Claimed:Brent Hardy Rookie Profile [Reviewed]

[Nero 27]

 

 

 

BRENT HARDY – Defenceman - (Season 51) 

 

 

-Overview-

 

Born: April 6, 1998 (age 18)

 

Height: 6’3

 

Weight: 225

 

Handedness: Right

 

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

High School: St. Michael’s College School

 

Current Team: Ottawa Lynx (#7 / Defenceman)

 

 

-Summary-

 

Brent Hardy is a pure athlete with a rich ice hockey pedigree.  He is not only a product of the St. Michael’s College School (Prep) program but he is the son of Gordon Hardy and the protégé to Gus Goudreau, a pair of CCJHL legends.  Many VHL scouts have lauded Brent Hardy for his tremendous work ethic and dedication to the constant betterment of his game.  Hardy projects as a top pairing defenceman with the potential to develop into an elite player.  He should be a major factor on special teams as he continues to develop the flexibility to run the power and be a shut-down defender on the penalty kill.  Hardy will be team leader at every stop and has a personallity that is extremely marketable. 

 

 

-Strengths-

 

Presence – There are plenty of physical attributes to describe Hardy of which many combine to produce his imposing presence.  His teammates at St. Michael’s admit Brent was always around the clubhouse and typically the center of attention.  “Good or bad, Brent was always the ringleader,” said one former line mate.  Hardy spent two years as team captain of the Blue Raiders and played the role very well.  He was always seen controlling the tempo on the ice and in rallying his teammates just prior to clutch situations.  “I’m an intense guy who likes to let everyone in another uniform know where I am on the ice,” Hardy once admitted to VHLM scouts.

 

Isolation – If Brent Hardy has a super power, anticipation is it.  Few young players have the ability to read puck-moving forwards as well as Hardy does.  He is very comfortable in 2-on-1 scenarios and will find way to disrupt the opposing advantage.  Goudreau has said the goalies who played behind Hardy at St. Michael’s, “...always excelled because [Brent] kept a lot of pressure off”.  Hardy is even better in even situations where he presents great instincts and stick work to win a majority of his battles. 

 

Skating – “Few players of similar size skate as well as [Hardy] does,” admitted one VHLM GM.  He’s not the quickest player on the ice but he is a smooth skater that can keep up with the game’s better forwards.  Most important, Hardy can fluently move East to West and best within his team’s zone.  “...deceiving, in a good way”, was how one league scout described Brent’s movement up and down the ice.

 

 

-Weaknesses-

 

Passing – Hardy was, once upon a time, a breakaway skater who finished plays on the offensive end of the ice.  Fast-forward to now and he’s a larger, more physical type of defenceman.  That said, it’s worth noting Hardy’s concentration was never to pick apart a zone and strategically move the puck.  His coaches at St. Michael’s admitted Brent’s goals were set up or situations in which Goudreau says, “...he just took the puck and ran with it”.  The talent-laced Raiders never had to rely on Hardy to quarterback the power play but the same cannot be said about the VHLM.  Expect coaches to begin working with him on puck movement as it’s the one attribute that can see Brent Hardy emerge as an elite defenceman in the VHL.  

 

Checking – Depsite his large stature, avoiding physical contact is something Hardy’s father taught him at a young age.  Gordon Hardy admits that his son’s, “runt-like size”, while growing up cause him to develop a more, “cat and mouselike” type of game.  Brent showed more of a willingness to get physical as a senior at St. Michael’s.  His checking along the boards showed progress under Goudreau’s tuteledge but he was often times entangled and either late to a spot or caught completely out of position.

 

Patience – Similar to his struggles in puck moving, Hardy hasn’t done himself any favors in terms of allowing plays to develop.  Although he handles the puck better than average, Hardy often looked to pass before lanes opened and tried to force many goals.  Cramming the puck down the opposition’s throat worked in prep school but obviously won’t come so simple at the junior and professional levels. 

Edited July 28, 2016 by Nero

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Review:

Great stuff, man. I really liked the flow of this and the use of embedded quotes. Nothing really negative to say. Few grammar or spelling issues but nothing major. 

 

Looking forward to seeing what Hardy can do.