Matt Avens Scouting Report

[Mr Bohannan 116]

PROSPECT SCOUTING REPORT

MATT AVENS

Draft Class: Season 80
Position: Left Wing

Height: 6'3

Weight: 207lbs
Age: 19yo
Place of Birth: London, United Kingdom
Current Team: The Stockholm Vikings (VHLE)
Previous Team: Mexico City Kings (VHLM)
Draft: 33rd OV to London United
 

Matt Avens is heading to Stockholm to join his VHLE team - The Stockholm Vikings. With a rather late draft pick in VHLE (78th OV) it does not resemble the actual value of the player that a lot of VHLE managers slept on. As someone who joined VHLM one season ago and was picked up by Mexico City Kings in the draft as 9th OV pick, he showed to be a player to look out for by being the top scorer in his own team and top20 in the league. Making 50 goals and giving 43 passes, he picked up 93points in 72 games, falling a point short for the last playoff position, therefore not qualifying to the playoffs with his team. On top of that he represented Team World in S80 WJHC, scoring 4 goals and giving 4 passes, resulting in 8 points in 8 Robin round games. Played 1 game in WHJC playoffs without points. With the good performance in VHLM he is expected to drop in points, but still being successful if used correctly by his new team.

 

Strengths:

 

• Scoring - Matt possesses exceptional scoring skills. Watching this player you can tell that his shot power and accuracy is almost at it's highest and for his age he is already surpassing a lot of older players and veterans with how deadly his shot can be. He is not afraid to shoot from any distance and position, making him a massive threat as soon as he is in possession of a puck and has an opportunity for a shot. His wrist shot is little bit better than his slap shot but that's to be expected. With the right practice and regime he can become even better and deadlier with his shots.

 

• Defensive/Offensive Awareness - This player has obviously paid attention to some aspects of the game that other, his type of players, ignore and are not that great of it. One of Matt's obvious strengths is his Defensive and Offensive Awareness. He has showed his capability to position him well on offense and also on defensive end. For a sniper this is a rare treat which makes him an unique player.

 

• Skating and Puck Handling - Maybe not the fastest as of yet, but definitely a fast skater with not just above average top speed, but a good acceleration as well. Very good agility and ability to stop quick, change direction. Great skating is complimented with the same level of puck handling skills, making him a good attack starter force.

Weaknesses:

 

• Passing - As a sniper he does not have the best passing ability as that is not his priority, but due to his Offensive Awareness skills he still is very capable in this field, which probably lead him earning 43 assists last season, close to the amount of goals he achieved. Although this not being his priority and is one of his weaknesses, you can still see improvements in his passing precision and decision making skill.

 

• Checking - Definitely not the most aggressive or physical player and that also shows up in his checking game. Not too keen to do body checking it's one of his weaknesses. His durability and capability to take body shot is remarkable though as he was one of the top5 people in "Body shots received" in VHLM, which also shows that he is a threat to teams and they tried to neutralise using his weakness.

 

OVERALL

Matt Avens is definitely a player to look out for if he continues his hard working attitude and fast improvements as he has so far. With his ability to shoot strong and precise shots he is a threat to any goalie out there and it is believed that his skills will only grow. The expected performance in his first VHLE season is debatable as it will depend on where will he be placed. In terms of scoring The Stockholm Vikings have a strong attack and in-between all these players Matt definitely is not the strongest, but at the same time he is the youngest and someone who has not had the experience of such level yet. From the things he has said in interviews and the attitude that he shows it is without question that he will do his best in the position he will be put in, so we can expect to see a good growth and results from him and maybe even promotion on a higher line if he ends up to be 4th or 3rd line winger.