Claimed:Gifford Shock Bio [Final: 6/6]

[probably not noah 346]

Gifford Shock Biography

 

The bar was set high for Gifford Shock from the moment he was named, but that’s recent news to him. Raised in a small mining town in Northern Ontario, Shock was sheltered from any knowledge of the VHL or the heavy implications that his name carried. In fact, little is known about the youth of Shock. The few details that the elusive prospect has made known about himself paint a humble, almost unbelievably picturesque story of a small town Ontario boy.

 

Childhood:

 

 

Shock was born and raised on an old farm near Terrance Bay, on the northern tip of Lake Superior. The nearest thing to civilization was a small town of a thousand people called Schreiber. Away from the bustle of the city and isolated from the reaches of modernity, Shock grew up on the rink. Like so many Canadians, he would spend hours on any frozen body of water he could find, honing his skills in between watching low-quality CBC feeds at his parents’ farm.

 

When the time came for Shock to play organized hockey, he struck like lightning and set the league on fire. In minor hockey, Shock’s skills were leagues above the small talent pool that he grew up with. While the leagues didn’t keep stats for the younger children, parents and teammates have confirmed that he was scoring three to four goals on a nightly basis. Shock was a machine, but his talents went unnoticed until one day he appeared as if from nowhere in the OHL.

 

Junior:

 

 

The OHL is where Shock’s story gets interesting. Even with the heavy scouting and media state of today, Shock seems to have stepped from nonexistence onto OHL ice at the age of 17. He was a nobody late-round pick by the Soo Greyhounds. It seemed to be a completely bizarre, off-the-charts pick but the Greyhounds were soon reaping the benefits of their seemingly impeccable scouting.

 

In his first season with the Greyhounds, Shock showed flashes of brilliance but struggled against opponents the likes of which he hadn’t seen. He finished off the season with 9 goals and 12 assists through 58 games.

 

It was an underwhelming start to his OHL career, but Shock returned stronger in his sophomore season. From the start of the season, he immediately earned ice time. Having grown stronger and received some better coaching, his numbers made a profound jump. He finished the season with 20 goals and 24 assists through 68 games, cementing himself as one of the team’s best scorers.

 

His growth continued on an unbelievable scale, and he erupted to start the season, scoring 10 goals in his first eight games to begin his draft year. However, Shock succumbed to a season-ending knee injury and soon got in a dispute with coaches. His draft stock plummeted and he was never seen around the Greyhounds again.

 

The VHLM:

 

 

To the shock of many, the name “Gifford Shock” appeared on the eligibility board for the S40 VHLM draft. It was a name whispered in the shady corners of the VHL for years. The name was more of an urban legend than an actual prospect for years in the VHL, and now a possible carrying the name had declared his eligibility.

 

Nevertheless, the name carried weight and Shock was taken sixth overall in the draft by the Bratislava Watchmen, higher than a half-dozen players who had logged more practice hours. Shock has since signed with a reputable VHL player agency and worked to raise his stock for the upcoming VHL draft.

 

Despite middling numbers on Bratislava’s second line, Shock’s stock has continued to rise. As the draft draws near, it looks like Shock is threatening to be a top-5 pick in a front-loaded VHL entry draft.

 

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Scouting Report:

 

Pros:

 

Puck Skills: Shock has hands softer than marshmellow fluff. He’s got a creative flair with the puck and the fundamentals of his handling are solid. He uses his puck skills to open up space in the ice and loves taking on opposing defenders one-on-one. In the offensive zone, he tends to make room for higher percentage scoring plays with his puck skills.

 

Speed: Once Shock gets up to speed, he’s a runaway freight train. He’ll often loop back near the half boards to gain acceleration and hope for the breakout pass in the neutral zone. If he gets this pass successfully, he’s as good as gone and will easily blow by opposing defenders. Shock’s speed is equally impressive when he has the puck on his stick.

 

Release: Shock has a deadly snapshot that he uses any chance he gets. He shoots strong off of his front foot and can often release an unexpected snap mid-stride. This often succeeds at catching goaltenders out of position and creating scoring chances.

 

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Cons:

 

Hockey Sense: Shock’s upbringing is clear in his positional game. He is in need of a lot of coaching to work into high-level systems. He will try to outwork opponents when a cycle option available, and will weave through the neutral zone, leaving himself vulnerable to open-ice hits. Defensively, he often looks lost in the zone and only seems to be waiting for the breakout.

 

Acceleration : While Shock’s speed is impressive, his footwork in tight spaces isn’t quite up to par. It takes him a long time to get his momentum up, to the point that even his speed won’t save him. This causes issues on the back-check, and can leave Shock’s team outmanned on the odd-man rushes coming into the defensive zone.

 

Hitting Game: Shock is built strong enough to be a power forward, but he throws questionable hits. Another product of his lack of coaching, Shock will often throw a hit when it’s not necessary and take himself out of the play as the opponent makes the passes. He is also penalty prone, as he will focus too much on hitting certain players.

 

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Outlook: Shock has a bright future ahead of him with the right coaching. He’s already showing an impressive development curve, and if he continues on this pace he could be a cornerstone for a franchise in rebuild. However, some coaches are concerned with his attitude and numbers. If he doesn’t get very careful coaching he could end up a high-talent burnout.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Noah!!

[Will 4,662]

Overview: 3/3

Nicely written biography. Good balance between Shock's upbringing and childhood, and his hockey career. Overall it was an interesting read and was quite well done.

 

Grammar: 2/2

Not a thing. Great job.

 

Presentation: 1/1

Looks lovely.

 

Pros: 2/2

Yup, you definitely have enough here. 

 

Cons: 2/2

And you also have enough here. Shock better fix up his hockey sense!

 

Overall: 10/10

[Kendrick 4,741]

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