The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla [1/2]

[Anthony Matthews 65]

 

Anthony Matthews -

The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

Age: 18

 

Height: 5’9”

 

Weight: 190 lbs

 

Hometown: Stoney Creek, ON

 

Draft: Undrafted, signed as a free agent to Las Vegas Aces for a record setting $1.5 million

 

Pros:

 

• He is ridiculously good looking, like Zoolander good looking

• A coach’s dream - always listening and looking for ways to improve himself, doing what is best for the team

• Good hands.  Matthews takes care of the puck with his soft hands.

• Excels at faceoffs.  He was always one to be the go-to faceoff man, even when taking his turn in net.

• His hockey sense is great for a young kid and should continue to improve with age.

• Matthews’ puck handling has been talked about all the way up from single A

• His passing seems to know where the players are going to be, rather than where they are (or at least where they should be)

Cons:

 

• Doesn’t mind taking a hit, but doesn’t really care to hit.  He could us a bit of muscle to help soak up the hits and allow him to be more comfortable to occasionally hit someone.

• Lacks true scoring touch to make him stand out on the offensive end and to propel him to the top of the draft.

• Not greedy enough, always looking pass first instead of shooting.

• This has also affected his ability in a shootout - there is no one to pass to!

• Matthews is not as strong on the puck as one would like to see.  He will struggle in crowds and in the corners.

 

Matthews’ is a player who works hard.  He doesn’t need the flashy goals to know he’s done a good job.  He plays for the team, sometimes sacrificing himself to see the team succeed.  His instinct is pass first. So much in fact one time during a long shootout, he went in delaying his shot waiting for a teammate to open up.  One comment from his days in junior, is that he doesn't like to hit. Normally this would be fine, but some teams see his lack of natural scoring ability as a sign that he should hit more.

 

Only a couple of VHLM GMs saw past this and offered Matthews a contract.  So far in this season, Matthews is coming as promised. His point total is slow to start, but he has shown that when he does decide to shoot, he scores. (2 goals on 2 shots)  Matthews’ bread and butter has come while at the dot this year. He is currently winning face-offs at a 66% rate and looks to only improve as the season progresses. The offensive side of his game was never going to shine early in his career, so Matthews has focused on other aspects of his game to help the team out.  His lack of skating ability has lead to some untimely penalties which has apparently angered the GM (basically being removed from face-off duty over the last 6 games. As the season goes along and Matthews seems to become more comfortable in the VHLM, his play is improving and helping a team destined for greatness.

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Anthony Matthews

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

Sort of a different format than some guys would use, but it covers everything that needs to be covered.

Solid write-up and good luck.