Claimed: Vesto Slipher Rookie Profile [1/2]

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Rookie Report

LW Vesto Slipher
18 years old

6'2", 220 lbs.

Birthplace: USA (Oregon)

 

Overview

Vesto Slipher comes to the VHL from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, where he had a brief dalliance with the Canadian junior hockey system after growing up in the American Northwest. Slipher has a fairly solid frame, but he's not much of a physical presence. His game is mostly reliant on speed, skill, and finesse. Many players shun the idea of "finesse", but Slipher owns his skill set and he knows how to make it work to the benefit of himself and his team. He may need a bit of extra time in the VHLM to bring his game up to speed, but his skills should translate well to the league.

 

Player Profile

Checking: Weakness

Slipher isn't a very physical player. He'll try to hold his own, but he'll generally get boxed out of the slot by bigger, stronger players. If he's going to make a play, it's not going to involve him getting rough in front of the net.

Fighting: Weakness
Discipline: Strength

On that same note, Slipher isn't going to win any fights.  Of course, he's also going to avoid starting them in the first place, so that isn't too big of a concern. His team will just need to look elsewhere if they're hoping to find a motivational boost from some fisticuffs.

Skating: Strength

Slipher is going to make his way in the VHL by flashing speed along the boards and helping his team in transition. His speed and quickness in skates has set him apart in the lower levels of his hockey career, but there's still plenty of room for him to improve when the VHL comes calling.

Strength: Weakness

As hard as it may be to wrap your head around the linguistics of it, strength is a huge weakness in Slipher's game. Heavy reliance on his speed and agility have left him vulnerable to big hits, and when the time comes to deliver one of his own he won't be in much of a position to do so.
 

Puck Handling: Strength

While his best asset is is speed, Slipher's stick-handling abilities aren't anything to laugh at. He anticipates defenders fairly well (or, at least he did in the lower levels), so he knows the best way to carry the puck into the zone against any particular team. He's capable of pulling off just about any move you can think of.

Faceoffs: Weakness

Slipher can read his opponents well, but he could never quite anticipate when the ref was ready to drop the puck. Couple that with his lack of physical muscle, and there's a reason he's firmly planted out on the wing.

Passing: Neutral

The phrase "puck hog" is fairly common in today's hockey parlance, but Slipher is fairly neutral when it comes to loading up on shots. He'll take plenty, for sure, but he can also pass to the open man when necessary. He's not the greatest passer in the world, but it's not a liability in his game at this point.

Scoring: Strength

Slipher can score, plain and simple. He's great at moving past defenders into an open spot, he's good at leaving them in his dust, and he's good at faking out goaltenders to score. THe man has a gift, and it's going to make the VHL take notice quickly.

Defense: Neutral

Unlike many scoring-first defenders, Slipher is going to be a presence in the defensive zone. That said, his presence isn't going to be very imposing. He needs to work on his defensive game quite a bit, but it's something he'll be working on throughout his career with care.

Penalty Shot: Strength

Slipher's puck handling and skating are a large part of his prowess in penalty shots and the shootout, but his mental game is also on point. Slipher isn't intimidated by the bright lights or the loneliness of the situation; on the contrary, he thrives in it.

Experience: Weakness

As a rookie, Slipher is inexperienced. As time passes, he will gain experience. Simple enough, right?

Leadership: Neutral

Slipher is very much a leader by example. He won't deliver fiery pre-game speeches to get his team going, but he'll show them the best way to get things done.

[Banackock 8,044]

Fuck yeah

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Review:

Solid RP. Great writing as usual from you. Slipher is going to be a great player. This upcoming draft will be exciting.