Claimed:Saul Hackett - Rookie Profile [Final 8/8]

[Renomitsu 934]

Saul Hackett – Scouting Report

 

Name // Saul Hackett

Position // Defenseman

Age // 19

Height // 6'0

Weight // 200 lbs

Handness // Right

Hometown // Port McNeill, BC, Canada

 

Notes

• Hackett was in the running for Defenceman of the Year in the CanadaWest conference for the last two years of his college career. He finished third and second in his second-to-last and last years, respectively.
• With Alberta, Hackett also won the Sportsmanship & Athletic Ability Award in his last season.
• Hackett averaged around a point per game playing for Alberta, and is a bit lackluster on the offensive side of the ice.
• When being scouted for Alberta, athletic personnel noted that he was “a very raw talent, who will need a lot of time to improve his game.” The scout also stated that he has “tremendous upside as a defenseman, but it’s not clear that he will achieve his full potential.”

 

Strengths

• Passion – Saul’s defining characteristic has always been motivation – whether it’s a consequence of his past or an in-built love for the game, he’s driven and dedicated to hockey. He only started taking hockey seriously in his third year of high school, and as a result has much less experience with the game than other VHL and VHLM players. However, he’s one to practice until someone shuts the lights off on him: that’s just how devoted he is to mastering his craft. As a consequence, Hackett may seem a bit temperamental; he understands that others do not have the same endurance for drilling and practicing as much as he does, but he also doesn’t appreciate others getting in the way of his improvement. A lot of this feeds into his other strengths, as he’s willing to lay his body on the line for a particularly vicious hit, or put in the extra hustle to block a shot.
• Physicality – As far as actions are concerned, the most obvious of Saul’s strengths is his willingness to man up and stop an offensive. He’s not afraid to put the full force of his body into a hit, and he actually appreciates players that hit him in the same way. While Saul is not the largest defender (he hopes to put on weight as plays in the VHL), he has an excellent mix of technical checking and raw strength that allows him to take most players head-to-head.
• Adaptability – Built into Saul is an innate defensiveness. He much prefers to be reactive instead of proactive when defending against a player, resorting to a hit when he suspects his opponent may be able to out-maneuver him. When it comes to hockey, he’s a very quick learner, and the same trick probably won’t work on him twice. If the going gets tough, Saul will find a way to bring a particular matchup back under his control, utilizing his resilience and checking ability to maximum efficiency.

 

Weaknesses

• On-Puck Control – If there’s anything that other sports won’t teach you, it’s how to use a hockey stick effectively. Puck control is something that Hackett has worked on extensively since playing in college and joining the VHL, but it’s still something that is acquired through time on top of careful, focused practice. He has an excellent ability to anticipate shots and passes, but when it comes to handling the puck himself, he’d much rather give it away to a teammate than be forced to deal with it. He’s a defensive defenseman in the simplest sense of the word: he has difficulty with the puck, and would much rather stay on his side of the ice than try something desperate on the other side.
• Scoring – An artifact from when he started playing hockey, Saul has never been an excellent scorer. He has used the talents of his opponents and teammates to vastly improve his defensive acumen, but he simply doesn’t have a nose for the goal or the technique to back it up. Instead, he allows his teammates that are more offensively-minded to set up and execute on the other side of the ice.
• Experience – Hackett has played serious hockey for six years, which is something unusual for a player with VHL aspirations. In effect, even though he’s accrued plenty of experience in college playing for a national championship winner, there are still actions that professional players take that he’s not familiar with. In-game, this manifests itself as initially losing a lot of matchups, even those he’s believed to win. He tends to adjust fairly quickly, but the tone of most games is set in the first period. Many pundits interpret Hackett’s strange lack of experience and strong adaptability as a “clutch” factor, when really it’s simply his flexibility gradually overcoming his inexperience. As time goes on, expect Hackett to make a lot of adjustments that allow him to even out early mismatches.

[Tylar 219]

Overview: 2/2 - Great rookie profile. It looks like your going to be a stud player in the VHL and already are in the VHLM. I wish I would've had a high pick in the VHLM to pick you but Brampton is lucky. You're probably going to be the best player in the VHLM next season if you go back and will be a real good VHL pick. 

 

Pros & Cons: 3/3 - Well done. 

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Lovely.

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Very pretty.

 

Overall: 8/8

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

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