Prospect Scouting Report - Dogwood Maple

[dogwoodmaple 354]

Dogwood Maple - C

6'2" 195 lbs

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

 

VHLM Career
Dogwood Maple is a center from Atlanta, Georgia. He stands 6'2" and weighs 195 lbs and played collegiately at the University of Georgia. He was drafted fourth overall by Las Vegas and immediately slotted into the first line for the Aces.  Through his rookie season with Las Vegas, Maple is averaging 1.39 points per game and has been one of the main reasons the Aces are in prime playoff position.  He looks to be in the running for Rookie of the Year if this play continues.

 

Strengths
Maple's main strength is his tremendous work ethic.  During the scouting process, GMs were wowed by his dedication to practice, the training facility, and spending his free time studying game film.  That work ethic has allowed him to stay in tremendous shape and has increased his on-ice stamina, allowing him to play increased minutes this year for the Las Vegas Aces. In addition, Maple has fantastic vision and anticipation and seems to always be one step ahead of the defense. Whether it's passing to a teammate, finding open space on the ice with the puck, or just sensing where the defense will be, Maple always puts himself and his teammates in position to advance towards the goal. Something that shouldn't be overlooked is his puckhandling, although it's not as advanced as his anticipation or work ethic.  He's able to beat multiple defenders with the puck in tow and has been known to pull off a miraculous goal or two.

 

Weaknesses
One main area of concern for Maple is his discipline.  He gets himself into the penalty box too often which hurts his team.  He can be overly aggressive in trying to win the puck back, which leads to penalties and power play opportunities for the opposition.  This lack of discipline also manifests itself when he's making quick decisions in front of goal.  He sometimes gets the puck stuck on his stick and tries to play the hero role instead of passing to a teammate.  Likewise, there are times when he foregoes shooting on net in favor of passing to a teammate who is in a worse offensive position than him.  He also isn't the fastest skater on the ice and is routinely beat to loose pucks in the corners.  He certainly works hard, but he was just not blessed with natural blazing speed.  That will set a ceiling on his play and is a valid concern of general managers.

 

Overall
On the whole, Maple is a very good VHL prospect and has all the tools necessary to have a long and successful career.  His defense is good enough to earn him top-line minutes, especially when you factor in his innate ability to score goals and set teammates up for easy scores.  While he has some physical limitations that may hold him back, his hard work and intangibles make him one of the premier prospects in the league.

 

Projected Draft Range

We project Maple as a late first round pick in the coming VHL Draft. 

 

(513 words)

[Shindigs 1,771]

4 hours ago, dogwoodmaple said:

intangibles

Scout lingo detected! That's how you know it's legit.

[nurx 908]

On 5/4/2022 at 3:55 AM, Shindigs said:

Scout lingo detected!

scouts that act like their job isn't math lingo

Edited May 8, 2022 by nurx