Claimed: Matt Denning Rookie Profile (1/2)

[jvd 50]

 

Matt Denning

Position: RW

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 199lbs

Home Town: Victoria BC

Junior Team: Chilliwak Chiefs (BCHL)

NHL comparibles: Marian Hossa, Loui Eriksson

 

After an impressive minor career, this west coast winger opted out of the CHL in order to keep his NCAA elegibility. Playing a tier down hasn't stopped the scouts from noticing Denning, who set the BCHL on fire last season with 92 points (44 - 48 - 92) through 58 games, besting team-mate and fellow NCAA bound prospect Kawaguchi by 7 points for the team lead. Denning is a smooth skater with and excellent shot who takes care a business in his own end and isn't afraid to go to the dirty areas. He projects to be a top 6 two-way winger who can play the PP, the PK, and be counted on for goals.

 

Matt recently opted to sign with the Los Vegas Aces and turned pro, forgoing the NCAA route. 

 

Strengths:

Shooting the puck: He has a hard, accurate shot with a quick release. Denning has fooled BCHL goal tenders for years with how quickly the puck can come off his stick. His release is certianly a step above his peers and should translate well to the next level.

 

Two-way Play: Relied on by his coaches in all situations, Denning is no slouch in the defensive zone. An accomplished penalty killer, Denning is great at taking away passes and using his speed to get the puck out of danger.

 

Playing in the tough areas: Forechecking, battling along the boards, and battling for position infront of both nets, Denning likes to get gritty and can play with a bit of an edge to his game.

 

Weaknesses:

Playing too North/South: He is great at taking the puck up the ice and to the net, but sometimes making a lateral move or slowing down the play would be the better option. Denning needs to improve at looking at all options available to him, sometimes a pass is a better option than a low percentage shot on net.

 

Decipline: The edge we mentioned he plays with? Sometimes he takes it too far. Several times over the past season he has taken unnessisary penalties by giving an extra shove on the forcheck or infornt of the net. He will need to work on keeping cool and not putting his team on the penalty kill.

 

Consistance: Denning plays best when he is emotionally engaged and the game is a bit chippy. If the pace of the game is slow, he tends to slow down too. He's been able to produce against BCHL competition even when he is "off", but that won't work against more skilled and professional players.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

REVIEW: @jvd

Again, welcome to the league! This is a good introduction to your first player, Matt Denning. Coming from the BCHL is an interesting choice, as I don't think we have many people choose to come from that path. Although I could be mixing the BCHL up with another league or something, because I don't know too much about the CHL outside of the WHL,OHL, and QMJHL. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and good luck in the playoffs!

 

The pros/cons section may be below the minimum word requirement (~350 words) but I think we can let that slide for your first article for the league!

[jvd 50]

On 7/16/2017 at 11:04 AM, Fire Hakstol said:

REVIEW: @jvd

Again, welcome to the league! This is a good introduction to your first player, Matt Denning. Coming from the BCHL is an interesting choice, as I don't think we have many people choose to come from that path. Although I could be mixing the BCHL up with another league or something, because I don't know too much about the CHL outside of the WHL,OHL, and QMJHL. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and good luck in the playoffs!

 

The pros/cons section may be below the minimum word requirement (~350 words) but I think we can let that slide for your first article for the league!

Thanks for the feedback @Fire Hakstol. BCHL is the second tier major junior league in British Columbia (behind the WHL) Milan Lucic, Duncan Keith, and Mark Recchi are some notable alumni from that league. The CHL leagues (WHL, OHL, and QMJHL) are considered "professional junior" by the NCAA, so players from those leagues are ineligible for US college hockey.