Player Name: Khalabib Stiopic
Age: 19
Position: D
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 185 lbs.
Birthplace: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
KHALABIB STIOPIC
Khalabib Stiopic was born in Cocos Islands where it is not possible to play hockey. His father is a rich businessman that runs a resort company and he helped his son live his dreams and when Khalabib was 12 he sent him to Canada to play hockey. From day one he was fast on his skates and very strong on his legs. Right now he is looking to become one of the best young defenders in this league.
PROS
Speed - Stiopic has always loved running. During his time in Cocos island he loved running barefoot around the beaches near his house. By doing that, he strenghtened his foot muscles which helps him to have better acceleration and we can see that on the ice as well. He likes to start the offense from his own end and dish out great first passes. Not only is he really fast, he knows when is the right time to slow down. Overall, his speed can make big problems for his opposition.
Defense - Khalabib plays as a 2 way defender. He loves attacking, especially when he has the puck and he has great speed, but Khalabib always remembers to be back on the defensive end. His shotblocking is really good - in his rookie season he had 127 blocked shots, which was one of the best in his team. Stiopic loves aggresive game so he loves to make big hits on his opposition - he had 98 hits in his rookie season. His speed is the biggest helper on the defensive end. It helps Khalabib to get to the puck first and dump it out of the defensive zone. His defensive game can only grow and next season he will show big improvments.
Passing - in my opinion Khalabib Stipic`s greatest attribute. He is showing elite passing that is similar to Erik Karlsson or Oliver Ekman Larrson. He is always looking for a long break out pass that can send his winger one - on - one with goalie. Those passes rearly are unprecise and come out as icings. In his rookie season Khalabib had 34 assists in 74 games. You can see in games he has played he has great vision, he keeps his calm in his own end and keeps it simple, but if the opposition is going for a line change he will immediately find his teammate for a breakaway.
CONS
Strenght - Khalabib Stiopic is not your tipical hockey player. He 6 foot, 185 pounds. Looking at Khalabib from the side he would look more like a 400 meter runner or a football player rather than a hockey player. He has strong but skinny legs and Khalabib only has 6% body fat. This helps him to faster than everyone else on the ice but he is loosing a lot of battles one - on - one at the boards where stronger players can push him if the puck only because they are weighing much more. In addition to this, Khalabib has never loved going to the weight room, but as he grows older he understands the importance of it and in this offseason is planning to gain much needed weight but still keep his speed.
Discipline - Stiopic always has loved a game that is fast and physical. He loves to make big hits but on lot of occasions he cannot keep his cool. He has always been a hothead and he loves to talk trash to other players. This poften leads to Khalabib making bad decisions that end with a minor penalty. Most of these penalties are after altercations with other team`s players in his own defensive end. He loves to get trashed talked and will always try to have the last word. And this last word can end up with a 2 minute penalty, like interference or slashing.
Consistency - Khalabib has some stretches when he is playing well, keeping his cool and making great plays in both ends of the ice. But his biggest weakness is his inconsistency on the ice. He came in this league as a promising young talent, but after some bad stretches in his career he got traded. After the trade his consistency has gotten better but still he tends to have long cold stretches when he looks like a completely different player. On of the cold stretches happened right at the start of the playoffs where he only managed to get 1 point in 4 games and was -9 on the ice. But Khalabib is working with himself to become the greatest version that he can possibly for the entire season.
Khalabib Stiopic is a young player that has a lot of potencial. He is determined to become better everyday. He is working hard and everyone should look out for him because he is ready to take this league by storm.
@VHLM GM @FrostBeard