Jordan Bennett Scouting Report

[Plate 386]

Jordan Bennett poster from his run with the Boston Brigade in the Junior Showcase Tournament.

 

Jordan Bennett is a two-way forward prospect most recently selected in the third round by the San Diego Marlins. Bennett is from the small town of Tilt Cove, Newfoundland. His family is very proud of him and his progress toward the VHLM. But now, the scouts have changed into a representative from the VHLE and VHL. This upcoming season is make-or-break for Bennett, as it will determine how far he goes in the next draft. If the JST has anything to say about his performance with players who are better than him, then there's no reason to think he won't evolve into a weapon during this VHLM season for the Marlins.

 

Bennett's career stats are minimal but indicative of the style of play he pursues on the ice. In 5 games, he posted three points but had a -1 rating in an okay game 5 of the JST playoffs. However, Bennett posted seven points in 19 games during the round-robin with a natural +/-. He landed 27 hits, blocked six shots, and was 0.5 points per 20 minutes.

 

Zone Ability

Defensive coverage of the defensive end was exceptional. His skating allowed him to keep up with defenders on the backcheck, breaking into his zone and allowing him to strip pucks from defensemen and create chances in the neutral zone. He can force errors and strip pucks with his solid stick. Passes are hard to get through when he's in the lane.

 

Another area that Bennett benefits from in terms of his skill are passing and the ability to read the play. He can use his speed to make up for defense, but he can get into a better position and offer deception to players from his passes, skating one way and then sending the puck another direction. This allows for some offensive zone chaos where teammates can throw a shot on the net and put in rebounds. 

 

Shortcomings

Bennett is not the biggest skater on the field. While he can skate, he suffers from getting knocked off pucks if players catch up to him. A big criticism is the lack of ability to keep pucks when pressured and will lose balance when things aren't turning out very well and can be forced to make errors. A little bit of strength can fix this issue but that doesn't seem like it's in his development plan anytime soon.

 

 

Strengths

- Defensive coverage

- Stick checking

- Skating

 

Weaknesses 

- Balance

- Core Strength

- Shooting