Hadrian Scouting Report

[bluesfan55 103]

The Halifax 21st surprised most of the VHLM last season by making it into the playoffs and falling an agonizing 2 games short of the VHLM finals. The young, exciting 21st team was anchored by captain Hadrian, who spent his last season in the juniors wrecking the competition. "I like hitting the opposition and making them feel pain; that way they're weakened and we can win hockey games", he said at his end of season press conference. As he prepares for his rookie season with the VHL's Warsaw Predators, let's take a look at his 2 (and a bit) VHLM seasons to see how his game should translate.

 

He spent the tail end of S75 with the Houston Bulls, scoring 2 points (both assists) in 5 games while racking up 12 hits, 13 blocked shots, and 18 PIMs. The Mexico City Kings then selected the Brit 12th in the S76 VHLM Draft, where he'd score 25 points in 54 games to go along with 113 hits, 67 blocked shots, and 56 penalty minutes. However, Hadrian was traded as Mexico City looked to push for a cup and sent to the Maritimes, going from a cup contender in Mexico City to the cellar-dwelling 21st. He'd spend the remaining 19 regular season games hitting people (64 hits) and getting penalties (40 PIMs) while scoring 7 points, scoring 32 points in his first full VHLM season while blocking 98 shots and racking up 177 hits.

 

S77 saw Hadrian get selected by the Predators in the first round of the VHL draft, and he returned to Halifax to have the best season of his short career to date. The captain scored 61 points in 72 games, fantastic numbers for a proclaimed defense-first blueliner, while racking up a staggering 259 hits (4th most in the league) and blocking another 93 shots, a slight drop from the season prior. He'd be similarly excellent in his first taste of playoff hockey, scoring 10 points in 12 games as the 21st almost made the finals, rebounding from a poor season. Now, he's headed to the big time. 

 

Pros

More than responsible defensively: across his VHLM career, Hadrian blocked 204 shots and hit opposing skaters 448 times, ranking in or near the top 10 in both categories in his two full seasons. The 6'6" defenseman plays his size well and is more than willing to throw the body around, and he figures to do more of the same this season.

Power play quarterback: Hadrian scored 12 of his 16 goals last season on the power play, which led his team, and shows that the big boy has a soft touch when it comes to his shot. His booming shot from the point can quarterback the power play, which is surprising from a defense-first player like himself.

Special teamer: Hadrian was also the 21st's top penalty killer during his time with the team; he was entrusted with big roles on both the PP and PK and filled them well. 

 

Cons

Lack of discipline: Hadrian's rough style of play has a lot of drawbacks, with the main one being that he racked up 248 penalty minutes in his junior career, with 134 coming in the last season alone (meaning that he missed over two games worth of time in the penalty box last season, and just over 4 games in his entire career). The Predators coaching staff is going to have to get the best out of his aggression while cutting down on his PIMs, or else he could be a real liability for the team. 

Inaccurate shot: Hadrian's shooting percentage last season was an abysmal 8% and he struggled to score at even strength (4 ES goals). With his shooting numbers increasing, that shot needs to get more accurate so he can help his team offensively at 5v5. 

 

Overall, Hadrian looks likely to become an impact defensive defenseman at the VHL level. While he might need some sheltering to prevent penalty minutes, the future is bright for the rookie Predators defenseman. 

 

671 words