Claimed:Michael Burch Rookie Profile [Final 8/8]

[carousel182 8]

Player Information

Name: Michael Burch

Age: 19

Height: 6’2”

Weight (lbs): 194

Birthplace: Manchester, England

Position: Right Defense

Shoots: Right

 

 

Biography

 

Burch is a two way defender born in Manchester, England. Not a hot spot for hockey, Burch was out on the few ice rinks in Manchester while his friends were playing rugby and cricket. This continued dedication to hockey was noticed by scouts for the Bern Royals, who picked up Burch from waivers recently. He will likely be playing on their first pairing this year, gaining experience in the VHLM with dreams of being a VHL player in Burch’s mind.

 

Pros

 

Skating

Michael Burch is an explosive skater. He has the ability to go coast to coast if he desires, which he has displayed often in his career. Once Burch gets to full stride, it is very hard to stop him, as he accelerates very quickly and is able to maintain this speed to make it the whole way down the ice. He also is able to keep up with even the fastest skaters as the league, and it is unlikely to see any opposing players blow past with Burch with their speed.

 

Defense

Burch is very effective at shutting down opposing forwards. He is very effective at reading plays, and is always in position to prevent good scoring opportunities for the opposing team to occur. This comes from his superb hockey I.Q. He thinks the game very well, and it is very unlikely that he will ever be tricked or caught off guard by opposing players. He is very good at using his stick to break up plays, either through poke checking or deflecting shots away from the net.

 

Scoring

Burch has a cannon of a slapshot for a 19 year old, consistently having the hardest shot in every league that he has played in. Opposing players dread laying down in front of a slap shot by him, as it is sure to cause a trip to the ice bath after the game. This shot gives him the ability to be a vital member of the powerplay, and a continual scoring option from the point.

 

Leadership

Burch is a class act both off and on the ice, and is one of the hardest working players in the game today. This is a great example to be set for other members of the team. Burch is captain material in the VHLM.

 

Cons

 

Checking

Burch is not a very physical defender, and you will rarely see him making a bone crunching hit, striking fear into opposing players. He prefers to use his stick to knock the puck away from players rather than using his body. However, this is a positive in some ways as you will rarely ever see him out of position, which happens sometimes with defenders who are always going for the huge hits.

 

Puck Handling

One area that Burch struggles with is handling the puck. He sometimes has trouble receiving the puck, either fumbling the puck or completely losing it. This can prevent Burch from using one of his greatest weapons in his shot. He needs to further work on his handling skills in order to get it up to par with his scoring and skating ability. This will enable him to be a threat in both ends of the ice.

 

Discipline

Since Burch uses his stick so much to shut down opposing players, he has a tendency to take either tripping or high sticking penalties by being too eager to knock away the puck. He needs to learn to be controlled with his stick lifting and poke checking in order to prevent putting the other team on the powerplay.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Burch has the potential to be a force in both the offensive and defensive zones. He is a raw prospect right now, but with the GM of Bern, STZ, guiding his development, it won’t be a surprise to see Burch develop into one of the best defenders in the VHLM.

Edited July 1, 2015 by carousel182

[eaglesfan036 4,599]

nice jerb

[Tylar 219]

Overview: 2/2 - Yup. Everything looks good and this was a good rookie profile. Good job and Good luck with your player!!!

 

Pros & Cons: 3/3 - Did exactly what is asked of you on the rubric. Good job!

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Pretty good
the fastest skaters as the league = the fastest skaters in the league (pretty sure that's what you meant)

powerplay = power play (pretty sure its two words not one)

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Looks good.

 

Overall: 8/8

[Kendrick 4,741]

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