Claimed:Harper Rookie Profile

[Daniel 565]

Name: RILEY HARPER

Position: RW

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 205lbs

Birthplace: Burlington, Ontario - CANADA

 

POSITIVES

+Scoring: Riley is a natural goal scorer, confident with the puck, he has no problem finding the back of the net in a variety of situations. When paired up with a playmaking center Riley can create all kinds of trouble for teams, as he possesses the range of shots to put the puck behind the goalie from almost anywhere in the zone. It's expected that both the power and accuracy of Riley's shot will increase as he comes closer to playing at the VHL level, and it's advised that teams underestimate him as a scoring threat at their own risk.

 

+Puck Handling: Considered by many to be something of a wizard with the puck, Riley possesses the raw skills to pull off a variety of tricks and get the puck past defensemen by any means necessary. His raw ability on the puck is a huge advantage for Riley going forward, as it should translate well to the VHL level when he reaches it and give him another string in his bow as he attempts to be a truly deadly offensive force. He is shrewd also with the puck, knowing how to get it to the right teammate to make a play happen, and can be deceptively strong when carrying it to due to his size advantage he possesses.

 

+Skating: A terrific skater, in fact a former champion figure skater in his youth (but that's a story for another day), Riley is quite simply extraordinary in a pair of skates. Able to skate rings around his opponents, he has the speed and technical prowess to make anyone look foolish, and it's likely that he can't be beaten when it comes to flat out foot speed on the ice. He has a long way to go if he wants to have the same effect in the senior league when he reaches it but all signs would point to him having the skill to do just that. 

 

NEGATIVES

-Physicality: Despite being of a good size, Riley is always slow to bring a physical side of his game forward, instead relying on
teammates to dig in and do the dirty work while he sits back and watches. The frustrating thing about it is he probably does possess the ability to be effective with the body but he seemingly has no inclination at all to help his team out. Which brings us conveniently on to our next point..

 

-Attitude: Riley is a sarcastic, rude and arrogant young man who seemingly believes that whatever he says is gospel and the sun shines out of his ass. He hasn't proved to be the most coachable of players so far in his career with his ego getting in the way of his undeniable talent, and the team that picks him up in the draft will have to be ready for what is nearly always an uphill battle in getting through to him. 

 

-Experience: So far in his career, Riley has not gotten the big game experience of playing and succeeding against top opposition that would prove important at this level. He may effectively be thrown into the deep end by joining the VHLM, and it will be important to see how Riley adapts to the sink or swim scenario he now finds himself in, surrounded by some top level players in a much more unforgiving environment than he is used to.

 

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Edited February 14, 2017 by Daniel

[Corco 1,237]

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