Player Bio
VHLM Rights: Brampton Blades (Undrafted, Week 1 Waiver Claim, S37 Eligible)
Previous Teams: Univeristy of Vermont Catamounts (Hockey East), Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL), Port Huron Fighting Falcons (NAHL)
Position: Right Wing Age: 21 Handedness: Right
Jersey Number: 45 Height (inches): 71 Weight (lbs.): 210 Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Season 36 Stats
GP: 62 G: 23 A: 29 P: 52 +/-: -8
Attributes
Total Points Earned: 30 CK = Checking: 40
FG = Fighting: 40
DI = Discipline: 40
SK = Skating: 40
ST = Strength: 40
PH = Puck Handling: 55
FO = Face Offs: 40
PA = Passing: 45
SC = Scoring: 40
DF = Defense: 48
LD = Leadership: 42
Scout Report
Potential Strengths
Defense + Azi is developing into a reliable two-way winger. He hit his career par for point production averaging just less than a point per game and don’t let the -8 fool you. On a team that registered a massive -148 in goals differential, escaping the season with -8 is a testament to his ability to control the defensive zone. The next closest skater on the Blades? -13. The average? -18.
Puckhandling + So good with the puck on his stick that it might as well be glued onto the blade. Azi is strong on the puck in the tough areas, along the boards, and in open ice. Azi has a nose for takeaways and if opponents miss the body check there is no stopping this winger when he has the puck. 3 goals on 6 penalty shot chances.
Passing + Not only will Azi hang on to the puck, put he’s getting the right feel for when to get rid of it too. There’s no flair to his passes but he reliably makes the right one. More than a third of his points came on the Power Play, where he can be trusted to man the blue line in lieu of a defenseman or to work down low making dangerous passes through the middle.
Potential Concerns
Shooting – It is true that you won’t score without putting pucks on the net, but Azi often takes low-quality shots that are easily saved. His 11.79% shooting on 195 shots is one of the lowest in the VHLM for the amount of time he spends on the ice (though it should be noted that his 195 is the highest on his team by far). Azi also displays a little too much unselfishness at times and needs to stop looking to pass before shooting.
Hitting – Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of Azi’s game is his inability to register hits. In depth analysis may attribute 1.8 hits per game to his above average puck possession (since you can only register a hit without the puck), but a simpler explanation would be that he is a puck hound. He can fixate on the puck rather than the man at times and his game suffers for it. Clearly he needs to improve his physicality in order to play in the bigs.
Shot Blocking – For someone who spends so much time on defense, 24 blocked shots is a bit disappointing. Azi talks big on how he’s willing to lay his body down for the team but numbers don’t lie. One blocked shot every other game doesn’t cut it for a defensive forward in the VHLM let alone the bigs. To put this in perspective: his team blocked 893 shots (3% of total) and gave up over 40 shots a game. Either the defensive system is utilizing Ali properly or he isn’t putting enough effort in, but it’s clear he needs to get more involved.
Summary
Azi Ali is projected to be a reliable, versatile two-way winger. He is developing slowly and will need years in the VHLM before he could be considered VHL-ready. Given the weak pool of S37 right wing prospects he should be the first RW selected. Expect him to go between rounds 3 and 4.