Prospect Scouting Report - Lachlan Summers

[kirbithan 1,749]

PLAYER NAME: LACHLAN SUMMERS

POSITION: GOALTENDER

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 174 LBS.

AGE: 20

BIRTHPLACE: BRISBANE, QLD, AUSTRALIA

VHLM TEAM: (S84-S85) SAN DIEGO MARLINS, 

DRAFTED 6TH OVR

VHL DRAFT STATUS: ELIGIBLE FOR S86

 

Lachlan Summers hails from the land down under, taking his talents to the San Diego Marlins of the VHLM near the end of the S84 season. After splitting games with Alexander Minion, Lachlan finished the season with 8 games played— 2-5-0 record with a below average .884 SV% and a 3.46 GAA. Although he didn’t have spectacular numbers, his presence in the locker room and work ethic caught the eye of quite a few VHLM GMs prior to the S85 dispersal draft.

 

The netminder— who bears a striking resemblance to Jordan Binnington— was drafted 6th overall, bringing him back to the Marlins organization for a second season. This pick was a shock to many, but San Diego’s general manager Jacob Carson was confident in his goaltender and a sense of familiarity led up to the decision to take Lachlan this early. 

 

The Aussie would go on to prove any doubters wrong, becoming a cornerstone to the S85 Marlins team that began the season with four players. As we approach the end of the season, he has started all 68 games for the Marlins with a record of 32-28-8. He boasts a .914 SV % along with a 2.59 GAA and 4 shutouts (one of which, was against the first place Las Vegas Aces). 

 

Prior to his arrival in the VHLM, Lachlan was a talent who flew under the radar, playing in the AIHL back home in Australia. Now he is one of the top goalie prospects in this season’s draft despite the overloaded goaltender class. What does Lachlan bring to the table?

 

PROS

HAND SPEED - Hand speed is one of the most important traits in a goaltender as the glove is a crucial part of their equipment. Lachlan takes great pride in how quickly he can swing his glove to make a spectacular save and cover the puck. A versatile and mobile goaltender— Lachlan has spent a majority of his time testing different techniques with his glove in order to secure any pucks that are shot in his direction with relative ease. His husband Frankie was a former QMJHLer, so Lachlan’s able to get reps in during the off-season with his help.

 

REACTION TIME - Many coaches and teammates have described him as a “robot” or “android” out on the ice. Lachlan is locked in whenever he is between the pipes, eyes tracking the movement of the puck and reading plays that enter his zone, whether it be a breakaway or even a 3-on-1. Accompanied with his hand speed, his ability to make swift moves on big plays and unexpected bounces allows him to gain the edge on opponents and rob them of surefire goals. This is something he plans to work on his entire career until no more refinement can be attained.

 

CONS

SIZE - Lachlan stands at 6’1,” which is slightly shorter than average for a goaltender— but where he truly lacks is in weight. He has always been a naturally lanky person and has attempted to gain more muscle on multiple occasions to no avail, weighing in at 174 pounds. He uses up a lot of his energy sliding from post-to-post to cover as much net as possible since he doesn’t have a natural size advantage at his disposal. Unfortunately, size isn’t something he can magically fix, but he can improve the technicalities that allow him to overcome it. 

STYLE CONTROL - Even though Lachlan’s hand speed and reaction time are impressive, he struggles with maintaining his consistency throughout the course of the game at times. On a few occasions during the season, he found himself allowing multiple goals in the third period after what looked like a competitive contest. This led to those respective games becoming blown wide open, especially when the opposing team was tacking many shots on goal. He has acknowledged this issue and is working on managing his style of play in an alternative manner that allows him to be far more consistent in net and avoid these collapses.

Edited October 11, 2022 by kirbithan

[Aimee 1,140]

[kirbithan 1,749]

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