Scouting Report: Conor Geekie

Photo Credit: Candice Ward/Calgary Hitmen

Scouting Report written by Matthew Somma

Conor Geekie is another top prospect to come out of the WHL this season and one of two potential first round picks on the Winnipeg Ice. Geekie is an elite playmaker and possesses high amounts of skill with the puck on his stick, giving him the ability to create offense at an impressive rate. Geekie can do things with the puck that few other skaters his size can, which will undoubtedly make him one of the most talked about players heading into day one of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Geekie does most of his work in the offensive zone and sees time as a distributor on the power play. Winnipeg is one of the best teams in the WHL, and Geekie makes them a better team both at even strength and on the power play. It’s clear that their coaches trust Geekie with some tough matchups, an encouraging sign for such a young prospect. 

Geekie is one of those players that I’ve been hot and cold on this season. On one hand, I see that his high hockey sense, playmaking ability and size give him a high chance of seeing NHL games. On the other, I see a player whose skating handicaps him in transition and limits his effectiveness both on the rush, the forecheck, and the back check. I have concerns about Geekie’s projectability to the NHL that I hope to illustrate in this profile. I’m fairly confident hat Geekie will play NHL games, but I have concerns about how he’ll slot into an NHL lineup.

Player Profile

D.O.B – May 5, 2004
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’4″
Weight –205 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

Geekie’s Style of Play

When I’ve watched Geekie, two things have stood out above the rest. First, Geekie’s hockey sense. Geekie is one of the smartest players on the ice at any time and can find open teammates before defenses have a chance to notice that they’ve missed an assignment. His ability to read and react to the play is elite. Geekie scans for opportunities to pass or shoot and is skilled enough to execute on those plays. What makes Geekie so special is his ability to not only think ahead of the opposition, but to react and act on it quickly. This play is a perfect example of Geekie’s hockey sense. He keeps moving forward to receive the pass and knows exactly where his teamate is. He then makes a perfect pass to set up a goal.

When I was watching Sasha Mutala back in 2019, he frustrated the hell out of me because although his mind was thinking at a mile a minute, he wasn’t able to keep up physically and his game suffered because of it. That’s not the case with Geekie. He is able to move in sync with his brain, making him one of the WHL’s most potent offensive players.

POV: You’re a defender trying to play against Conor Geekie

Geekie’s playmaking is elite. He excels at seeing the ice, assessing all of his options and making a pass to an open teammate on the tape.

Give Geekie space and he’ll make you pay. Take away a shooting lane and he’ll find a way to get the puck to his teammates for a goal. Geekie doesn’t always carry the puck in transition, nor is he the primary shooting option for Winnipeg. He has carved out a nice role for himself on the Ice that sees him receiving the puck upon entering the zone and making a play happen shortly afterwards. It’s effective, too, as seen in the first clip. Would I like to see Geekie carry the puck in transition more often? Sure, but as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Geekie can do things with the puck that few other skaters his size can. I wouldn’t say that he’s making the All-Hands team of the draft, but I’d like to see other skaters do what Geekie can do at 6-foot-4. First, a simple looking toe drag at full speed to pull the defender out of position.

Next, a nifty chip to avoid a poke check.

Geekie’s hands make him even more of a nuisance for WHL goaltenders, who haven’t seemed to find a way to stop him yet.

Much like his brother Morgan, Conor Geekie’s most underrated part of his offensive game is his shot. There’s a lot to be said about his hockey sense and playmaking ability, and it’s completely justified, but man oh man does Geekie have a howitzer. Geekie’s snap shot might be the best out of all WHL draft eligible skaters this season, with Jagger Firkus coming in at a close second. Geekie’s shot makes him a triple threat scorer. He can beat you with his mind, his playmaking, and his shot. When defenses think they’ve found a way to stop Geekie, he’ll find a way to exploit their weaknesses. It’s like a villain thinking they’ve won, only to hear Giorno’s theme playing in the background.

Of course, Geekie’s size is going to be an advantage at this level. It can mask his average skating and allow for him to bulldoze through the opposition. Geekie uses his size to his advantage but doesn’t force a play just because he’s bigger and stronger than the opposing defense. Instead, he’ll utilize his size and strength to protect the puck and utilize his teammates rather than relying on individual skill all of the time. I watched Julien Gauthier develop over the course of four years with the Hurricanes. He was a dominant force in the QMJHL simply because he could run over the competition. Gauthier struggled early on in his professional career because his competition was used to playing against guys like him. It was a major hurdle for Gauthier to overcome and one that could have been prevented if he began to change his game in the QMJHL. I say all of this with Geekie in mind. Geekie already utilizes his teammates and isn’t going to force a play if it’s not there. He already knows when he’s outmatched and can get rid of the puck to allow a teammate a better opportunity. It’s why I believe that Geekie will have a relatively seamless transition to the professional game rather than a bit of a rocky one.

Now, Geekie isn’t a perfect player. I have concerns about his skating that may impact his effectiveness at the NHL level. Geekie is an average skater in the WHL, and while his skating isn’t awful due to his size, it has a long way to go before it becomes NHL average. It tends to hold him back and I find that Geekie is often the last player to enter the offensive or defensive zone. He can’t help his team if he’s lagging behind on the play, but I feel that some time with a skating coach could help Geekie. He could stand to get a little more power on his first few strides and work with a conditioning coach to increase his top speed. Right now, I feel that his stride can be a little clunky and not always consistent. There are games where I’ll be blown away by Geekie’s speed while moving the puck and there are other games where it looks as if Geekie is skating through cement that has already dried around his skates.

The lack of consistency in his stride concerns me. Plenty of players have made it to the NHL while being only average skaters, but fewer players are able to break into a team’s top six as an average skater. If Geekie reaches his full potential and improves on his skating, I could see him becoming a 60 to 70-point player at the NHL level. If he doesn’t improve his skating, I have a difficult time seeing Geekie playing any higher than the third line on his team. I’m more inclined to believe that Geekie will be successful because you can help him become a better skater. You can’t teach hockey sense.

Here’s where I really start to doubt Geekie’s future. Yes, the skating is poor. That can be improved upon. What frustrates me the most about Geekie is how much of a passenger he can be on his line. Geekie is not the primary play driver on his line and is almost never the player to carry the puck into the offensive zone. To me, that doesn’t scream “NHL center.” I find it hard to believe that Geekie can be an NHL center if he isn’t carrying the puck into the zone and creating plays himself rather than waiting for the play to come to him. He can be passive and flips the switch once the puck comes to him. Once he dishes the puck to a teammate, he disappears again. It’s frustrating to watch because a player with his size and skill should be driving the play and manipulating defenses. He should be a constant threat whenever he’s on the ice, but he isn’t.

Geekie’s defensive play can be frustrating as well. He’s consistently the last to enter the defensive zone, skates around aimlessly, then flails his stick once a player skates past him. I hesitate to call Geekie a lazy player, but that’s almost how it seems at times. You can help him play defense, but the effort level in the defensive zone is what concerns me the most. It’s not there most nights.

Lastly, Geekie can get pushed off of the puck easier than most players because he is often unable to skate around players or create space for himself in close. I notice a bit of panic in his game once two defenders start to press the attack on Geekie. He’ll turn his back and then turn the puck over, killing any offensive momentum that his team might have had.

Projectability

I hinted at my projection for Geekie earlier. I believe that Geekie can be a top line NHL player if his skating gets to be NHL average or better. That’s the biggest question, though. Can Geekie improve his skating enough in order to be effective at the NHL level? Or a better question might be this: How will Geekie adapt and change his game once the competition gets bigger, faster, and stronger? He isn’t going to be able to run over the competition for much longer, and his effort level sure as hell won’t cut it in the pros.

There are times when I’m enamored with Geekie’s skill level. He thinks the game ahead of players and creates a lot of high danger chances. When he’s on his game, Geekie looks like a legitimate top ten pick. When he’s off his game, however, Geekie looks like a player that I’d avoid entirely if I were drafting in the top 20. Yes, the size and skill combination will be enticing for an NHL team, but the risks in his game make me wary of his odds at making a big splash in the NHL.

If I’m being honest, I haven’t liked Geekie very much this season. I see the skill that others are seeing, and it’s easy to look at his highlights and go “man, this kid has it.” But when I’ve watched Geekie play, I’ve seen an underwhelming player with very obvious flaws in his game that will affect his NHL chances. The skating is an obvious issue, but his effort level in the neutral and defensive zones concerns me even more. Again, I don’t want to call Geekie a lazy player, but his efforts in the defensive zone can definitely look lazy at times. Then there’s the issue of whether or not Geekie is an NHL center moving forward. It’s a major concern of mine that Geekie is not dictating the play when he’s on the ice. He doesn’t even carry the puck into the zone. I see him waiting for the play to come to him instead of actively seeking opportunities, making me question if he can be more than just a complementary player at the NHL level.

If I were an NHL team with a top 20 pick, I would hesitate to draft Geekie. It’s easy to be enamored with the size and skill, but under the surface, you have a player that’s going to take a long time to get to a top six role at the NHL level. Geekie could easily peak as a third line player in the NHL, which, in this scout’s opinion, is not worth a top 20 pick. Again, the upside is there, but there are a lot of holes in Geekie’s game that could limit his effectiveness at the NHL level.

Latest Update

January 3, 2022

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Matthew Somma. If you would like to follow Matthew on Twitter, his handle is @Mattsomma12.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Gleb Trikozov

Photo Credit: Avangard Omsk

Scouting Report written by Josh Tessler

Gleb Trikozov (Глеб Трикозов) is a 2022 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who hails from Omsk, Russia. 

Trikozov is a member of the Avangard Omsk farm system and has played his entire youth career with the club. The majority of his play over the last two seasons has been in the MHL for Avangard Omsk’s affiliate Omskie Yastreby. In addition, this season, he made his VHL debut for the Avangard Omsk’s affiliate Omskie Krylia. For those who are unfamiliar with the Russian leagues, the KHL is the top-level of play. KHL clubs have affiliations with VHL and MHL teams. The VHL is the minor league in Russia. The MHL is junior hockey.

Trikozov has also represented Russia at the International level / IIHF play and was featured on Russia’s gold medal winning 2021 Hlinka Gretzky squad. 

Player Profile

D.O.B – August 12, 2004
Nationality – Russia
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’1
Weight –185 lbs
Position – Center/Right Wing
Handedness – Right

Trikozov’s Style Of Play

Offense

From an offensive positioning perspective, should his teammate get stuck in a puck battle along the boards on the other side of the ice behind the red line, Trikozov shifts over closer to offer an open passing lane. When a teammate is running the cycle behind the red line, he’ll skate towards the slot, complete a t-stop when he is in position for the teammate to use the passing lane and then bends his knees / completes his weight transfer. The t-stop enables him to get in position for the one-timer attempt. 

When it comes to forechecking, Trikozov will go for loose pucks in the corners. Yet, he is not as aggressive to the puck carrier as he is in the neutral zone. You will see him skate into the offensive zone to engage in loose puck battles, but he can be slow and sluggish. I want him to be faster and more aggressive to the puck carrier in the offensive zone to attempt to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone. But, nonchalant forechecking is the norm in the MHL. Even though he is nonchalant, He has the speed to be involved and in pace on the forecheck, but doesn’t follow through. In the VHL level, he seemed to be far more aggressive at the red line and in the corners. It’s night and day when you compare it to MHL play.

At times, I will question his puck movement. Instead of going towards the corner when he’s got an open lane to the corner with traffic blocking entry to the slot, he’ll drop back towards the blue line and complete a backhand pass to a teammate bursting into the zone. It’s not the best option for puck movement, but it certainly isn’t the worst. In addition, there are moments where he waits too long with the puck and gives up opportunities to complete a centered pass to the slot when he is facing close pressure and had an open teammate in the slot.

One of the areas that needs to be addressed is his ability is to capture pucks off of passes cleanly but routinely. The puck comes close to his stick blade, but it becomes a challenge to trap the puck. When passes come too short and doesn’t align with stick blade, he will look to trap the puck with his skates, but even then sometimes he can’t trap the puck with his skates. In addition, I would like him to work on capturing the puck from a pass but closer to the shaft rather than the toe of his stick blade. I say that because when he does a one touch collect pass and shoot from medium or low danger, his shots go too wide.

Even though sometimes he does have puck control issues with puck capture, Trikozov has excellent reach and good stick-handling. He manages to play the puck further out to his left, far enough that the defender couldn’t prevent Gleb from skating around him. That allows him to go to net front to go one on one with the opposing goaltender. But, Trikozov has other plays in his offensive stick-handling playbook. He can be pretty nifty at stick-handling with traffic glued in on him. Trikozov will extend the puck further out, then button hook and play the puck away from the attacker. When a second attacker comes into the picture, he passes to the point.

But, there is more to mention when it comes to Trikozov’s stick-handling ability. He is highly efficient at stick-handling around traffic along the boards. Trikozov positions the puck as close to the boards as possible to control possession. In addition, while it is clear that there are moments in which he can struggle with capturing the puck off a slightly wide pass, he can then grab those pucks with ease in other situations. He is just inconsistent with his puck capturing skills. But, he can net possess a decent amount of the time. You will see him extend his stick out to trap the puck and then windmills around two attackers in the slot to get to net-front. 

When it comes to his passing ability, there is a lot to like about Gleb. He uses his vision extremely well to identify tight passing lanes to exploit. Sees an attacker coming at him and a defenseman (teammate) skating up to the perimeter and then fires a well-timed pass. Trikozov likes to pass through the triangle (between the attacker’s leg and the stick blade) and looks to do so when behind the red line and he has an attacker extending his stick out towards him. Finds the gap and completes a pass to the perimeter. Passing through the triangle is a great way to get the puck a teammate no matter the situation, but its a great tool to have in your arsenal when you can’t seem to find a better avenue to the slot. If Trikozov is wrapping the net, sometimes he does struggle with identify the ideal passing lane to the slot. That leads to giving up possession to the slot. Even though he will struggle with connecting with a teammate in the slot, he likes to be flashy and deceptive and try through the legs or behind the back passes to the slot. In the corner when he has an attacker on him, but had an open man along the half-wall, he dished a saucer over the attacker’s stick to get the puck to his teammate. So, there are also plenty of instances where he look to pass above the triangle and catch the attacker completely off guard. When Trikozov is running the point on the power play, he likes to raise his stick like he is about to a take shot and then deceptively pass the puck to his teammate along the perimeter with him or to the slot. If he is looking for to complete a cross ice feed, you can count on Trikozov to complete that pass.

But, like every player, there are moments where he will have difficulty completing a pass. When he struggles to complete a pass to the slot and it ricocheted off the attack, he problem solves at once, retains the puck, drops towards the corner and delivers a bounce pass along the boards to his teammate in the trapezoid on the other side of the net. 

Not only does he problem solve, but he completes a lot of dangerous passes to the slot. I recently was looking at Will Scouch’s (Scouching.ca) data and it indicated that Trikozov was one of the stronger dangerous passing prospects in the 2022 NHL Draft class. At this point in the season (as of December 29, 2021), his numbers are comparable to Shane Wright, Cutter Gauthier and Alexander Suzdalev. 

If you look at his shot under a microscope, he can be inconsistent with his shooting ability. He will be right in front of the net but can’t get a backhand shot on net, instead it goes wide. You will notice that he tends to attempt backhand shots with the puck too close to his body. Yet, he will still pounce the net and have success on re-directing shots and picking up rebounds to score quickly-timed tip-in goals.

When shooting from range, he needs to work on weight transfer and pushing his body forward towards the knee on one-timer attempts. But, even if his one-timers lack the power that he is looking for, he does a good job of getting pucks on net and that allows for rebound assists for Trikozov. Trikozov will also struggle with getting pucks on net when shooting on the rush. I have noticed that Trikozov is often deployed on the left side when his club is up a man and he does seem to be stronger like plenty of players on their wrong side with their one-timers.  

Defense

In the defensive zone, he needs to work on utilizing an active stick when defending on puck carriers. If he is slightly too far away in the defensive zone, he extends out his stick to the puck carrier’s knees to try to annoy him but it isn’t effective. It can be irritating, but it doesn’t do that much in terms of prevent defense.

While he does struggle with an active stick that probably has more to do with playing in the MHL more than anything. When Trikozov is playing in MHL games, he does a lot of gliding. He does a lot of observing and watching from centered ice. Parks himself on the perimeter to patrol the point and the half-wall, but I wouldn’t call him intimidating in the defensive zone. Again, it is like night and day when you compare it to this VHL play. When defending in the VHL, his defense is slightly stronger and keeps good pace with the attacker in the slot to eliminate the passing lane. 

When opening up breakout passing lanes, he tends to skate up centered ice in the defensive zone and wait at the blue line for a pass. But, there are a lot of pass attempts in which he struggles with netting possession of the puck with his stick blade. Like in the offensive and neutral zones, he’ll net possession of pucks on breakout passes that are slightly off target and behind his stick blade, by trapping them with his skate blades. But, only works some of the time.

If he isn’t at the blue line, but does net open ice and gains possession of the puck off of a breakout pass, he will complete plenty of a cross ice lateral feed that lead to zone exits. Similarly, to his passing in the offensive and neutral zones, Trikozov will look to pass above the attackers stick or below the attackers stick when looking to complete a zone exit pass. Also, it worth mentioning that Trikozov likes to be quick with his breakout passes and will attempt one touch breakout passes from the defensive zone face-off circle to the blue line. 

Transitional Play

When playing at both the VHL and MHL levels, the neutral zone is where he plays the most aggressive. He will spot an attacker skating freely along the half-wall and starts to skate towards him to cut him off from entering centered ice. Once he gets into full speed, he’ll throw a shoulder check to disrupt the rush once in the defensive zone. But, it’s the neutral zone where he garners the necessary speed and decides to chase down the attacker.

While he is stronger in the neutral zone defensively, for a decent amount of rush attempts, he just faces the attack in the neutral zone, but doesn’t really try to extend his stick out towards the carrier and lets the attack move the puck around with ease. When skating from behind the attack, he extends his stick out towards the opponent’s stick to irritate him, but no change in possession.

If he is skating behind the attack, but there is a change in possession, he’ll complete a tight turn with leaned on edges to help facilitate the tight turn and then find open ice upon center ice to key up a passing lane.

Like in the other zones, his puck control and puck security can be slightly inconsistent. When skating up the ice from zone to zone, he will try to extend the puck further out but has difficulty securing puck control with his backhand, but does well with his forehand. If he is aiming to shift around an attacker, he will try to wind-mill and thread the puck threw the attacker’s legs as he approaches the offensive zone blue line, but he has a difficult time to pushing the puck far enough through the legs to capture possession of the puck once he gets past the attacker. When completing wind-mills, he needs to be cautious of how far he plays the puck along the stick blade, if it’s to close to toe of the stick blade it becomes a challenge for him to complete the wind-mill. 

But there are moments in which his stick-handling and puck control are truly dynamic when Trikozov is skating through the neutral zone. Trikozov has excellent one-handed stick-handling that allows him to play the puck out wide and far from the attacker when turning and then skating through neutral zone. He has plenty of instances where he navigates the puck around the attacker, gets good separation and charges into the neutral zone. While he has proven that he can stick-handler with ease one on one with an attacker, there certainly are situations where stick-handling around pressure is far more daunting. But, Trikozov is up for the challenge. The Russian prospect has good problem solving ability in the neutral zone. When dealing with three attackers in isolation along the blue line, instead of driving in and hoping to get enough separation after a zone entry, he cuts through the attack, pivots around a fourth attacker and then completes a lateral zone entry pass to a forward skating up through the zone. 

I love his problem solving ability in transition. It’s reminds me of Matthew Beniers and Brad Lambert in transition. Trikozov runs into trouble in the neutral zone, button hooks to confuse the attacker and to slow the attacker down, doubles back around with excellent crossovers and a fluid stride. By doing so, it allows him to complete a controlled zone entry without much pressure. 

When he looks to pass in the neutral zone, he looks for passing lanes in a similar fashion to his passing lane observation skills in the offensive and defensive zones. When facing an attacker who has extended his stick as he closes in, Trikozov looks to pass through the triangle (the attackers’ triangle between his stick blade and his legs) when skating on the rush in the neutral zone.

Skating

When evaluating Trikozov’s crossovers, you will notice that he has solid crossover length. But, I would like to see him use crossovers when moving laterally, especially in the defensive zone. Instead of deploying crossovers, he plants one leg and completes short skate extensions to push himself from east to west. That is a slower approach to moving laterally and will not allow him to put pressure on a faster attacker. 

When he does complete a crossover, afterwards he will extend his skate but then sometimes struggle on the recovery to align the skates and that hurts his ability to keep good posture and balance.

When he’s just gliding around and going at a much slower pace, he’ll use crossovers but they net zero acceleration. It’s just to turn his body.

When deploying edges, he does a good job leaning on his edges. But, if he is completing a tight turn in the offensive zone, he will occasionally struggle on his inside edge. Instead of using an inside edge, he deploys an outside edge and that forced him to lose balance and control of the puck. There are also situations in which Trikozov leans slightly too far in when deploying his edges on a turn behind the red line in the offensive zone. By leaning too far, that hurts his mobility. 

Speaking of mobility and skate placement, I would like Trikozov to work on stopping. He has proven that he can complete fluid t-stops, but there are a few sequences in which he will try to stop with his feet way too far apart at net-front when looking to take a shot a net-front and an attacker is right on him. That hurts his mobility and doesn’t allow him to get a quality shot off or leads to him losing his balance.

When you look at his straight line skating mechanics. He does need to work on his posture and lowering his body when looking to generate speed. But, he does have solid ankle flexion and good power stride extensions when driving up the ice. It allows him to keep pace with puck movement especially on 2-on-1s.

Projection

When I watch Trikozov, I come away entertained after each and every game. He reminds me so much of San Jose Sharks prospect Daniil Gushchin. Will he blow you away with his defensive play? There are times, but it’s not consistent. But, where he does shine is in the neutral and offensive zones. His stick-handling ability will improve and he will be a pain in the rear for attackers who struggle to defend against flashy stick-handling. Trikozov can carry his own line and has proven at the MHL level that he is slightly under matched. There are games where he doesn’t exert aggression and play tight to the vest hockey on the forecheck, but has shown that he has the speed and the capability to do so at the VHL level. The KHL level is next on the horizon and I look forward to seeing what Avangard Omsk will get at the KHL level with Trikozov. 

If everything goes according to plan, I feel confident that you are getting an impact top six forward with Trikozov at the NHL level. He is a prospect who I would bet on at the 2022 NHL Draft.

Latest Update

December 30, 2021

stats from Scouching.ca, InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Denton Mateychuk

Photo Credit: Nick Pettigrew / Moose Jaw Warriors

Scouting Report written by Austin Garrett

Thirty one games into his season, Denton Mateychuk currently leads all draft eligible defensemen in the WHL in points and points per game. He currently sits second in the league overall in points for defensemen. 

When digging into his production even further he blows you away. Mateychuk boasts a staggering 71.4% of his total production on primary points. As if that’s not already impressive: 16 of his 19 even strength points are primary points. In Moose Jaw’s 31 games played: Mateychuk has an overall involvement percentage just south of 29%, which is broken down as an even-strength involvement percentage of 27.9%, a 30.8% on the PP, and 33.3% shorthanded. In layman’s terms: most defensemen have a much larger share of their points on the power play and those are usually of the secondary assist variety. 

In a draft that seems to be chocked full of offensive-leaning defensemen: Mateychuk deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best offensive generators coming from the backend in 2022 given his production and being one of the younger defenders in the draft.

Player Profile

D.O.B – July 12, 2004
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –5’11
Weight –187 lbs
Position –Defense
Handedness – Left

Mateychuk’s Style of Play

Offense

When putting on the tape it’s not hard to see why his involvement and work rate is so high. He is involved in everything Moose Jaw is trying to do when driving play in the neutral and offensive zone. He’s hyper-aggressive from the backend, often jumping in to join a rush at the first signs the puck is moving into the offensive zone, and is oftentimes the player carrying in the puck for the controlled entry. In two games tracked he was involved in nearly 39% of all transitions when he was on the ice, and if the puck is on his stick leaving the defensive zone it’s almost a guarantee he will be directly involved in the offensive zone entry. If I were to sum Mateychuk’s game up in a clip it would be this:

The hallmarks of Mateychuk’s offensive game are his hyper aggressive nature, passing vision and creativity, and ability to work himself off-the-puck into dangerous areas of the ice. He is able to identify his forwards quickly and then jump into the play to make himself an option to receive a pass for a controlled entry. Oftentimes he’s continuing to push play into the dangerous areas of the ice himself to generate a wrist shot or passing lane to find a teammate for a scoring chance.

If one were to make a highlight video of Mateychuk it would almost certainly be riddled with “how did he even see that guy!?!?” passes. His passing vision and creativity is at an elite level, especially in his controlled entries and exits. He is able to identify passing lanes at an elite level, and is able to manipulate defenders with his skill to open up passing lanes himself.

However, a lot Mateychuk’s game is driven from him curling in from the point into the center ice, medium-danger area and releasing a wrist shot that creates a rebound that is banged home from his forwards. His even-strength passes to medium-high danger areas aren’t of a significant volume, however he generates a lot of his offense for himself in those areas.

If Mateychuk shoots from the point it is most often going to be a low wrist shot that he’s looking to get through on net. He rarely takes slap shots from the point, and doesn’t currently possess a shot that will beat goalies clean from distance. However, he utilizes space exceptionally well. He moves into the dangerous parts of the ice and from those areas his shot has proven to be effective.

Playing on his off-hand side for all of my viewings of him: he is one of the best in North America at controlling play at the offensive blue line. He’s both hyper-intelligent and aggressive in his pinching efforts and seeing outlet passes early in the process to be able to break up the pass in the offensive zone. Rarely does he engage in low-percentage pinching efforts that results in odd-man rushes going the other way.  He patrols the offensive zone from just above the faceoff circle looking to move into a dangerous area if and when his forwards are able to obtain possession below the goal line.

There are two concerns with Mateychuk with his offensive game. The first being that he’s always looking to attack vertical, and oftentimes, at a break-neck pace. He’ll ignore the safe, conservative outlet to try a more difficult pass that moves the puck into or out of the zone. For example: more than once I’ve seen him ignore his defensive partner to reset a play and instead attempt the Dwayne Robertson alley-oop pass from the Mighty Ducks movies. This results in unnecessary turnovers and failed zone transitions. While he is, in my estimation, the most dangerous offensive player on the ice for Moose Jaw; I’d like to see him defer (or at least Gretzky-turn and reset) when the vertical options aren’t available. Additionally, Mateychuk could use more speed manipulation in his own transitional carry-in/out efforts to diversify his attacking style. While he has the ability to utilize crossovers and lateral puck maneuvering skills; he prefers to play a fast-paced, north/south  type of carry-in/out strategy.

The biggest concern I have for projecting his offense to higher levels will be his puck handling. While he is more than capable of making the highlight reel with his puck skill; Mateychuk does have a pension for a bad touch on a pass, or the unforced turnover when carrying the puck. Given that so much of his game in the WHL is predicated upon his puck-carrying ability and pace; I’d like to see more control over the course of the season if I were to safely project his offensive game to the next level.

Defense

Mateychuk is just simply not a passive player. In the neutral zone he looks to break up passes and stop transitions before they even get to the defensive blue line. His intelligence in reading passing plays allows him to patrol the neutral zone from behind center ice to move up and defend opposing rushes. 

His gap control on defensive blue line rushes can be inconsistent, but he’s still allowing controlled entries into the defensive zone at a very good percentage through two games tracked. Most of the uncontrolled defensive zone entries I’ve seen him deny are because he’s been aggressive with his gap right above the blue line, but he can give too much space and not dictate opposing forwards to the boards which has led to some forwards being able to penetrate medium-danger areas to get a shot off on the rush against him.

In the defensive zone he is able to play passing lanes and able to separate players from the puck, albeit he is still undersized to do so at a highly efficient level physically and his stick checking can get lazy. In front of the net his size can be limited in clearing players out of dangerous areas, but he is active in tying up sticks and moderately effective in preventing high-danger chances. 

His most limiting defensive trait is his backwards mobility and the oft-times he tries to stick check instead of moving his feet to remove a player from the puck. He can get beat by shifty, fast-paced forwards on a tight gap too often for an undersized defensemen, and he can be over-reliant on a stick check that leads to highlight reel goals against.

Projection

In the 2022 NHL draft class there isn’t a player I enjoy watching more on a nightly basis than Denton Mateychuk. He is a unicorn as a defender. There isn’t an archetype that he really fits into, which makes him a polarizing player to categorize and rank. 

He’s not a player that is going to fit into a system that wants their defensemen to be passive in transition by passing the puck up to the forwards, nor a system that doesn’t want their defensemen to activate from the blue line in the offensive zone. He is at his best when the puck is on his stick, driving transitional play, and having the offense flow through him. Even if his puck handling skill drives down the effectiveness of his rush offense; his intelligence, passing ability, off-puck awareness and aggressiveness will still make him an effective offensive defensemen. 

If his mobility is able to reach a level that isn’t too far off from where he is now: an aggressive projection for Mateychuk would be an elite offensive catalyst from the backend with the ability to mitigate defensive zone transitions which would erase concerns about his size. Conservatively, he projects as an aggressive, high-event style defensemen who you bet will create more chances than he’ll give up. I, personally, lean to his highest ceiling due to his consistent impact on the offensive end of the ice in my viewings, but the concerns are valid.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Austin Garrett. If you would like to follow Austin on Twitter, his handle is @BMaster716.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Logan Cooley

Photo Credit: Rena Laverty

Scouting Report written by Paul Zuk

The cream of the crop when speaking about 2022 draft-eligible players from the United States, Logan Cooley sits atop many scouts, front office, and noted draft geeks rankings. Cooley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and played his minor hockey rising through the ranks of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA program.

Cooley popped up on several scouts’ radars when he racked up an impressive 83 points in 69 games as a member of the Penguins Elite 14U AAA team in 2018-19. Following his impressive season there, Cooley played most of the next season an age group up, earning more than a point-per-game for the 16U AAA team as a 15-year-old. His ability to stand out no matter where he plays or which age group he suits up with has followed him ever since.

Cooley joined up with the NTDP to begin the 2020-21 season, where he spent an almost equal amount of time with the U17 and U18 teams. He was able to tally 74 points in 74 games in all contests, but perhaps most impressive is his 14 points in 19 games while playing up an age group with the U18 team.

To begin his Draft-eligible season in 2021-22, Cooley has had an incredible start, racking up 38 points in 27 games with the U18’s between NTDP and USHL play. His 30 points in NTDP play ranks third on the team behind draft eligible players Isaac Howard and Jimmy Snuggerud, and his 14 goals rank second on the team, where Cutter Gauthier leads the U18’s with 16.

Cooley was selected to represent the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships in Edmonton/Red Deer, Alberta, where he and net-minder Dylan Silverstein are the only two draft eligible 2004 birth year players on the roster. Through one game in the tournament, Cooley has tallied an assist versus Slovakia. Look for him to have a very strong tournament overall, as he tries to improve his stock heading into the 2022 NHL Draft.

Player Profile

D.O.B – May 4, 2004
Nationality – American
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –5’10
Weight –174 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

Cooley’s Style of Play

Logan Cooley’s style of play is one which every team in the NHL could use on their roster. He’s an extremely talented two-way forward, and where he may lack in size to some, he certainly more than makes up for it by playing an extremely mature game in all areas of the ice. Cooley can be trusted in every situation, regardless of how the game is playing out. His two-way game is arguably amongst the top of the class, if not already sitting atop the list.

Cooley’s able to make plays in transition and the offensive zone with ease, but he’s also able to cover off for his defenders who jump into the offensive game and get caught up ice. Additionally, Cooley is trusted to play the point as well as the right half-wall on the powerplay, which speaks to his impressive ability to not only generate dangerous offensive chances for his teammates, but also to properly execute zone exits with a high rate of success when playing the point.

Cooley’s overall hockey IQ is ridiculously impressive, as he reads the game so well in all three zones of the ice, and can anticipate where the play is currently at, as well as where it’s headed with little to no difficulty. That trait proves to be invaluable when it comes to his playmaking ability, as he’s able to deliver passes where most of the other players on the ice cannot.   

Credit: @Hockey_Robinson on Twitter.

For the 2022-23 season, Logan Cooley had originally announced his commitment to the University of Notre Dame. However, on February 17th 2022, the NTDP announced via their Twitter account that Cooley had de-committed from Notre Dame, and announced his commitment to the University of Minnesota. He joins fellow NTDP U18 teammates Rutger McGroarty and Sasha Pastujov in leaving Notre Dame, opting to take their talents elsewhere. Cooley will now look to focus his mind on joining a powerhouse Golden Gohpers squad for next season, which could potentially boast the likes of Chaz and Cruz Lucius, John and Luke Mittelstadt, Jimmy Snuggerud and Matthew Knies, just to name a few.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at the aspects of Logan Cooley’s game:

Skating

Arguably his best trait, Cooley is such an impressive skater. He may not be as technically sound as someone like Shane Wright, but he possesses the desired speed and acceleration most NHL teams would love to have in their top-6. Touching on the technical side, his ankle flexion and knee bend could use a little work to make his skating that much more powerful. Although, I’m sure this is something he’s working on, as his technique has improved a little bit early on this season.

Credit: @rayan_tubecc on Twitter.

Cooley’s explosiveness is perhaps his most noticeable trait when speaking about his skating ability. He’s able to make a couple of quick, powerful strides in transition, and he absolutely flies through the neutral zone and around defenders. Being only 5’10 and 174 lbs., this characteristic bodes incredibly well for his development at the next level. As we’ve seen with players such as Jonathan Marchessault and Brayden Point, the smaller, faster centers are becoming more and more dynamic in the modern-NHL. Cooley is certainly on track to be one of the next generation of talented, somewhat undersized players to eventually become household names.

Offense

Cooley’s offensive game is certainly amongst the top of the 2022 draft class not only in terms of production, but in overall talent and projection at the next level. He’s able to transition the puck into the offensive zone with ease, usually drawing one to two defenders on his person. This allows Cooley the added space to put his puck handling skills to use by dishing a pass to a teammate in an open area of the offensive zone.

Speaking of Cooley’s passing ability, it just may be the most exciting part of his game to watch, especially when he’s in the offensive zone. It is a joy to sit back and watch how frequently he can dish the puck to a teammate with a beautiful tape-to-tape pass through a heavy amount of traffic. His passes are rarely delivered without a high level of skill and accuracy, which will make pretty much any scout drool. Of course, there’s always a risk factor associated with being so creative when dishing the puck around, but with Cooley, it usually ends up being successful.

Credit: @TSN_Sports on Twitter.

Speaking of Cooley’s transitional game from the neutral zone to the offensive zone, he seems to find the most success keeping to the outside of the defenders. He’s able to hit a couple of explosive strides and quite often beat a defender out wide with pace. At times, Cooley’s even able to dip his shoulder or give a little head-fake to the defender, cementing them in place. He is then able to turn on the jets and wheel right past, allowing for a chance in tight on net.

Lastly, Cooley’s ability to draw penalties in every zone of the ice is a trait which coaches in the NHL will love. He’s able to use his incredible balance, ability to protect the puck, and his dynamic speed in transition to frustrate opponents into taking a myriad of penalties. Whether it’s a hook, trip, hold, or simply just a retaliatory slash born from frustration, Cooley can and will make his opponents pay for their mistakes.

Defense

As mentioned above, Cooley’s defensive zone play and ability to be productive on the penalty kill make him such a versatile player. He’s able to dispossess attackers of the puck when defending the zone with his active stick and ability to leave his opponents with as little space as possible to work with.

Cooley’s teammates on Defense with the NTDP U18’s are a fairly offensive minded group. Players like Seamus Casey and Lane Hutson enjoy getting involved in the offensive zone, which leaves players like Logan Cooley to cover off for them. Cooley is excellent at covering off for his defensemen, as he’s able to hold place and defend well until his teammate is back in position.

Cooley is also quite good pinching down to assist his defensemen in their own zone when hemmed in by the attacking forwards. He’s more than willing to use his aggressiveness and physicality to muscle someone off the puck and can be quite strong on his stick to jar the puck loose from the attacker. This aspect of his game also aids his ability to retrieve pucks along the boards in the offensive zone and start the transition game, which is a strong suit of his game. Cooley is able to either deliver a pass to a teammate bursting out of the zone or get the puck off the boards/glass and out of danger, where his line can either forecheck or make a much-needed line change.

While Cooley is extremely effective when riding the half-wall or the point on the powerplay, he’s equally as effective at killing penalties. He’s seen his PK ice-time this season raised to an average of 1:14min/game and is operating at roughly a 40% success rate on shorthanded defensive zone faceoffs. Cooley is a thorn in the side of pretty much any opponent in his vicinity when he’s killing penalties, as he loves to be relentless when pressuring them into making bad decisions. This usually leads to a large amount of forced offensive zone turnovers for his opponents, which will thoroughly please many scouts who watch his game.

Improvements

In the grand scheme of things, Cooley’s game doesn’t necessarily show many weaknesses. However, there’s always room for improvement unless your name is Wayne Gretzky or Connor McDavid. As mentioned above, Cooley may look to work a little bit on the technical side of his skating stride. His ankle flexion and bend in his knees could use a little bit of work to really make the most out of his explosiveness and overall quickness. However, it seems as of late he’s been working on it, as his skating looks to have improved a little bit.

In addition to his skating, Cooley may look to put on a little more size to his frame over the next couple of seasons, to really cement his status as a top-6 player moving forward. There’s zero doubt all the tools and skill is there, so if he could find a way to be just as dynamic of a player after adding twenty or so pounds onto his body, he could prove to be even more dangerous.

Although Logan Cooley’s complete game is phenomenal to watch, a few tweaks here and there to some mechanical aspects could turn him into quite the player in the next few seasons.

Overall Outlook

Logan Cooley is for sure one of the more well-rounded and talented players in the entire 2022 draft class. He certainly projects as a top-6 forward, who could play anywhere in the lineup and be able to contribute without question. Based off his play to start the season, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Cooley’s name come off the draft board within the first 5 picks, possibly even inside the top 3. Plenty of teams will fawn over his abilities and depending on the situation he’s drafted into, that team may be able to sway his decision to forego the NCAA next season, and head straight to the NHL.

Latest Update

March 7, 2022

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Paul Zuk. If you would like to follow Paul on Twitter, his handle is @paulzuk_81.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Jiří Kulich

Photo Credit: Aleš Bedlík

Scouting Report written by Josh Tessler

Jiří Kulich is a 2022 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who hails from Kadan, Czechia. He played youth hockey for the local club in Kadan, SK Kadan. Kadan is located right near the Germany border and the nearest major German town is Chemnitz, which is about an hour drive from Kadan. Kadan is located in the Chomutov District. After playing for SK Kadan, Kulich ended up moving over to the capital of the district, Chomutov and played for U16, U17 and U20 hockey for Pirati Chomutov. 

Last season, he was loaned out to his current club, HC Energie Karlovy Vary and suited up in eight games for them. It was his first stint in the Czechia Extraliga. This season, he is back with Karlovy Vary, but he is playing full-time in the Extraliga. 

On the international stage, he has suited up for Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and is on the Czechia team at the 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton, Alberta and Red Deer, Alberta. 

Player Profile

D.O.B – April 14, 2004
Nationality – Czech Republic
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’0
Weight –172 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

Kulich’s Style Of Play

Offense

In the slot is where Jiří Kulich truly shines. He constantly thrives at netting open ice in the slot and keying up passing lanes for his forwards along the boards. Sometimes when entering into the offensive zone, if he is the F1 / the forward entering into the zone with possession of the puck, he looks to pass the puck initially to someone else via a well-timed drop pass and then shift around or the boards to the slot to establish passing lanes. While he loves to look for ways, he can still rely on his stick-handling to move the puck himself to the slot. There are plenty of instances in which he managed to stick-handle around traffic in the zone with ease and then cut to the net. Check out this clip from the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament. 

It’s not a one-off situation. Check out this clip in which Kulich managed to navigate the puck around fellow 2022 NHL Draft eligible prospect, David Jiříček, net open ice in the high slot and then shoots at the precise moment when he has established enough separation.

When he doesn’t have possession of the puck and is on the hunt for open ice in the slot, you will see him observe the attackers and their movements. If the attackers are puck watching, Kulich observes and reacts accordingly. He won’t deviate from course. Instead, he continues he pursuit to the slot, but ensures that he gets to his desired spot after the attackers back up far enough so that way the attacker isn’t threatening the passing opportunity for Kulich. Once Kulich obtains the pass, he does a one touch shot and has quick release that paves the way for a top shelf goal like in the clip below.

He has shown throughout his draft year campaign in both league play and international play that he can go to the slot, establish open ice and deliver quality quickly timed goals. Plenty of one-timers. Plenty of rebound tip-in back door goals. 

While he does a great job getting to the slot and generating high danger scoring chances, his decision making can be an issue from time-to-time. Instead of quickly making a pass when a quality passing lane presents itself, he isn’t that fast and will instead hang onto the puck and get trapped into a three on one isolation. That same issue will pop up on two-on-ones in which the defender prones and Kulich waits too long. He decides to wait for a passing lane to present himself by skating around the defender, but as we discuss later, his acceleration can be an issue. With that said, Kulich should be looking to pivot around the defender and find a passing lane quicker. 

His decision making also comes into question with his shooting selection from time-to-time. Sometimes he reacts too quickly. He will attempt to shoot from far into the corner when gaining possession of a loose puck, but at the same time, he had a passing lane to the slot that he should have exploited. Given the angle of the shot attempt, a pass to the slot would have given Karlovy Vary a far better chance of getting a quality scoring chance.

There are a few more areas that I would like to see further development in Kulich’s offensive game. I would like to see him work on capturing passes when on skating on the rush and entering into the offensive zone. When obtaining possessing of passes on the rush, he will struggle to maintain control of the puck in mid-stride. There are similar issues at times when he is looking to claim possession of a rebound at the crease but struggle to truly capture the puck. He will bobble the puck or simply just over skate it.

When in the slot and looking to maintain his positioning, he sometimes gets pushed around quite a bit. I’d like to see him more assertive when being boxed out in the slot. Kulich needs to push back and make it a challenge.

As we mentioned above and will mention again later on, Kulich struggles to get the right acceleration to chase after loose pucks that had been dumped into the offensive zone. He lacks the skating mechanics to out battle the attacker. Kulich has the ability to stay toe-to-toe, but he doesn’t have that push to increase his speed and a beat the attacker by at least a stride length. While he does lack the necessary acceleration to claim loose pucks, he is still very adamant on implementing the forecheck and will go behind the red line to engage in puck battles.

Defense

Kulich has outstanding defensive positioning. He constantly displays solid positioning in the slot and in the trapezoid. If his teammates are putting pressure on the cycle along the boards behind the red line, Kulich patrols the slot and looks to take away passing options to the slot. If his teammates aren’t putting pressure on the cycle behind the red line, Kulich steps in and uses shoulder checks to separate the attacker from the puck. When keeping an eye on the attacker working the half-wall, Kulich maintains quality pace and chases him past the perimeter. Sometimes he will play up closer to the perimeter and look to keep attackers in low danger by aligning himself to them and keeping pace, but doesn’t really do anything to disrupt the attacker’s puck control. In the slot, he doesn’t necessarily eliminate a passing lane in the slot, but stays aligned with the non puck carrying attacker. Kulich is there to neutralize the threat should the attacker get the puck passed to him. In the corners, he puts up a good fight in the corners behind the red line as he hangs with the attacking puck carrier and pushes into him to try to keep him in low danger. When defending after a face-off draw that he lost, Kulich does a good job staying aligned with the puck carrying attacker immediately off of the draw.

Like in the offensive zone, there are puck control issues that need further development but this time in the defensive zone. Sometimes he’ll lose control of the puck and his stick blade will go over the puck. The puck then goes behind the blade. That has led to scoring chances for his opponents.

In addition, Kulich needs to work on boxing out attackers in the low slot to eliminate high danger threats. There are consistency issues when he attempts to box out attackers in the slot. Sometimes he is successful and other times the attacker can fend him off.

Quick decision making and vision concerns are prevalent in the defensive zone. When receiving a breakout pass at the blue line and his back is turned to the attacker in the neutral zone, upon receiving the pass, he isn’t quick enough to avoid the attacker. Kulich needs to work on using his peripheral vision to identify an attacker, so he knows that he has to dodge impending pressure. Needs to work on using his peripheral vision to identify that his defenseman is looking to pass to him. Kulich didn’t identify that the defenseman was trying to pass to him and he didn’t net possession of the puck. Needs to work on his reaction timing to attackers finding open ice in dangerous areas in the defensive zone and work on adopting a power stride to go chase down those attackers. 

Then again there are moments where I come away quite impressed with his decision making ability. When skating up the half-wall boards under pressure, he identifies when the attacker extends his stick and uses that as an opportunity to complete a lateral pass. The stick extension means that the attacker is re-adjusting his stick blade and Kulich has a window of opportunity where the attacker can’t steal possession. The extension also opens up a clear passing lane. In addition, when in control of the puck and doesn’t have a clear skating lane to exploit, he will quickly deliver a pass along the boards to a teammate along the boards and closer to the blue line. 

While he does have some vision and quick decision making issues to improve upon, he does have a solid active stick. He does a good job of extending his stick towards the puck even with the puck carrier’s back turned to Kulich as they skate across the boards along the red line. His reach allows to steal possession. Kulich sneaks in and grabs a hold of the puck without much a fight.

Yet, there are moments in which he tries to use his active stick, but it doesn’t prove to be effective. Situations in which he was trying to trap the attacker along the boards, but extended his stick blade out towards the right instead of to the left to trap the attacker who was clearly skating up the left and not the right. I’m not concerned about this and believe that Kulich will improve his active stick down the road. It has been effective, but like every player on the ice that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. The instances in which it works is extremely intriguing and I believe that he can be more consistent with his preventative active stick down the road.

Transitional Play

Kulich does have good reachability to grab a hold of a loose puck that he wasn’t mentally prepared for. He has excellent reach to grab loose pucks that he is slightly away from, swings the puck with his backhand and then brings the puck around his body back to his forehand to then completes a zone entry pass to his winger. Kulich’s reachability also allows him to push the puck further out from his body to avoid coughing up possession against heavy pressure like in the clip below. His reach at center ice prevents the attacker who is slightly behind him to get a hand on the puck.

But, as we’ve seen in the other zones, he struggles with consistency when it comes to puck security and reachability. Kulich needs to work on maintaining reach by extending the puck and continuing to push the puck when dealing with an attacker at the offensive zone blue line. Sometimes he will extend the puck but then shorten how far out he has the puck over time. 

However, if that can be ironed out over time, his reachability will make him a strong stick-handler not just in the offensive or defensive zone, but in the neutral zone as well and that will only elevate his transitional play when on the rush. While we mention that it needs to be improved upon in all three zones, I want to make mention that its in neutral zone where he is far more effective with his stick-handling. He has the ability to drive the puck around multiple attackers and drive the puck into the offensive zone. It’s simply the consistency that holds him back slightly.

Like in the offensive and defensive zone, Kulich does a good job of creating a lateral passing lane in the neutral zone. Kulich’s ability to find open ice with consistency in all three zones just makes him an attractive commodity, but it’s in the neutral zone where it becomes a must and he fulfills those requirements at a consistent rate in the neutral zone.

If he is defending the rush in the neutral zone, he often can keep pace if he was already aligned with the attacker before the rush. But, if the rush comes out of the offensive zone, more often then not he doesn’t have the speed to combat the attack in the neutral zone. To make up for it, he will try to stick lift but it isn’t that effective in causing the attacker to lose possession.

Kulich does need to be more attentive in the neutral zone. If he sees a teammate coming into him, he needs to communicate and shift his positioning before he takes out his teammate (by skating into his teammate). I’d like him to use his vision more in the neutral zone, identify the puck carrier and put pressure on him. Instead he doesn’t really seem to track the puck that well. Kulich needs to work on reacting to puck movement at a faster rate. He skates into the neutral zone to put pressure on the attacker, but the attacker reacts by skating away and Kulich doesn’t react to that movement in time, so he’ll pivot further out from the attacker and lose ground on him. When reacting to loose pucks, his reaction time is slow enough that he either doesn’t spot them or finds them when he is too far away from them. 

Skating

As we’ve seen in each zone, acceleration can be a challenge for the Czech forward. When skating back towards the defensive zone in the neutral zone and Kulich looks to keep pace with the rush even though he isn’t defending the rush along the boards and is skating through centered ice. He’ll lean on crossovers to keep up pace. You will notice that Kulich doesn’t always utilize lengthy skate extensions when skating up and down the ice. Instead when he’s on the move, he uses plenty of crossovers and shortened skate extensions. Uses a lot of crossovers when capturing a puck in the neutral zone at the blue line and netting the necessary acceleration to skate to the slot and try a shot at net-front. It’s enough acceleration to keep pace and be annoying defensively. It’s enough acceleration to fuel his rushes. But, when in control of the puck, he has to rely more on his stick-handling than straight line speed for separation purposes. 

While he doesn’t have the power stride that you are looking for, most of the skating fundamentals are in good shape. He has quality ankle flexion. Knee lines with up with the toe of the skate. Ideally, I’d like to him bend his frame slightly a bit more and keep a lower posture than what you’ll notice from him on a consistent basis. By lowering his posture, it will only improve his ankle flexion and allow him to grow a power stride. If he starts to work on inserting lengthy extensions after implementing crossovers, he might garner the true speed to be effective on the forecheck, grab loose pucks and use the acceleration for separation from attackers.

I would also like to him work on his mobility and pivoting. Kulich needs to be cautious of dragging his skates too far away from each other and as that hurts his mobility and reach when going in for loose pucks in the neutral zone. When he is having issues with mobility, he can’t properly secure the possession of the puck. He also needs to work on pivoting after skating to a loose puck. Instead of completing a true pivot, he will complete the pivot on one leg (plant leg) but struggle with landing his inside edge on the non plant leg.

Projection

Honestly, the sky is the limit with Kulich. If he can become a far stronger skater and acquire a power stride, he can be even more dangerous. But, his ability to create ice for himself in all three zones makes him a true intriguing prospect at the draft. I could see second line upside as a center in the NHL or he could be deployed as a winger with an excellent playmaker on the top line. It just depends on how his development goes.

Latest Update

December 24, 2021

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: David Jiříček

Photo Credit: HC Škoda Plzeň

Scouting Report written by Josh Tessler

David Jiříček is a 2022 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who plays for HC Plzeñ in the Czechia Extraliga. Jiříček originally is from Klatovy, Czechia and his hometown is in the region of Plzen. Klatovy is roughly a 45 minute drive south of the town of Plzeñ. Jiříček played youth hockey with HC Klatovy and joined HC Plzeñ in 2017-2018 to play U16 hockey.

He made his Czechia Extraliga debut in his 2019-2020 campaign, but it was a relatively short stint at the highest Czechia level. Jiříček played in four games for Plzeñ in the Extraliga. The following season, 2020-2021, he played the entire season with the Extraliga club and took home Rookie of the Year honors.

Unfortunately, Jiříček has one blemish on his record. He had been suspended for two games for hitting the head and neck of Jakub Navratil. 

It is also worth noting that Jiříček’s CHL rights are owned by the Spokane Chiefs. He was selected at 54th overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft. It is entirely possible that whichever NHL club draft Jiříček will ask him to play in the WHL next year to continue his development. 

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 28, 2003
Nationality – Czech Republic
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’3
Weight –190 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right

Jiříček’s Style Of Play

Offense

Jiříček has shown that he can jump up / pinch up and get involved past the perimeter. He does not just sit back. When there is a puck battle towards the left of the net but behind the red line with all three forwards involved, Jiříček moves up to the slot to offer a passing lane. Jiříček will use lateral crossovers to shift to the half-wall from the blue line, grab open ice, once he has netted possession of the puck off of a pass, he will then look for a good passing lane to pass the puck to a teammate in the slot. 

From a positioning perspective, there are some shifts where he seemed more eager to pinch up but that isn’t in his comfort spot yet. I think most of his comfort issues are a result of struggling to squeeze past an attacker on a pinch. Jiříček likes to pinch but he will constantly find challenges at pivoting out of danger along the boards. The attacker implements the right amount of pressure to neutralize the threat. Over time, more and more pinching will only increase his ability to generate passes to dangerous areas and tally point after point. 

Jiříček has excellent timing at cradling the puck and uses his elusive stick-handling ability to maintain possession of the puck for his team to keep the offensive momentum alive. If he has an attacker pressing him at the blue line and doesn’t have a clear passing lane, he will shift the puck to his backhand and skates from the right side to the left side along the blue line. He will kick the puck back to his stick if he loses control of the puck. Once he gets closer to the left side, he’ll dump the puck along the boards to get the puck to the corner. 

In addition, Jiříček has good hands to swerve the puck around an attacker and skate into the slot.  He does an excellent job of luring the attacker to him by windmilling lightly and slowly, brings him in and then skates around the attacker. Then he passes to the half-wall.

The only time that you see Jiříček struggle to evade the attack with his stick-handling is against the boards when facing tight pressure. On the half-wall and behind the red line.

From beyond the perimeter when attempting a wrist shot, he will sometimes put a little bit too much into his wind-up and his stick blade won’t always be aligned to the net so if he attempts a wrist shot, it will become a dumped puck to the corner / boards behind the red line.

But, there are instances of Jiříček generating quality wrist shots with a big wind-up. Also as stated above, his big wind-up is not constant and the Czech defender has found plenty of success from range with his wrist shot. He has had multiple goals this season from long range with his wrist shot.

He has also found solid success closer to the net. In fact, he will look to drive the puck around the net and then take a shot from red line to catch the goaltender off guard and scores.

When it comes to his slap shot, he has quality shooting mechanics. Jiříček implements good weight transfer on slap shots from the point. His weight transfer allows him to net excellent power on one-timers and regular slap shots. He uses that excellent power on his slap shots to generate rebound assists. Jiříček constantly looks to use his slap shot and get pucks on net. It doesn’t always lead to high danger chances and he will need to work on being more selective with his slap shots from the point, but it is intriguing to see him net tremendous power on each shot. 

Jiříček has good puck tracking ability. He does an excellent job scanning the ice and moving his body around the offensive zone at the same pace as his opponents’ puck movement. The Czech defender reacts quickly to puck movement, if he spots a loose puck coming up the boards towards him, he shifts his hips and knees in a pivot to trap possession of the puck.

When defending against the attack in the offensive zone, he extends his stick blade out towards the attacker along the offensive zone blue line to force the attacker to dump the puck. But, he won’t wait for the attack to come to him. You can expect him to pinch up to play the opposition’s rush. Jiříček will skate up to the rush and extend out his stick blade to make the attacker feel vulnerable.

Defense

He could be a pain in the ass on NHL ice in the defensive zone. Jiříček is a guy where if he has you in his crosshairs, you are not going to enjoy the next 15-30 seconds of ice time. He loves to push into attackers in the slot right as they are about to get fed a pass and he wants them to lose possession of the puck. He does a solid job of boxing out forwards. Shift in and shift out, he defends the slot well and will swing his stick towards the puck when the puck carrier. He will also park himself at the trapezoid when there is puck battle in the corner so he eliminates a passing lane to an attacker in the trapezoid. 

At the defensive zone blue line, he will bend his knees and lower his body as he looks to defend against the rush and manipulate the attack’s puck movement. Not only does he rely on body language when working against the cycle/rush, but he also has good reaction time with his puck tracking ability. His reaction time allows to keep quality pace with attackers with ease. 

He also has quite an active stick and it allows him to slow down the attack. Jiříček positions his stick blade parallel to the attacker’s stick blade and then closes on in on the attack. When defending in the corner, he will wave his stick out towards the puck carrier’s stick to box him in and make him feel vulnerable. If the Czech defender is chasing the puck carrier when the carrier is looking to skate to around the net and towards the trapezoid, he will use his active stick and reachability to neutralize the threat. If he has the attack in his sights and he is relatively close to the puck, he extends his stick towards the puck carrier’s stick blade and forces the carrier to lose control of the puck. Jiříček has excellent reach and that allows him to separate the puck from the puck carrier. 

While he defends well against the puck carrier, I’d like to see Jiříček exert more pressure on a non-puck carrying attacker in medium danger who is waiting for a rebound off of Jiricek’s goaltender. He will give him way too much space and that allows the attacker to grab control of the puck off of a rebound and get a shot off. In addition, he needs to work on dropping back and not overcommitting to the defending the point. If an attacker completes a drop pass to his defender at the blue line, Jiříček won’t follow the attacker to the corner and leaves the attacker open in the corner to collect a pass from the defender. He will have teammates in position to defend the point and yet he is resistant to drop to the corner. It’s not just at the point. You will also see similar concerns pop up when defending against puck battles along the boards and there are multiple Plzeñ teammates involved. 

Even though there are moments where he can be out of position, he will notice when his defensive partner is out of position, he will then shift over and cover for him when a loose puck is flying into the defensive zone on the left side (generally speaking Jiříček lines up on the right side of the ice). 

He can be very aggressive and shove attackers down to the ice at net-front. Loves to play a physical game and deliver booming hits. He is well-rounded with his physicality. You will see him be physical at open ice, the half-wall and the corners. He won’t sit and wait till the perimeter. Instead, he will opt to play bumper car hockey near the blue line. 

When it comes to defensive zone puck recoveries, he will struggle with the necessary speed to gain control of loose puck in the corner. But, even though his attacker will beat him to the puck from time to time, Jiříček nets enough speed to put pressure on the attacker as soon as the attacker grabs a hold of the puck. The defensive prospect will keep him pinned to the boards in the corner. 

Should he net control of the puck behind the red line and an attacker is bearing down on him, he’ll dump the puck out of the zone as he know that he won’t be able to skate his way out of the pressure and has no open passing lane.

Jiříček is highly efficient at moving the puck up the ice, but he doesn’t often move the puck from zone-to-zone himself. He will look to find the ideal breakout passing lane. He will complete quality stretch passes as he comes out from behind his net. The Czech defender does an excellent job of finding open forwards in the neutral zone that are ready to pounce on the offensive zone blue line. 

While he does an excellent job of completing lengthier passes to generate puck movement, he can also deliver light outlet passes. His soft hands allow him to do so. But, that doesn’t mean that light passing lanes come to him easily. Often times he has to work for them. There are instances in which he will move the puck one-handed around an attacker at the corner and then delivered a light feed along the boards that leads to a zone exit. One handed puck movement around an attacker and then played the puck up the boards that lead to a zone exit. 

Even though he does cradle around attackers, he will struggle to do so with consistency. But, when he can pull it off, he can generate zone exit passes with great succession. 

Speaking of consistency, he can be quite inconsistent with his puck movement speed. Ideally I’d like him to be faster with puck movement. Sometimes he’s fast enough to pinpoint an incoming attacker and swings the puck around him. Then, sometimes he’s slightly slow and his attempt to get the puck around the attacker and to a teammate is quite slow and ineffective. 

If he does look to move the puck at the ice himself, he will rely on his strong stick-handling reachability. Jiříček has good reach to capture possession of a lateral pass from his defensive partner that went slightly further out from him. In addition, he uses his good wingspan / reachability shift the puck from right to left and move the puck one-handed around the attacker when looking drive around traffic and generate a zone exit.

Transitional Play

In the neutral zone, Jiříček stays well-aligned with the attacker who doesn’t have the puck, skates with him but begins positioning himself towards the boards to force the attacker to skate towards the boards as the two of them then skate into the defensive zone and skate after a loose puck. That also gives Jiricek the advantage on getting to the loose puck before the attacker. It just depends on if he has the speed. But if he doesn’t have the speed to grab the loose puck, more often then not he can pounce on the attacker as soon as the attacker grabs a hold of the puck. 

He can be a brick wall in the neutral zone and make it annoying for the puck carrier to cross the blue line. Jiricek forces them to skate to the boards. He will then swings his stick towards the puck carrier’s stick blade in the neutral zone to force a dump-in to the Plzeñ defensive zone or to force ill-advised puck movement in the neutral zone when close to the Plzeñ defensive zone blue line. While he will use his active stick quite a bit, you can also expect him to lay down open ice checks to prevent the opposition from creating zone entries. 

His positioning in the neutral zone is quite good. If two opponents are skating through the neutral zone, he covers the skater that is skating closer to his right side and stays well-aligned with him. Jiříček will drop into the neutral zone if his defensive partner pinches up in the offensive zone and the opposition’s winger nets possession of the puck along the half-wall and Jiricek’s defensive partner is there. Jiricek shifts over towards the left side in the neutral zone incase the attacker manages to escape/neutralize the threat or completes a pass to another attacker to be in position to defend a potential rush. 

When he has the puck on his stick, he likes to manipulate the attacker in the neutral zone. He will skate in slowly, draws the attacker in and then delivers a light tap pass behind him to allow his teammate to drive the puck up the ice with a lot of open ice. 

Not all of his offensive zone entries are zone entry passes though, he does attempt quite a bit of dump-ins. Yet, he will whiff quite a bit of dump-in attempts. He will try to hold the puck too far from his body and that hurts his ability to generate a lot of power on the dump-in attempt. The good thing is that he has the reachability to net control of the puck should he whiff the dump-in.

Skating

Generally speaking, the Czech defenseman has an excellent power stride. He will deploy two lengthy skate extensions and then shortens up his stride as he netted quality acceleration on this first two extensions. Jiříček has lengthy skate extensions to get back into the neutral zone in time to face the rush as it comes driving out of the zone. Not only do his lengthy skate extensions allow him get back into the neutral zone to play preventative defense, but his skate extensions and ankle flexion net enough acceleration to chase after a puck carrier driving the puck from his own zone into the neutral zone. The only acceleration challenge that Jiříček has is when going after defensive recoveries and that can be addressed by using lengthy skate extensions when rotating his body from skating backwards to skating forwards. At the moment, when he rotates, he doesn’t use those lengthy extensions to garner the necessary speed to net possession of the puck.

Jiříček generates good acceleration with his crossovers when skating backwards. But, interestingly, when skating backwards and needing to switch to skating forwards, he tries to right away implement skate extensions instead of crossovers. Instead, he should first use the crossovers to start build up the acceleration. The skate extensions should be used to keep the acceleration / momentum alive. You will also notice Jiříček having the same issues when switching directions out of a pivot. 

In addition, he has Good lateral footwork when skating backwards and looking to cut a puck carrier off along the boards. He thrives at cutting off the attack with his lateral footwork. Jiříček will use his lateral crossovers from right to left along the blue line to force an attacker on the rush to dump the puck into the Plzeñ zone. In the offensive zone, Jiříček will use lateral crossovers to shift over from the blue line to the half-wall to grab open ice.

Projection

Top pairing defenseman at the NHL level if he works on his positioning in the defensive zone and can continue work on acceleration when hunting for defensive recoveries.

Latest Update

December 22, 2021

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Jack Hughes

Photo Credit: Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics

Scouting Report written by Josh Tessler

Jack Hughes is a 2022 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who hails from Westwood, Massachusetts. For those unfamiliar with Westwood, it’s a town roughly 35 minutes southwest of Boston along RT. 128/Interstate 95. 

Hughes’ father is Kent Hughes, who played for the Lac St-Louis Lions in the 1980s and then played division three hockey for Middlebury College. Kent previously worked for Quartexx Management as a NHL player agent and was recently hired by the Montréal Canadiens to serve as General Manager. His uncle, Ryan Hughes played with Kent for the Lac St-Louis Lions. After his time in QMAAA, he ended up playing for Cornell University, was part of Team Canada’s World Junior Roster in 1992 (tournament was played in Füssen, Germany and Kaufbeuren, Germany) and played in three games for the Boston Bruins in 1995-96. Jack’s brother, Riley Hughes was a seventh round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and was selected by the New York Rangers. Riley is a junior at Northeastern University. 

Jack Hughes is in his freshman season for Northeastern University. Prior to coming to Northeastern, he played for the St. Sebastian School’s varsity team and the USNTDP.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 2, 2003
Nationality – USA
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’0
Weight –165 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

Hughes’ Style Of Play

Offense

Jack Hughes loves to jump on loose pucks at net-front. He will skate hard for the puck from the neutral zone or off the draw and shoots upon netting possession of the puck in the low slot. In scenarios where he gains control of a loose puck at net front but he is facing pressure from multiple attackers, he will try a spin move and attempt a quick shot. But that often doesn’t end up deceiving the attack.

In 2-on-1 situations, when his teammate has control of the puck and is moving the puck towards the middle of the slot, Hughes keeps good pace with his teammate. His ability to keep good pace with his teammate allows the teammate to provide him with a quality short-range lateral feed opportunity and can lead to backdoor deflection goals.

If he gains control of the puck from the teammate off of a pass or he is the one carrying the puck in on a 2-on-1, he’ll position his body towards his teammate and then quickly switch to facing the net to try to confuse the opposing goaltender. Afterwards, he will then curl the puck towards his body and fires a wrist shot.

Hughes will struggle with stick-handling and puck security when facing pressure at the boards. Sometimes he will struggle to complete a wind-mill around an attacker when he’s at half-wall and looks to play the puck around the attacker, but gets stripped. 

When at open ice, he will occasionally lose the puck when curling and dragging the puck when on the move. When pushing the puck slightly wide, he struggles to maintain possession. In addition, he will try to slide in between two attackers by skating vertically to them and windmill to get past but that didn’t work. While there are instances where he struggles to stick-handle around traffic or maintain possession, he has excellent hands. It’s just a few instances where he struggles to maintain possession. 

When entering into the offensive zone, he will draw the attacker to him, cut left, bring the attacker with him. Then his defenseman comes into the zone, Hughes completes a drop pass while skating towards more centered ice and that allows the defender to pinch up and skate into more opened ice and then complete a pass to the slot. The manipulation offers Northeastern with a better chance of generating a high danger shot instead of Hughes trying to play the puck around the attacker.

When it comes to Hughes’ shooting and passing ability, there are some things to address throughout the course of his NCAA and AHL development. Hughes is inconsistent with his passing and shooting. The issue is that he will try to position the puck slightly too far away from his body before attempting the pass or shot. By placing the puck wide and passing or shooting, you are limiting your ability to control exactly where you want the puck to go. It will also worsen his accuracy on shots from medium and low danger. His blade won’t be aligned with the net and thus you will notice his shots going wide. With that being said, you will notice wide shots off of a quick turn and shoot from medium range. It will also worsen his accuracy on shots from medium and low danger. His blade won’t be aligned with the net and thus you will notice his shots going wide. Hughes needs to work on cradling the puck much closer to his body before attempting a shot or pass. 

Even though he can be inconsistent with his shooting and passing, he attempts excellent stretch and long range passes. Hughes is trained to look for those dangerous areas and find a quality lane to exploit. Over the course of the season, I’ve seen him attempt a cross ice trajectory/route saucer pass to his teammate along the boards, spin and swing pass to the low slot and trajectory/route passes to the slot. In addition, he interestingly can get really good precision on no-look behind the back and through the legs passes.

On the power play, when positioning himself along the half-wall, sometimes he won’t grab a spot at open ice where he can manage to a get clean one-timer or a shot that will be quick and generate a scoring chance. Often he grabs a spot, in which he’ll face tight traffic and won’t have a true clear shooting lane. So, he’ll look to then pass the puck. 

When going in on the forecheck, he’ll swing his stick at the puck. It doesn’t often lead to a change in possession but it is annoying for the puck carrying attacker. In situations where he might be slightly further away but still in tight proximity of the puck carrier, he will lowers his body in the forecheck in the corner to trap the puck carrier and force the carrier to dump the puck. In the corners, he will display physicality and go complete shoulder checks. 

Hughes is also defensively responsible in the offensive zone. He will drop back towards the blue line and into the neutral zone if the defender pinches up with the puck but then looses possession. Hughes drops back to ensure that the other defender is not on his own to defend the rush.

Defense

The Massachusetts native has quite the active stick. When facing the attacker dead on, instead of extending his stick out to manipulate from afar, he closes in and then extends his stick out to trap the puck carrier. Hughes likes to push into the attacker in the corner, use his stick as the anchor and use his upper body to silence the attacker from being able to move the puck. If he is skating behind the puck carrier, Hughes will opt to stick lift the puck carrying defender at the blue-line if he is in range, grabs control of the puck, skates down the ice.

Hughes patrols centered ice extremely well in his own zone. He will implement tight man-on-man pressure down low near his net. You can expect him to skate in unison with the opposing center at centered ice to try to prevent a pass to the low slot. He displays good presence in the slot when an opponent has possession of the puck in the corner and the opponent’s teammate is at the red line. Hughes stands behind the opponent’s teammate to defend the slot should that individual net possession of the puck. You can often see him boxing out attackers by pushing his stick into them. If he sees an attacker that is open, he likes to skate toward the attacker when they try to come into medium danger, lower his body and force a shot from low danger.

He doesn’t just try to box attackers out in the slot. When a loose puck is entering Hughes’ defensive zone and he is alongside an attacker who is looking to skate after the puck, Hughes will box him out and shift his weight towards the attacker to keep him at bay.

When skating after a puck carrier who seems to be moving the puck at a quick pace in the corner, Hughes drifts over and bends low to trap the carrier. He lowers his body to force ill-advised puck movement.

If a teammate is engaged in a puck battle in the corner, he stands by and provides a passing lane. Stays in tow with the teammate should they skate along the boards behind his net to keep the passing lane open.

If he is in the corner facing tight pressure, he’ll stop in place, shift his weight towards the direction the he intends to go in, bend his knee and at that point he confuses the attacker. The attacker doesn’t know which direction that Hughes intends to go in and can’t respond in time when Hughes cradles the puck to his desired direction. Hughes does a great job of luring the attacker in. 

When traveling up the boards and looking to instill a breakout, he can lob a dump out over traffic if he needs to. Sometimes, he will lob a puck too high up and that might cause a lot of delay of game penalties in the future. I’d like him to be more selective about lobbing pucks up and needs to work on controlling where he wants the puck to go. 

He can also squeeze past an attacker when looking to complete a zone exit and facing tight traffic along the boards towards the blue line. But, as stated before, he loves to attempt beautiful highlight-reel passes and so it’s not unusual to see him attempt a saucer pass from the defensive zone to a teammate in the neutral zone near the blue line. So, while he might try to shift around the opposition, he feels more inclined to try to land a saucer pass to an open teammate.

Transitional Play

Hughes struggles with extending his stick blade far enough to grab a hold of a loose puck or a pass. In addition, he has difficulty when curling and dragging the puck his left side. When he pushes the puck to his left side, he bobbles possession. 

It is perplexing that when he cradles the puck to his right side, he doesn’t have the same issue. Hughes can curl and drag the puck to his right side when facing attackers and skating along the blue line as he looks for a lane to use to drive into the offensive zone.  

While he does struggle at times with cradling the puck, he does manage to do a good job at pushing the puck up through the neutral zone one-handed when navigating around pressure. 

When hunting for the puck at open ice, he will use his active stick and swing his stick out. He is very persistent with his active stick. Often you will see the attacker evading it and managing to get by, but he does his best to irritate and annoy attackers. Even if it doesn’t work, at least he has slowed down the attack and that could potentially lead to his defender trapping the same attacker. Hughes also does a good job of manipulating the attack with his stick blade movement and forces the attacker to play up the boards. What I love is that he will specifically target attackers who aren’t paying close attention to their surroundings and instead are surveying their team’s puck movement. He will go out of his way to sneak up on the attacker and blindside him when the attacker is receiving the puck off of a pass. That will often lead to the attacker making an ill-advised pass or the attacker bobbling possession.

Even though he does struggle at netting possession of the puck at open ice, he is significantly stronger at netting possession along the boards. Once he gets a hold of the puck, he will look to complete a behind the legs or behind the back pass to get the puck to his open teammate. If he runs out of space in the neutral zone, he will rely on his behind the legs passing and often it leads to successful breakouts.

In addition, when moving up the ice and encountering some traffic and he does not have a true passing option, he will look to make a bounce pass off the boards to himself in the neutral zone to get around the rush. 

Skating

Hughes constantly deploys good edge work. When keeping pace with an attacker and skating parallel to the attacker, he will utilize his inside/outside edges to ensure that he stays aligned.

When Hughes is pivoting, he manages to complete quality pivots, but needs to work on the hop off of the pivot to ensure that he gets quality speed to remain on the hunt for the puck. There are some instances in which he loses his balance off of a pivot. He forgets to carry the other leg when pivoting and that means that his skates are too far apart and that leads to Hughes falling.

Hughes has good straight line speed. When right about to start skating forward, he implements a quality forward leaning hop with his knees extending out in full flex. Similar to a runner’s stance. He will deploy two shortened skate extensions at first and then begin to lengthen them. He nets solid length with his skate extensions and has great ankle flexion. His skate extensions power him to the net and allow him to keep pace on 2-on-1s. 

Projection

If he can work on shot and passing mechanics, his production will go up and we could be looking at a solid two-way centerman that you could place on your second line.

Latest Update

January 19, 2021

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Matthew Savoie

Photo Credit: Candice Ward / Calgary Hitmen

Scouting Report written by Matthew Somma

Matthew Savoie is one of the 2022 draft’s most exciting players and he’ll show you why every night. You’d be hard pressed to find a player that can change the game as much as Savoie can in the offensive zone due to his pace and creativity, and he’s the only player that has been able to challenge Shane Wright for the first overall spot. With Savoie’s WHL-leading 41 points in 25 games and Shane Wright’s underwhelming start to the season, you can start to see why people are wondering if Wright is the best talent in this class or if it will end up being Savoie.

Savoie’s USHL production in his D-1 year was impressive but not strong considering the hype surrounding him. His production in the WHL has been stellar this season, and it’s not just thanks to Savoie playing on one of the CHL’s best teams. Savoie has been able to carry the play on his line and make his teammates look better in the process. Very few U18 skaters are as creative and dynamic as Savoie is, and I believe that there’s still another level that he could reach in his game before the season is over. 

Savoie feels like your typical first overall pick. He has all of the skill, upside, creativity, and game breaking talent that comes with most first overall picks, but his size and Shane Wright’s NHL-ready style of play have kept him out of the discussion for first overall.

Player Profile

D.O.B – January 1, 2004
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –5’9″
Weight –179 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Right

Savoie’s Style of Play

Savoie is a creative player that seeks the best possible way to create offense and get the puck into the back of the net. He’ll analyze all possible options and make the best possible play within a split second, creating offense before most defenders get a chance to react. Savoie’s hockey sense and skill with the puck make him the most dangerous player on the ice at any given moment. He’ll exploit the tiniest mistake in the defense’s coverage and make the defense pay, creating high danger scoring chances in the process. Everything Savoie does is calculated and you’ll rarely see him make a mistake or put himself out of position in the offensive zone, making him one of the smartest players available in this draft class. 

Savoie is like a gnat in the offensive zone. He’s always buzzing around, and no matter how many times you swat at him, he won’t go away. You can’t stop Savoie from making plays in the offensive zone, you can only hope to contain him. He’ll pester you on the forecheck, create turnovers, attack the puck, and constantly keep his feet moving. Part of what makes Savoie so much fun to watch is that it seems as if he’s never content with standing around. He has to move around and keep changing the angles and lanes for the defense, slowly wearing them down until they make a mistake and he can strike. 

I see Savoie being more of a playmaking threat rather than a scoring threat at the NHL level because of how good of a passer he is. Savoie has the potential to be a 60, maybe even 70+ point player and a first line center in the NHL for a long time. He’ll do some of his best work along the wall, making cross ice and seam passes look effortless. A lot of Savoie’s skills can be attributed to his elite hockey sense and vision, too. Savoie sees the ice better than anyone I’ve watched this season, with the ability to know where his teammates will be and where the defense won’t be. He has the ability to execute those perfect passes as well, meaning that all his teammates have to do is score off of a perfect set up. 

Savoie’s ability to thread passes through multiple defenders is something that will carry him to NHL success.

Savoie relies on quick bursts of speed and elite puck handling to get around defenders. He’ll slow the game down and then take two steps while deking and manage to get around a defender, creating a scoring chance out of nothing. If you give Savoie even the slightest bit of room to work with, he’s going to make you pay for it. I don’t see any cause for concern when it comes to Savoie’s skating. I’d say that it’s good to great, although I do think he needs to lengthen his strides a bit. He can take little baby steps and won’t get a lot of power early on, so it almost looks like he’s a Scooby Doo character running from the villain when he starts to get going in transition. Savoie has clean edges and can make skating look effortless once he gets up to speed, though. Some time with a skating coach should iron out the issues that I’m seeing with his first few steps. Other than that, I’d say that Savoie’s skating is close to NHL ready if it’s not already there. 

One of Savoie’s best traits is his ability to lead defensemen with his eyes and body language. His eyes will sell the shot, he’ll face the goalie, and once he draws additional pressure, he will fire off a perfectly placed pass to a wide open teammate for a goal. Very few U18 skaters can manipulate defending players as well as Savoie can. He’ll have an entire defense sold on a shot or a pass and will fool them nine times out of ten. I’d describe Savoie as a puppeteer in the offensive zone due to his high levels of deception. He’ll control a defense and it’s fascinating to watch.

One thing I’ve noticed about Savoie when watching him this season is he’s a very confident shooter. He won’t hesitate to shoot when the opportunity presents itself, and his shot can be lethal from the circles and closer. Savoie’s shot is quick and there’s a good bit of power behind it, making him a bit of a dual threat in terms of playmaking and goal scoring. I wouldn’t say that he has the hardest shot in this draft, nor is he the best sniper, but Savoie has as close to an NHL shot as it comes at this age. When he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, Savoie keeps his feet moving and gets into a shooting lane. His ability to analyze the play and move into an open area of ice is one of the many reasons why he has 14 goals so far this season.

I love that Savoie isn’t afraid to shoot the puck, but I would like to see him take smarter shots. I feel that he can be guilty of trying to do too much with his shots, such as trying to pick a corner or thread the needle under the goalie’s arm instead of shooting for a rebound or a different area. As a result, a lot of Savoie’s shots either get swallowed up with little difficulty or miss the net entirely, something that can kill offense for his team once he reaches a higher level. Being willing to shoot isn’t a bad thing, but Savoie will have to understand that it’s not always beneficial to force a shot. That said, I’ve seen improvements this season on his decision making while shooting and that should bode well for his NHL success.

Savoie’s defensive game is about what you’d expect for an undersized forward. He can get beat one on one due to his lack of reach, but his elite skating ability can allow him to get back and make some impressive defensive plays in transition. I would like to see Savoie display more aggression on the puck in the defensive zone, too. I know that he can be a nuisance on the forecheck, so if he can translate that to the defensive side of the puck, he’ll be a thorn in the side of opponents for a long time. Savoie makes the occasional smart play with his stick, however, making a poke check or stick lift to break up an offensive rush. Otherwise, Savoie is pretty average in the defensive zone.

Projection

Matthew Savoie has star potential at the NHL level, especially if he can continue on the developmental track that he is currently on. I’ve talked about deceptiveness and Savoie’s ability to manipulate defenses, and that will lead him to NHL success. Savoie has the potential to dazzle audiences on a nightly basis with his outstanding hockey sense, pace, and puck handling skills. Savoie could easily put up 50 assists in a season on a regular basis in his prime given how well he sees the ice and how easily he can find teammates with his passes. I’d argue that 70+ point seasons are well within the realm of possibility for Savoie if he can continue along this path. 

After watching Savoie closely for a while now, I feel that it’s safe to say that he has a high probability of NHL success. Savoie will be able to keep pace on any line and slow down or speed up his game to adjust to the play style of his linemates. His timing on passes and positioning makes him one of the stronger offensive players in this draft class and a potent scorer and playmaker whenever he’s on the ice. 

Some of my biggest questions with Savoie’s game involve how he’ll adjust to the NHL. Savoie hasn’t faced the strongest competition at times this season, and I feel that he can be a little inconsistent against the better WHL teams. Typically, those are the teams that give him less space to work with, so I’m curious to see how Savoie is able to adapt. He won’t be given a lot of time or space to work with in the NHL, so he’ll have to rely on his quick decision making and hockey sense in order to create high danger chances. 

Another question I have is whether or not Savoie can take his game from great to elite. There’s no argument in my mind that Savoie has looked great for the vast majority of the season. I’ve seen flashes of elite play, but not on a consistent enough basis for me to believe that he could be a top ten, maybe even top five, center in the NHL. Right now, Savoie is playing like a potential top ten pick with the potential to put up 50, perhaps even 60 points at the NHL level. I’ve seen a much higher gear to his game where he looks flat out dominant and a player capable of becoming a 70, even 80-point player at the NHL level. That’s when he looks like a true second overall pick that could contend for the first overall spot. Right now, however, I’m waiting on Savoie to play at an elite level consistently.

Obviously, teams will worry about Savoie’s size and average defensive play. I don’t see it as an issue moving forward. Savoie is a deceptive skater and can avoid physical contact in all three zones, and his defensive play isn’t bad for a player his size. A player’s size doesn’t determine a player’s skill level, so passing on Savoie would be a huge mistake. Teams passing on a potential franchise cornerstone would be a bold strategy, and not one I’d recommend. Top centers, especially right handed ones, don’t come around every day. 

At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to how Savoie is developed and how he handles the transition to the pros. I believe that he can play in the NHL as early as next season given his dynamic nature in the offensive zone and adequate defensive zone play. Savoie should be able to thrive in the modern NHL thanks to his speed and creativity.

The Inaugural and totally real Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “Most Electrifying Player” Award goes to Matthew Savoie for his exciting play. Savoie’s game is all about drive, it’s about power. He stays hungry and he devours the competition. I’m not sure about Samoan in his veins, but I do know this: he’s a damn good prospect and someone I’d be clamoring to draft if I were a team with a lottery pick.

Latest Update

December 13, 2021

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Matthew Somma. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @Mattsomma12.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

World Juniors Preview: Give Dalidope and Michkov all the Minutes

On Episode #6, Cam Robinson of EP Rinkside, Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News, Will Scouch of Scouching and McKeen’s and Mikael Holm of Smaht Scouting join Smaht Talk host and Smaht Scouting’s Director of Scouting Josh Tessler to talk about the World Juniors.

Below are the topics/players discussed:

Brandt Clarke (LA Kings)
Owen Power (Buffalo) and Luke Hughes (New Jersey)
Aatu Räty (NY Islanders)
Brad Lambert (2022)
Oskar Olausson (Colorado), William Eklund (San Jose) and Alexander Holtz (New Jersey)
Isak Rosén (Buffalo) and Fabian Lysell (Boston)
Simon Robertsson (St. Louis) and William Wallinder (Detroit)
Emil Andrae (Philadelphia)
Ivan Miroshnichenko (2022)
Matvei Michkov (2023)
Marat Khusnutdinov (Minnesota) and Fyodor Svechkov (Nashville)
Dalibor Dvorsky (2023)
Simon Nemec (2022)
Adam Sykora (2022)
Filip Mesar (2022)
Martin Chromiak (LA Kings)
David Jiricek (2022)
Jan Mysak (Montreal)
Jiri Kulich (2022)
Vinzenz Rohrer (2022)
Marco Kasper (2022)
Dario Sidler (2022)
Lian Bichsel (2022)
Group B / Group of Death
Yaroslav Askarov (Nashville) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota)
Drew Commesso (Chicago)
Tyler Kleven (Ottawa), Tyler Boucher (Ottawa) and Jake Sanderson (Ottawa)
Simon Edvinsson (Detroit)
Canada’s Chances Of Winning the Tournament
Finland Beating Canada In Group A Play
Sebastian Cossa (Detroit) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota)
What Is Your Preferred Gold Medal Matchup

If you would like to listen to this episode, you can find an embedded link from SoundCloud below. Our podcast can also be found on iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

Scouting Report: Shane Wright

Photo Credit: Robert Lefebvre/OHL Images

Scouting Report written by Jordan Malette

For years, Shane Wright has been penciled in as the bonafide #1 for the 2022 draft class. He has become a household name among NHL fans, and #PainForShane is a mantra used by fans of underperforming teams to cope with the disappointment that comes with being at the bottom of the table. Unfortunately, these expectations, paired with Shane’s underwhelming production in the first quarter of the season, have created doubts about his positioning atop the 2022 class. 

On a point per game basis, Wright outscored the latest benchmark for an elite 15-year-old season, set by Connor McDavid. Fast forward two seasons, and Shane is scoring around the same pace as he did as an underaged rookie. This lack of jump in production is a justified cause for concern and sparked the uncertainty around Wright. However, as the OHL has not played since March of 2020, it is more than fair to allocate a considerable portion of this underwhelming production to Shane playing a handful of games over the last 18 months.

Shane’s style of play further compounds the doubt created by the production concerns mentioned above. Generally, when we are talking about a consensus 1st overall player, the first thing that comes to mind is sheer game-breaking ability that creates an unbelievable highlight reel. Shane possesses that ability and showcases it from time to time, but it isn’t the focal point of his game. Instead, Shane is a player that’s value resides in the small details that compound over time to provide positive results to his team. 

This stark contrast between what we usually expect to see from a consensus 1st overall and Shane’s detail-oriented style of play is what makes him a perplexing case to evaluate and project moving forward. 

Player Profile

D.O.B – January 5, 2004
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2022
Height –6’1
Weight –185 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Right

Wright’s Style Of Play

At 17 years old, Shane displays numerous habits that are already on a pro-level, which is rare to find in young players. For starters, his puck touches are calculated and meaningful. Wright never tries to do too much and constantly moves the puck quickly to teammates in a better position. Wright has incredible awareness to go along with these puck habits, enabling him to pass to teammates who the opposition does not think is a likely recipient of pass. The package of methodical touches, awareness, and short possessions makes Shane an excellent puck distributor and play driver.

Wright is the primary puck carrier on his line as his decision-making and composure allow him to dictate play up ice reliably. Shane routinely stops or delays and looks for a passing option upon entering the zone. As a result, Wright enables his team to gain the zone and begin a controlled offensive possession nearly every time he leads the transition. Additionally, off the rush, he can find passing lanes under defensemen’s sticks or create a passing lane with his calculated actions, to move the puck to his wingers who are in a shooting position.

Though, seldomly do you see Shane find a lane and attack the dangerous areas of the ice. Instead, he seems to be selective on how frequently he attempts to carry it through the middle of the ice and drive the net, leading to a mixed bag of possible interpretations. On the one hand, he will not have ample time and space to drive dangerous areas every shift at the NHL level, so learning to be particular on when to pass vs. carry will pay dividends later. And on the other hand, you’d expect a player of his caliber to be able to push play into the dangerous areas more frequently in the OHL. Whichever conclusion you land on, Wright has the talent level to be more assertive with the puck and drive aggressively into open space in the offensive zone. However, he appears reluctant to do so, which may stem from a lack of confidence as he hasn’t played in so long. Some of the doubts around Wright would disappear if he were to begin leveraging his skills to create dangerous opportunities for himself on a more regular basis.

Shane Wright has a lethal shot, making him a constant shooting threat, especially on the powerplay. He doesn’t need much time or space to let it rip and can easily pick the top corners making goaltenders lives miserable. However, he needs to use it more, especially off the rush. The incredible shot in his toolbox reinforces the recommendation to attack the dangerous areas of the ice more often. If he were to combine those two more frequently, he would deliver an endless supply of goals to the Frontenacs.

Shane’s skating could be considered a concern, but it is likely reasonable to state that there are question marks in the skating department that may impact his projectability. Wright relies on body positioning to shield the puck and his methodical touches to evade pressure, and not as much his footwork. He has no issues keeping up with the play and has solid top-end speed, but he isn’t overly explosive. Rarely do you see him gain separation via surprising the defender with a quick change of pace to open a lane for himself. The concern here is what happens when he is granted less space at higher levels and can’t always rely on his body positioning to spin-off pressure and maintain possession. Possessing the footwork to deceive and escape pressure is essential to grant Wright as many options as possible against tougher competition.

It is very typical for high-end skilled forward prospects to have concerns with their off-puck play. This is not the case with Wright as, at all times, Shane provides support to the puck carrier or applies the second layer of defense. With this being said, his defensive game is a question mark in the context of projectability. He is a brilliant player, so he is always in the proper position to provide support, but Shane is rarely the player actively engaging in defensive actions and dispossessing the puck carrier. At times, it appears that Wright is simply patrolling the defensive zone waiting for a loose puck without an assignment in mind. He is perpetually providing support to the defensively engaged teammate, but his defensive actions tend to be limited. The bright side here is that as he is always in proper positioning, paying more attention to being more engaged defensively should be an easy lesson. However, his abovementioned positioning puts him in a favorable position to receive an outlet pass or scoop up a loose puck and facilitate a seamless zone exit.

Every zone exit flows through Shane, most of which are executed with perfect control. He is relied upon as the primary puck carrier as he is always making consistent, intelligent, quick decisions with the puck and can effortlessly push play out of his end into the opposition’s third. Expectedly, Shane plays a considerable amount at even strength, and as a result, the failed zone exits and defensive zone turnovers can pile up as the game goes on. More specifically, he occasionally makes questionable passes into traffic in an attempt to exit the zone. The raw number of defensive zone turnovers may seem like a significant red flag, but on a per minutes/possession basis, Wright is exiting the zone with control way more frequently than not. As he progresses to the higher levels of hockey, he will not be relied upon as the sole transition player, and his linemates will be equally capable of exiting the zone with control which will alleviate some of the heavy lifting he is currently doing.

Projection

The complicated and essential question to answer is, “What does this all mean looking forward?” There is no doubt that Shane’s attention to detail style of play combined with intelligent and quick decision-making is the start of a valuable foundation for him to continue to build on as he progresses into the NHL. However, that package of skills and habits will only take him so far when he advances to play against more intelligent and faster competition. In the OHL, he infrequently shows off his high octane offense, which reasonably has caused doubts about his offensive ceiling. At this moment in time, it is likely premature to value these concerns heavily enough to knock him off the top spot in the 2022 draft class. However, if these question marks around his offensive contributions still exist in July, it would be warranted to consider how his game will project to the NHL and if that assessment leads to a consensus 1st overall player.

The expectation for Wright (or any prospect for that matter) should not be to save the franchise or to be a generational talent, as he will most likely disappoint. A reasonable projection for Wright would be in the range of a low-end 1st line to a high-end 2nd line center, which to some may sound pessimistic in the context of 1st overall. Still, it is an essential piece to have on a successful team and is not easy to acquire. In addition, Shane will likely benefit from being paired with skilled wingers, who can allow Shane to focus on pushing play up ice to the offensive zone where his linemates can flourish. Finally, with his shot, he will surely be a continual threat on the powerplay, where he has consistently shown he can score from many angles and distances.

Latest Update

December 7, 2021

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Jordan Malette. If you would like to follow Jordan on Twitter, his handle is @jordanmalette.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!