Mountain Thunderfist: Scouting Profile [1/2]

[AdamEss 58]

Mountain Thunderfist

Defenseman

"6'6"

238 lbs.

 

 

After a year has come and gone in the VHLM, Mountain Thunderfist prepares himself to enter the VHL Draft. His career started by coming out of seemingly nowhere and being drafted 30th overall by the Oslo Storm in the only pick in that draft that was not televised. He has spoken repeatedly about his belief that Oslo was ashamed to choose him base don this and what came next. He was quickly traded to the Las Vegas Aces before the regular season began, where he proceeded to shock quite a number of people and turn into a serious threat on the ice. A mysterious character known for referring to himself in third person at all times, his boisterous manner, and a really fucking loud speaking voice, Mountain is an intriguing prospect on and off the ice. Let's go over some of his strengths and weaknesses.

 

 

Strength- Passing

One doesn't generally expect to see this list as a strength right out of the gate for a defenseman, let alone one with the gigantic build of an enforcer like Mountain. Yet he finished with 51 assists on the season, good for 7th overall in the VHLM. Thunderfist is a crisp passer with the strength to put the puck anywhere on the ice that he wants it to go. Because he can do so, opposing teams will often be forced to play further from the net than they want to to try to counteract the giant with the deft touch. Even then, Mountain was one of only 7 players this season to have multiple assists while playing short handed.

 

Weakness-Scoring

It almost seems as if Mountain doesn't care about actually scoring. Whether it be a lack of confidence or a preference, he didn't take that many shots. A little more than 1 per game. Granted, to the naked eye, it might look like it simply made him mroe efficiant, as his 12 goals on so few shots drove some number crunchers wild. The truth is that Thunderfist passed up decent shots to give others the chance over and over again. There were some questions about a lack of killer instinct on the fofensive end, though somewhat muted by the rest of his play. Whatever the background, he's not a scorer and that's something that opposing coaches can find a way to exploit.

 

Strength- Defense

Mountain is a tenacious defender, whether he be using his huge frame to cover angles  and force people to shoot elsewhere, or blocking enough shots (76) to finish 16th in the league, or simply just fucking walloping people as he did to the tune of 159 hits (10th in the league). No matter how he does it, the guy can play defense at a level that helped the Aces make the playoffs. He was the top defender on the team in terms of +/- for good reason. As he continues to grow into the role that he thrives in, he should frustrate more and more shooters as time goes on.

 

Weakness- Discipline

The drawback to Thunderfists's style of play is simple and straightforward. He spends a lot of time in the penalty box. And by a lot we mean a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT. 129 minutes to be exact this past season, which was 4th in the VHLM. He plays big, hits hard, and physically challenges everyone he goes up against. However he is going to need to improve his control and discipline a fair amount. Let's be honest, too, he was only in a few fights and didn't win any of them decisively either. He's not you classic bruiser, though he looks like one and his play seems to have shades of that style. The question will be whether his style is a detriment or a positive. After all, how many goals against the Aces happened because he was sitting in the penalty box instead of on the ice? 

 

Strength- Uneven Play

He excelled at both power play and shorthanded hockey. As mentioned in his passing skill section, Thunderfist had multiple assists during penalty kills and was also a great asset during powerplays as well, scoring and assisting with great relish. It could simply be that the more ice there is, the better it seems to suit the gigantic player. Or it could be as simple as a matter of being able to put all his focus into one area. No matter what the reason may be, Thunderfist is someone you want on the ice during odd man situations.

 

Weakness- Physically Disappointing

Now this isn't to say he's not a tremendous physical specimen. That would be silly. But his skating is honestly just average. He hasn't shown the kind of dominant strength one would expect. As mentioned, his fighting seems mediocre. For someone of his physical makeup and indeed, his skill moving the puck, one would expect something.....more than what he's shown. Someone like Thunderfist ought to be an absolute game changer and instead what we've seen has just been.....good.

 

 

Mountain Thunderfist is projected to be a late 3rd/early 4th round pick and if someone can get in there and smooth the rough edges and put a little fire in his belly, he could become an extremely good player. It remains to be seen how much of his strengths will translate to the more competitive VHL, while it's clear that his weaknessess will all translate just fine if unchecked.

[JG10 28]

904 words. Really went above and beyond! Only thing I have to say is next time maybe include a picture to make it more visually appealing.