Jake Scheel Working on Face-Offs

[MD9 139]

Jake Scheel Working on Face-Offs

VHL.com // J.S. Augusta
 
With the possibility of playing on the first line looming overhead, Jake Scheel has begun to focus on an entirely different part of his game in training camp: face-offs. Although it was publicized before that Scheel was redoubling his efforts in passing, skating, and all around athletics as the playoffs went less than ideal in terms of his individual play, the need for a team to have a reliable player to take the draw has pushed him in that direction. His face-off rate was fairly good last season, but he’ll need to be even better come the beginning of this year, matching up against even better players, and taking the draws in important moments in the game.
 
As important as face-offs are, many neglect to account for them when discussing the overall play of a center. While it’s true that a center plays an important, and unique role on the team in terms of his individual spacing and, in Scheel’s case, ability to feed to either wing and effectively ‘lead’ the play, with the amount of goals scored right off of face-offs, and the amount of important face-offs that come particularly late in a game when teams start icing the puck, the ability to reliably win one can not just have a positive impact on the game -- but can in fact save a game from going south at the last moment.
 
Whether or not these efforts will yield results remains to be seen: with bigger, stronger centers throughout the league, there remains a very real possibility that Scheel could be bullied on the dot and find himself overmatched. However, even if he doesn’t find himself winning a high percentage of draws this season, one thing is sure: it won’t be for a lack of trying.
 

Edited June 5, 2017 by MD9
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