Rookie Profile: Kris Rice
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 24
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185 lbs
Position: RW
Handedness: Right
Style: Playmaker
Kris Rice is a Canadian hockey player born in Red Deer, Alberta. His game is all about speed and being a team player. His skill set really shows how unselfish he is on the ice and what he is willing to do to help his team get that win each and every night.
Rice was fortunate enough to be drafted by his hometown team, the Red Deer Rebels. He finished 2nd on the team in assists and made defenders nights hard with his speed, tenacity and ability to thread the seam to find his teammates.
STRENGTHS:
Speed: Rice’s number one strength is his speed. At top flight he is one of the fastest players coming out of the WHL. There are plenty of defensemen who can attest to being victimized by Rice blowing past them in the neutral zone to force breakaway attempts nearly every game. He still has room to improve on his edge work but has a solid foundation to build upon.
Passing: Almost as good as is skating is his passing. Rice threads passes through lanes so seamlessly. His teammates love when he’s on the ice with them because he always seems to land his passes right on the tape. He is very underrated in this skill but easily one of the top playmakers in his conference.
Vision: Elite vision while in the offensive zone. Being able to find those seams and always knowing where his teammates are at all times is what makes him such an elite playmaker. Rice always seems to see the plays a few plays ahead of everyone on the ice.
WEAKNESSES:
Checking: While Kris has decent size he tends to shy away from the physical side of the game. He prefers to use his stick to pull the puck off of players and using body positioning to angle his opponents off of the puck. The only downside is he has seen an increase in PIM’s for stick infractions. I am not sure Rice will ever be that physical style of player.
Shooting: Pass first, shoot later. This is how to best describe Rice. He tends to make the passing play before taking the shot. A few times over his previous season he passed the puck where he was in a better position to shoot the puck. When he does get the shot off it’s below average in velocity and accuracy. This is major part of his offensive arsenal that needs improvement. He has previously reported that he would be working on his shooting over the offseason.
Defense: The most important weakness that Rice has to improve on is his defensive play. He has tendencies to stop moving his feet after being stripped off of the puck. Some nights he is completely engaged and never gives up on a play but other nights it’s hard to watch. Finding consistency in his own end is going to be what puts him in the best position to succeed at the next level.
To put it all in a nutshell, Kris Rice is an exceptional playmaking forward with top end speed. He is elite in the offensive zone but still has work to do in his own end. With continued work and progression on his defensive play Rice will no doubt become an elite player one day in the VHL. Consistency will be key to his success.
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