Florida Man Scouting Report

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Prospect Scouting Report

Florida Man

Draft Class: S80

Position: RW

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 195

Place of Birth: Florida, USA

Current team: Stockholm Vikings (VHLE)

Drafted: 13th overall by Los Angeles Stars

 

Entering his first VHLM season, Florida Man showed promise with 7 goals and 12 points in 19 games playing for Miami. He was later selected 24th overall by Mississauga, spending the entire season with the team. Due to an abundance of depth, Man was pushed down to the fourth line, resulting in a less impressive 14 goals and 29 points in 72 games. The Hounds went on to make a Founder's Cup Finals appearance, but fell just short. Man only contributed 1 goal and 5 points throughout the postseason. Over the offseason, he participated in the World Juniors Hockey Championship. Playing for Team World, he showed off his ability to put the puck in the net with 5 goals in 8 round robin games. Although he was held scoreless in the medal round, they ultimately won the tournament. 

 

Strengths

• Shooting: Man has a shoot first mentality. Despite playing a limited role basically everywhere he went, he did he best to make it count. Even though he hasn't necessarily found an elite shooting efficiency, he forces the goalies to make a lot of saves. And everybody knows good things happen when you put the puck on the net. Along with that, he has the ability to shoot from just about anywhere with or without pressure. Now that he has the highest level of professional coaching available, I expect his shot to improve tremendously. 
• Puck magnet: he may not be the best skater or the most reliable in his own end, but he seems to have a nose for the puck. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he is able to accumulate so many shot attempts. He's one of those players that the puck just finds. He knows where to be and what to do when the puck comes his way. Look for him to build upon that as he becomes more comfortable with higher level competition.

 

Weaknesses

• Defense: you could argue his deficiency is due to a lack of focus on his defensive game, but that's not going to cut it when he makes the jump to the big leagues. If Man can find a way to be at least somewhat competent in his own end, his ability to score goals should balance that out. Sure, wingers don't necessarily need to be the most reliable in their own end, but it's a necessity at the highest level. Expect him to spend a lot of time over the offseason and with Stockholm training staff during the upcoming season to correct any problems that exist before he eventually graduates to the VHL.
• Skating: Man doesn't struggle to shoot in tight coverage, but he could benefit from developing his edgework and explosiveness to make space for himself to shoot from better angles. He'll need to put in a lot of work to make sure he's able to keep up with the pace of the VHL.

 

With the draft behind us and training camp underway, Florida Man will be on a mission to impress Stars management by dominating the VHLE. Clearly there is much to work on. Only time will tell if he is up to the task.