The Next Hutson?

[Louie_Z 12]

The Next Hutson?

 

Solano Gavriello

 

Lane Hutson is one of the most exciting prospects to watch in hockey right now. As he plays with the Boston University Terriers and with the United States U20 world junior team, scouts and fans are dazzled by his explosive strides, ankle-breaking deception, and absolute confidence with the puck on his stick. Hutson represents a new era of defencemen in the NHL, where giant, slow-moving defencemen are being passed over in favour of typically smaller defenders who are dynamic, offensively inclined but defensively responsible, explosive skaters, and playing with the utmost deception and ferociousness.

 

Enter Solano Gavriello. Born in Skellefteå, Sweden, to a Uruguayan father and Swedish mother, Gavriello was born into hockey. His father was the most important man in Uruguayan hockey before moving to Sweden, where he met Solano’s mother, who had played on the Swedish national team. Needless to say, Solano was born into hockey. He grew up playing for the local club, Skellefteå AIK, and worked his way up through the levels to become one of the premier defenceman in the SHL. In his minor hockey career, he represented Sweden at the U17 World Championships, U18 World Championships, World Junior A Challenge, and most recently, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He will surely be a contender for Sweden’s World Junior team once he gains experience in the VHLM.

 

Gavriello at the U18s

 

Gavriello was drafted 11^th overall in the CHL import draft by the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, but declined to report to the Generals, and instead continue with AIK’s U20 and then pro team. 2 seasons ago, he played his final season with the AIK U20 team, where he excelled. His vision, passing, and explosive moves made him a dominant player in the Swedish U20 loop, where he helped AIK win the national championship. In 30 games, he recorded 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points, leading all defencemen in goals and points. Last season, he made AIK’s pro team, which plays in the SHL, the top Swedish pro league and one of the best hockey leagues in the world. As a younger player, he started the season with limited ice time and special teams time but earned the trust of coaches through being always the hardest working player on the ice and his unbelievable skills. He finished the season with 6 goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 28 games, which is unheard of for a rookie defenceman in the SHL. He unseated an NHL veteran as the quarterback on the power play, and shone under the high pressure and faster speeds of playing with men.

 

Despite being only 5’7, he is built like a fire hydrant at 180lbs, and makes up for his undersize frame with excellent stick work and body position, as well as being absolutely fearless and tenacious in corners. He has smooth skating, smoother than Hutson’s maybe, but doesn’t quite match Hutson’s puck skills and deception quite yet. He creates separation after his nifty moves with his explosive first three steps, and is a fantastic playmaker and finisher in the offensive zone. His shot, while not incredibly powerful or pretty, finds its way through traffic and into the back of the net.

 

At the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup

 

Gavriello is also a dedicated student. He speaks English, Swedish, and Spanish fluently, and is learning French and German. He enjoys studying history, math, and computer science, and is an outdoorsman, often embarking on week-long hikes with his friends during the offseason. He played football, tennis, and ran track during summers and spring, which were great complementary sports for his hockey play. He was especially good at football, and nearly went to a top British prep school to play before wholly committing to hockey at the age of 14. He found that having excellent control of his feet and how quick it made him were benefits of continuing his football playing while he was playing hockey. Multi-sport athletes are valuable for these traits of athleticism, and the author wishes he continued played more sports than just hockey growing up!

 

 

 

 

 

Gavriello on the upcoming S92 VHLM draft:

“I’m super excited to start a new part of my career in North America with whatever team selects me in the draft. Playing on the smaller ice will be an adjustment for sure, I’m not sure I like it. Not as much space to pass and make plays, less time with the puck. Lots of big Canadian and American boys, that’s for sure haha. Really, I’m pumped to take this next step and start playing.”

“I’ve been to Canada twice, for tournaments. It’s nice, warmer than Sweden actually. I want to play in a place like Vancouver, near the ocean. It reminds me of Stockholm very much. That being said, I’d be perfectly happy playing in Saskatchewan or something too, as long as I’m playing. The VHLE is actually a very exciting part of this journey for me because it isn’t an option for NHL players as a development path and it is for us, so I’m pumped to play in Europe. No offense to you North Americans, but Europe is the best. Maybe only Uruguay is better.”

 

Gavriello is currently not at the top of VHLM draft rankings but is sure to climb as he makes more appearances at showcase events and combines in North America. Perhaps some teams will be turned off him because of his size, but as Lane Hutson, Samuel Girard, Adam Fox, Seamus Casey, Torey Krug, Quinn Hughes, and many other undersized defencemen have shown, it is not as big an obstacle as some people think. Gavriello takes pride in his height, citing how it forced him to become quick and manoeuvrable, and to learn how to beat bigger players in corners and physical battles. He is able to throw his weight around pretty darn well too, having mastered using all of his 180lbs to throw devastating hip checks as unsuspecting wingers try to sneak past him on the boards.  

 

 

Louie_Z

1000 words

[jake 84]

Damn nice

[Louie_Z 12]

Claiming again