toronto] and I was standing next to Steve Yzerman [general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Hockey Hall of Famer]. You always think those guys are so much bigger than they are and I'm the same size as him. I could definitely use those guys as motivation."

De Leo, who says he met with 10 of the 30 NHL teams during the recent scouting combine, has also benefited from a positive learning environment with the Winterhawks. Portland has not only nurtured several first-round NHL picks, but has had second, third and fourth-rounders — Winnipeg Jets prospect Nic Petan and Columbus Blue Jackets signing Oliver Bjorkstrand — come back with strong seasons after being selected.

"Anything Mike has to say is good advice," says De Leo, who is about to head into his fourth season in the Rose City. "Not only is he a good coach, he's also a good teacher. The year he wasn't able to be on the ice [after being suspended by the WHL in 2012 for recruiting violations], Travis Green stepped and did a great job with us. All the boys like Mike. He's definitely a professional coach and it wouldn't surprise me if he's at the next level again very soon."

The well-heeled Winterhawks have been able to buck the regular ebb and flow of team fortunes in junior hockey with their skein of four Western Conference titles. It sent four forwards to the combine with Keegan Iverson, Alex Schoenborn and Dominic Turgeon joining De Leo. What goes up usually most come down, but De Leo will be returning to a club whose cupboard is far from bare.

Meantime, De Leo is hopeful what he's soaked up from playing with can't-miss prospects will rub off on him as he attempts to get a foothold in a NHL organization.

"Off the ice, guys like Matt Dumba, Seth Jones, [Columbus Blue Jackets centre] Ryan Johansen, you can learn a lot from them," he says.

1. Which NHL player(s) do you study closely?

"My favourite player is [the Colorado Avalanche's Matt Duchene. He's fun to watch. Patrick Kane is fun to watch, too.

"A guy by the name of Tyler Johnson, who plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning [and had 50 points this season], is also big for me. He played in the Western Hockey League too [with the Spokane Chiefs]. He was a shorter guy [5-foot-9, 182 pounds] who won't back down from any battle. I look at that and try to use my work ethic when I'm up against bigger guys."

2. In which area of the game do you most need to show improvement before you can move on to pro hockey?

"Every year I've gone over a sheet of goals with Mike. The first year, coming out of youth hockey, it was it just about the speed difference, so we worked on speed and explosiveness. Second year, the main priority was the quickness of my release [on his shot]. Third year, with me coming out of California, it's more of an offensive game, all about skill. Mike did a good job of turning that around and making me just as aware as defensively. That's going to help me to get to the next level and I'm going to keep working on it."

3. Portland has had a virtual assembly line of high NHL draft picks. Does that make it easier to develop and get noticed by scouts?

"I don't know if I would consider it easier. It's definitely an advantage to train against guys like Mathew Dumba and [Nashville Predators defenceman] Seth Jones [De Leo's teammate in 2012-13] who have been through it before. You don't want to bug them too much about it. I'm sure they've had enough media ask about it. You just take advice and look at how they're professionals. We had a great group this year and it sucks that we fell short of going to the Memorial Cup."

4. As a Californian, how did you learn about the WHL?

"From California, I was not too familiar with the Western league and the draft and stuff. It was college, NCAA all the way. It's kind of funny how it worked out. I was good friends with [Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospect] Eric Comrie and we both ended up going up to [informally] visit [the University of] Denver. We sat on the couch and [then-Pioneers coach] George Gwozdecky made [scholarship] offers to Eric and I and our eyes lit up: best day ever. Two days later, the Western Hockey League draft happened. and we ended up going to rival teams with him going to Tri-City and me going to Portland."

5. Who has been the toughest Western League defenceman that you have faced on a regular basis?

"If I can say someone from my own team, then Mathew Dumba, every single practice. He was hard to play against and I've learned from how hard he works. He's been in the NHL [with the Minnesota Wild] and knows what it takes."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.