Ivan Retoslav - Prospect Scouting Report

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Ivan Retoslav was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has been playing hockey since the age of 5 and is one of the top prospects for the upcoming draft. He is 6ft 2in tall and weighs 225 lbs. He comes to the VHL from the German league, the DEL, in which he played his U16 and U17 seasons. He had a total of 184 Points over the two seasons he played there. Let's take a dive into what the scouts have to say about him.

 

Pros

- Faceoffs - Retoslav has focused a massive amount into winning possession for his team, in his final season for his AAA team he had a FO% of 78.65%. One scout was quoted saying "Its amazing watching how many faceoffs this kid wins, it's like he can sense when the puck is dropped without seeing it."

- Offensive Awareness - Retoslav has shown that he can tell where his teammates are without even looking at them, This has caused many scouts to say that he is one of the most promising playmakers in his draft class.

- Shooting - Retoslav has an amazing shot, and he finishes often when he uses it. A scout was heard saying "I've never seen someone shoot with as much confidence as this kid, he could be very promising."

 

Cons

- Physicality - Although he comes in at a massive 6ft 2in and 225 lbs, Retoslav is not very physical. Most of that weight is muscle but that muscle tends to be in his legs, carrying his speed and agility. Many scouts say that he is not physical because his dream is to be a 100 point scorer.

- Discipline - Despite putting up 116 points in his U15 season, he also managed 45 PIM in the same span, If a team does want him, they will have to worry about him spending too much time in the box. Although that may be offset by him putting in a goal or two first. This may be a turn off for many scouts, but quite a few still looked to see what he could do.

- Strength - Retoslav is not a very strong player in the way that scouts rate the stat. His legs are very strong, but the scouts don't say he is very strong because of the fact he does not hit very often, and even when he does hit they are rarely big hits.

 

Overall Ivan Retoslav is a very refined player with quite a bit of promise showing in his game. He acknowledges that he is not at his peak and is still working very hard to improve his game. Whatever team gets him in the upcoming draft will be very lucky as he is seen to be one of the best all round players of the draft class.

 

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