Justin Cole Rookie Report

[WhiteMocha 33]

Justin Cole

Position: G

 

Age: 16

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 200 lbs

Birthplace: Orange County, CA, USA

 

Current Team: Saskatoon Wild

 

Justin came late to hockey, having moved around the country for most of his childhood but sticking to warmer areas of the US. He originally took to football, but when his family moved back to Western New York to be closer to his grandparents, his grandfather insisted he give the sport he loved a try. Justin didn't much enjoy being out on open ice, but he took to netminding like a fish to water. With a mind for reading plays as they develop, catlike reactions, and quick hands, he proved to have a lot of raw talent and has been working nonstop to catch up to his compatriots who have been playing the game all their lives. He was ecstatic to attract the attention of Saskatoon; their roster has been gutted, but both he and the Wild feel he'll be the one position of improvement on the team.

 

Positives

 

Quickness

 

Justin's athletic endeavors have always been marked by the same highlight; speed. This is actually exactly why he found he didn't like the other positions on the ice as his lack of ability to skate took away his usual advantage. Straight-line speed isn't his only advantage though, his fast reactions and quick hands proved his greatest strength in net, and he fell in love with the position because of it. He's only rarely beaten high, and in the rare cases he's caught out of position he's got a quick recovery.

 

Work Ethic

 

Justin is keenly aware of how late he came to the game. He sees himself as an underdog, constantly working to catch up to the others around him. Rather than making him angry or giving him a chip on his shoulder, he revels in the role. He loves the fact that, to this point, his hockey career has been a story of him always doing better than expected. Every new skill learned and mastered is a victory he savors. If he's not in the weight room or getting reps on the ice, his face is colored by the glow of a tablet as he reads up on the academic theory behind the game. He has a drive to be the best he can be, and starting from further behind has only provided more fuel for his motor.

 

Even-Keeled

 

Justin has a certain philosophy about competition itself, he believes it's meant to determine who's the best on that day. A win is an affirmation of all the work he's put in so far, a loss is a push to make sure it doesn't happen next time. This leads to Justin never getting too high or too low and this lends to him being a rock to his teammates despite his young age. No matter how big the win he won't let anyone get too big a head, and no matter how crushing the loss he doesn't let people mope about it.

 

Negatives

 

 

Hockey IQ

 

While there's no denying Justin's intelligence or eagerness to learn, he's still behind the curve. He just doesn't have the experience of his peers, and when it comes to reading plays he can find himself out of position. His quickness in getting across the crease can sometimes make up for that, but there's no denying that at this stage the single greatest cause of goals he lets in is his lack of knowledge of the game.

 

Rebound Control

 

Having only been in the game a few years some fundamentals still escapes Justin. Most especially, keeping track of where the puck is going after he stops it. Unless he's caught it in his glove, it could be going anywhere. He's reacting to the bounce same as everyone else, and his quick reaction time hasn't given him much incentive to fix the problem. He can often stop the rebound from just being so quick, and has learned to rely on this rather than keeping control of the puck directly.

 

Detachment

 

There's little need to light a fire under Justin given his work ethic but in the big moments, he doesn't get quite as into it leaving his team feeling like he's not quite with them. While his more complimentary nickname is "Ice Cube" for how the big, clutch moments never make him sweat, his strange distance from the emotion of the game has also led to his high school teammates referring to him as "The Alien." His attitude can help keep the team from being too swingy, there's also something off-putting about he doesn't even enjoy the high moments with his team. This can lead to some oddities in team chemistry.

 

[Beaviss 4,949]

Great start @WhiteMocha!

[WhiteMocha 33]

Some of it's a little contradictory. But I was literally making it up as I typed. It made for a fun exercise though, I really enjoyed it.

[Beaviss 4,949]

12 minutes ago, WhiteMocha said:

Some of it's a little contradictory. But I was literally making it up as I typed. It made for a fun exercise though, I really enjoyed it.

 

That's great! Doing this is what normally seperates the busts from the promising new members. 

[Peace 1,518]

Nice work! 

 

Glad your a member of the Wild. 

[CurtisG93 23]

That’s what I like to see another teammate getting that TPE

#backtobackchamps