[1/2] Dexter Lane RP

[Advantage 2,891]

#3 – DEXTER LANE – S55 DRAFTEE

 

 

Dexter Lane is an upcoming young prospect playing currently in the Victory Hockey League Minors.  While he is currently waiting to be drafted in the upcoming VHLM draft, he featured prominently for the Brampton Blades in their playoff run last season, as a late-season waiver pickup.  Lane, who is generally considered a defensive defenseman who loves throwing big hits and playing tough around the net, recorded seven points in ten games, to go along with his sixteen hits and five blocked shots.  His point total was good enough to place him second on the Blades in scoring and fourth among all defenders in scoring during the playoff campaign.  Lane, who belongs to the Advantage Agency that produced the likes of Ryan Sullivan and Brick Wahl, is looking to follow in the footsteps of some of his predecessors and even currently represented Brock Dragonslayer, who is starting to come into his own as a member of the European Conference Champions, the Stockholm Vikings.  Except this upcoming season to be a huge year for Lane, as not only will he get drafted to a VHLM team, but he should also feature prominently in a season that should do a lot for his stock heading into the Season 55 VHL Draft.

 

STRENGTHS

 

1.       Defensive Play – The hallmark of Dexter Lane’s game is his defensive play.  Normally an afterthought that grows as you grow into your eventual role, Lane has taken defensive play to be the most important aspect of his arsenal.  He can just as easily maintain pace with a player and use his stick checking ability and positioning to strip the puck off a defender, as he can use brute force and rub him into the boards lifting the puck off him.  While he may have his weaknesses offensively, his defensive play alone should make him a very coveted player as he earned comparisons to former VHL elite defenders in Olivier Scarlett and Lars Intranquilo.  We will have to see if his defensive game reaches those levels, but there are very encouraging signs thus far.

 

2.       Skating – One aspect that should benefit his defensive play is his tremendous skating.  While his positioning is exceptional, I expect that his skating will allow him to defend the VHL’s best when they are rushing up the ice.  Skating is rather a crucial attribute for any top defenseman to possess if they want to be successful in the Victory Hockey League, regardless of whether they are offensive or defensive.  Skating is one of the few attributes that helps in every zone of the ice and luckily for Lane, he’s one of the best skaters in his age group.

 

3.       Physicality – There is nothing wrong with being a soft but positionally sound defender.  Nicklas Lidstrom made a career off it and never looked back.  With that being said, a little brute force here and there doesn’t hurt either.  Following in the model of Hall of Fame defenseman Ryan Sullivan, Dexter Lane is showing off his “terminating” skills at a very young age as a player in the minor-league system.  One opposing coach had this to say about it: “You really have to keep your head up out there.  He can come at you with reckless abandon and while it’s frustrating as a coach to see a kid running around out there, he really seems to know when to pick his spot.”

 

WEAKNESSES

 

1.       Scoring – Dexter Lane will never be an elite goal scorer.  Some defenders like Alexander Valiq, Lee King Snatch and Daniel Braxton, excelled at finding the back of the net despite being on the point for the whole game.  Unfortunately for Lane, he doesn’t seem to have the shot arsenal or the vision offensively to ever be that kind of player.  He is safe and generally will put the puck in the corner before he fires a shot through traffic.  While there is nothing wrong with that, he will certainly never be an elite goal scoring defenseman like so many covet.

 

2.       Strength – This is an area that isn’t necessarily a weakness but will need to be improved on if Dexter Lane wants to be a more physical defender by the time he makes the Victory Hockey League.  He really doesn’t have too much trouble dealing with the smaller and younger prospects that are in the minors, but may need to really physically develop before making the jump up.  The shiftier, offensively inclined defenders may not necessarily need to improve their strength as much, but Lane is certainly not one of those defensemen.

 

3.       Puckhandling – Probably the greatest weakness that could hold Dexter Lane back going forward.  While I have stated several times that he is not offensively inclined and there is nothing wrong with that, he still needs to learn how to manage the puck better.  Whether that is making the simple pass or dumping it off the boards and out of the zone, Lane needs to work on how to manage the puck efficiently and effectively if he wants to have any success going forward.  Great teams will pick that apart and it will lead to him being an afterthought going forward.

[Gudnason 607]

Scoring weakness says the guy who teamed up with Kinkaid in the playoffs vs Bern and showed Sokolov who is boss.

[Advantage 2,891]

2 minutes ago, punkhippie said:

Scoring weakness says the guy who teamed up with Kinkaid in the playoffs vs Bern and showed Sokolov who is boss.

True, though in theory I'll probably never add a point to scoring lol.

[BOOM 8,745]

Get a haircut you hippie.

[boubabi 4,725]

Oh brett lernout. You had an interesting potential

[Advantage 2,891]

17 hours ago, boubabi said:

Oh brett lernout. You had an interesting potential

I still kinda dig him.  Maybe a bottom pairing guy.

[Gudnason 607]

Hey, bonus points for colour! Out of curiosity where are you from, @Advantage? It's interesting you used two blank spaces between sentences; I know some people who do follow that practice but it's really rare, at least for me. It was really well-written and I don't have much to complain about. Since you're also a veteran member I'm going to get nitpicky and do it like the old days. Hope you find it useful or at least appreciate it as writing is a life-long skill that is useful in real life too!  

 

Lane, who belongs to the Advantage Agency that produced the likes of Ryan Sullivan and Brick Wahl, is looking to follow in the footsteps of some of his predecessors and even currently represented Brock Dragonslayer, who is starting to come into his own as a member of the European Conference Champions, the Stockholm Vikings. --> Run on sentence

 

Except this upcoming season to be a huge year for Lane --> Expect this... (spelling error)

 

Skating is rather a crucial attribute --> Skating is a rather crucial attribute

 

One opposing coach had this to say about it: “You really have to --> One opposing coach had this to say about it, “You really have to (comma instead of colon)

 

Some defenders like Alexander Valiq, Lee King Snatch and Daniel Braxton, excelled at finding the back of the net --> Some defenders like Alexander Valiq, Lee King Snatch and Daniel Braxton excelled at finding the back of the net (no comma after Braxton)

 

While I have stated several times that he is not offensively inclined --> random first person narrative

 

Again, I was just being nitpicky and I have to assert myself again that this was quite well written. Little bit on the short side but still met the requirements. Good luck with Lane and hopefully he'll have a successful career. Remember not to score on me this season; the odd assist against me is okay though.