Rookie Profile: Jerry Garcia [1/2]

[Gustav 6,469]

Jerry Garcia: Rookie Profile

VHLM Team: Houston Bulls

Height: 73 in.

Weight: 194 lbs

Age: 20 years

 

 

In today's league of ever-younger players, some as young as 16 years of age, it is a notable occurrence when a player makes the choice to go pro, or even to seriously consider the game of hockey as a legitimate future pathway, at the age of 20. While Jerry Garcia, a picture of natural talent and determination may have made a relatively late entry into the world of professional hockey, he is still a prime example of uncapped potential and should, by all early accounts from his largely unnoticed entry into the league, be able to develop into a legitimate star and top many a team's wishlist as a pure defensive defenseman. 

 

Strengths:

-Defense: Jerry Garcia is a pure defensive player. He is always ready when called upon to block a shot or to keep the puck in the zone, he is the man to shut down any offensive-zone possession or odd-man rush, and he figures to be the first choice for any team on the penalty kill thanks to his exceptional defensive skill. Though largely unnoticed by the league's press, Garcia has been described by many a local reporter as a "goalie's best friend," as he is always ready to stop whatever an opponent has coming.

 

-Skating/Puck Handling: Garcia also demonstrates exceptional control while carrying the puck, and despite specializing in breaking up plays, is very difficult to knock off the puck. He is a reliable stickhandler and can be trusted in any situation possible--the puck is absolutely safe with him, so long as he is carrying it. 

 

-Passing: A purely defensive player can handle the puck all he wants, but for his team to score, he must be able to feed the puck to his more offensive-minded teammates. Being paired with offensive-minded defenseman Beau Buefordsson, as well as being able to feed the puck to any player on any one of Houston's potent combination of three complete forward lines, puts Garcia in heaven as far as player development is concerned. While, as has been more than clearly established, he is defensively-minded, one should look for Garcia to put up the points this season in the form of assists, as he is surrounded by the tools for success and is quite adept at the passing game himself. 

 

 

Weaknesses:

-Scoring: Garcia can, to put it bluntly, not be trusted to put the puck in the net. He is the polar opposite of a scoring defenseman, and while he may have all the tools necessary to set up a perfect opportunity, will rarely create one himself. His slap shot has never been seen as a deadly weapon and his shots will likely never find their way in unless they are redirected or the goaltender is perfectly screened. 

 

-Discipline: While Jerry Garcia is a coach's dream in terms of breaking up a play, his methods for doing so can be questionable. Garcia has not been known to have total control over the taking of penalties (or lack thereof), and it shows, as he is a frequent visitor to the penalty box. This is not a giant red flag, as discipline is a skill which can be easily refined as a player gains experience, but it is a red flag nonetheless. 

 

-Fighting: While fighting is unimportant on a statistical level, winning a fight can often provide a charge to a team's morale and spark a string of scoring with a change in, or a boost of, momentum. Jerry Garcia does not fight. He claims to never have been in a fight his entire life, and has said that he would "lose outright" against "just about any player in the VHLM." While some GMs and coaches may see this as helpful, it must be noted that this is a specific skill that some may prefer, and he does not bring it to the table.

[HenrikZoiderberg 469]

Review:

 

Hey, I really liked this one.

 

It could stand for some pictures, but it paints a picture of a player with a lot of issues common to star defensemen as they develop.

 

On 2/23/2019 at 9:06 PM, GustavMattias said:

Though largely unnoticed by the league's press, Garcia has been described by many a local reporter as a "goalie's best friend,"

 

Which is it? Is he noticed or not?

 

Otherwise solid report!

[Gustav 6,469]

@HenrikZoiderberg I almost forgot I did a rookie profile--this was way back when I had no idea what I was doing. Interesting to see someone digging that far back in the records. 

You're a hot rookie already--you'll do really well here. Good luck this season, but be warned--word on the street is that our teams might be rivals...

[HenrikZoiderberg 469]

@GustavMattias always nice to have a rival worth steeling oneself against