VHL Season 63 Prospect: Joseph McWolf [1/2]

[McWolf 3,115]

VHL Season 63 Prospect: Joseph McWolf

 

JOSEPH McWOLF
DATE OF BIRTH	Jan. 27th, 1998 (20)	POSITION	Defenseman
PLACE OF BIRTH	Worcester Park, UK	HEIGHT	6 ft. 2 in.
NATION	England	WEIGHT	199 lbs
YOUTH TEAM	St. Andrews Typhoons	SHOOTS	Right
VHL RIGHTS	None (Eligible in the S63 Entry Draft)
VHLM RIGHTS	Ottawa Lynx (S62 Dispersal Draft; 3rd Rd., 16th pick)

 

Fresh off a strong campaign with the St. Andrews Typhoons in the British University Ice Hockey Association where he amassed 3 goals and 20 assists in 48 games, Joseph McWolf looks to pursue his development in North America, as he was drafted 16th overall by the Ottawa Lynx in the most recent dispersal draft. He was a late-bloomer, only picking up the skates at age 13, but he developed well enough over the course of his short career to earn himself a spot on what could very well be the best team in the VHL’s minor league this season.

 

 

 

Strengths

EXCELLENT DEFENSIVE AWARENESS; McWolf’s upside comes from his defensive play. He instinctively knows where to position himself to block pass lines or deny shot opportunities, which helps him be an strong presence in his own zone, both at even strength and in shorthanded situations.

STRONG PHYSICAL PLAY; McWolf isn’t exactly massive, standing at 6’2” and 199 lbs, but his size is just about enough for him to be able to punish opponents trying to cross him in the neutral zone. His size is also an asset when it comes to winning battles for the puck near the boards. He never shies away from tough situations and may even drop the gloves to shift the momentum of the game or protect a teammate if necessary.

GREAT FIRST PASS; McWolf isn’t a top tier offensive producer, but he knows where his wingers should be and knows where to move the puck to breakout from the defensive zone. He might even surprise the opponents with long, precise, two-zone passes.

TEAMWORKING AND ATTITUDE; Far and foremost, McWolf has proved time and time again that he is a perfect team player. He does the dirty work so others don't have to do it and he doesn't mind never being in the spotlight. He understands he has a specific role to play and it's never going to make him appear as a hero, though he does get some recognition for it, but never as much as a sniper that just scored the game-winning goal.

 

Weaknesses

WEAK SHOTS; Saying McWolf’s slapper is subpar would be a massive understatement. The kid definitely needs to learn to shoot the puck towards the net strong enough to at least provoke deflections. As things are right now, he is not a threat from the blueline and opponents always expect him to pass first, making his whole offensive game predictable.

AVERAGE SKATING; McWolf haven’t skated for a whole decade yet and it shows. He has a passable cruising speed, but he can’t accelerate quick enough to reach that maximum speed fast. This might become a problem in the VHLM, where forwards are way better skaters than what he was used to in the English University games. He needs to work on that as soon as possible if he doesn’t want to get caught out of position and leave his defensive partner outnumbered a couple of times per game.

LACK OF DISCIPLINE; McWolf sometimes has a problem making the difference between a strong clean hit and a useless cheap hit. This is troubling, because he is most of the time seen as his team’s penalty kill specialist, but he’s also often the team’s leader in penalty minutes. He needs to continue delivering those possession-shifting clean hits, but he definitely needs to tone down on the stupid hits that get him caged for 2 minutes.

 

Projected Role

McWolf figures to develop into a top 4, borderline top 2 defenseman in the VHL. He has the skillset to become any team’s penalty killing specialist, but he is lacking the offensive talent to see any powerplay minutes. He could become a solid top 2 option if he’s able to develop his skating ability and if he becomes more disciplined.

 

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Word count; circa 700

Week; Aug. 6th-12th

Edited August 10, 2018 by McWolf

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

Damn, this looks professional. Great job!

I think you'll become more than a top 4/top 2 defenseman. You'll be a #1!