Claimed: SPICEY Rookie Report

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Spicey, a centre playing his trade out in Sarnia, is looking to make a big jump up to the VHLM. A tall, physical, power forward who is able to put the puck in the net. Coming in at 6'3" and 210 lbs, he is a top-end prospect with a high ceiling but is going to take some time before he reaches that potential. He joined the game late but he has put in a lot of work to get where he is today and the hard work doesn't seem to be slowing down. He's got a hard shot, a hard check and isn't afraid to sacrifice his body to make a play, offence or defence. His hands and skating will need some work to really develop into a player capable of producing in more than just goals on offence. 

 

Pros

Spicey is a hard worker. He's not afraid to throw his body and get in the face of players. He'll take a hit to make a play and give a hit to make another. He has a hard check and makes anyone coming over the blue line pay the toll while forcing opposing defensemen to think quick or risk a huge check and turnover in the offensive zone. Milan Lucic looks to be a player he could develop to be in terms of his body checking ability.

Spicey has a wicked shot, if he gets open in front of the net or near the top of the face off dot, a quick wrist shot or a one timer is well within his arsenal. A goalie doesn't have enough time to get over with a quick shot getting up to 80+ on the radar. Looking at someone like an Alexander Ovechkin, that kind of shot in that kind of area of the ice is definitely the kind of player Spicey could develop to be.

Finally, his defensive abilities is something he has focussed on a lot in order to make the jump up the VHLM and, eventually, the VHL. His big body can be a great help on the penalty kill but he never really had the defensive awareness to really be effective. He's put in the work and his defensive IQ is now one of his strongest attributes. He has developed into a true two-way forward and can put in the minutes on the penalty kill and take key defensive zone face offs.

 

Cons

Spicey needs to focus on his offensive abilities. He has a wicked shot but his passing needs work. When he gets the puck, his first thought is always going to be shoot but that option is not always available. A focus on passing is a must so he's not losing offensive opportunities for his team or missing passes from the defensive zone that lead to opportunities the other way. A passing game is necessary to make it to the next phase of his career.

His skating attributes are definitely lower than they should be at this point in his career. As a big body scorer, he doesn't need to be the fastest skater on the ice but that doesn't change that lagging behind the play is always going to put him at a disadvantage. Being a trailer is a good thing for a scorer but being too far back can really hurt a players stats and put his team on a   5-on-4 for a couple of seconds as he hustles back.

As a checker, staying out of the box every single game is not a possibility. Bad luck can lead to penalties when you are throwing your body but you need to focus on limiting those as constant penalties put your team at a disadvantage, especially as a penalty killer himself. Having one of their top penalty killers constantly taking penalties does nothing but hurt a team. Especially as he isn't the fastest player, taking lazy tripping and hooking penalties are something that needs to be limited going forward.