Baxter Arcanum Junior Review

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Baxter Arcanum, Prep-School Phenom

 

Baxter Arcanum has as long a career as any rookie in the league. As a student at St. Anthony Academy, he enjoyed the state of the art training facilities and top tier coaching staff of a competitive private school athletics department. The program has consistently churned out pro level talent, so it’s no surprise that Arcanum, who  has spent 12 years on the ice for the school, is starting to turn heads among scouts in the VHLM.

 

He’s been a defenseman full time for the past two seasons, but he didn’t always play on the blue line. Earlier in his career he played as a forward, both the center and left wing positions. He saw decent success in those positions thanks to his uncanny puck possession abilities and a knack for putting shots past unsuspecting goalies.

Arcanum’s game has always leaned toward defense though; he was the team’s leader in blocked shots four years running. Even as a forward, Baxter consistently put himself between the puck and the net, providing that first line of defense to deflect, redirect, or stop shots. He tends to favor a more fundamental style of play, opting out of the technical stickhandling and dekes that you might see from the league’s top scoring forwards and shootout specialists. The coaching staff at St. Anthony saw Arcanum’s style of play as a natural fit for the position of defenseman, and the results speak for themselves. In the two seasons that Baxter played as a first pair d-man, the team reached their conference finals both years, winning the second year. 

 

Around the league, he’s known for his work ethic and stamina. The reason Arcanum was at the top of the team in terms of average time on ice, coaches say, is his full-throttle mentality for every shift. Whether it’s the first period or the third, and regardless of the length of the shift, Baxter Arcanum seems to skate on with the same grit and determination as ever. Scouts believe that his mentality will be the key to his success in the major leagues.

 

As if his time with the team wasn’t enough, Baxter also worked at the local rink as a skills coach for little league players. He insists that the job made him better: as a skater, at reading plays, and in terms of physical fitness. It’s hard to argue with success here - Arcanum is the most promising prospect that St. Anthony Academy has produced in almost a decade. It might be a little too early to make any calls about where this career might be headed, but fans will be paying close attention.