Rookie Profile: Rusty Shackleford [1/2]

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Name: Rusty Shackleford 

DOB: July 12, 1997, (21) 

Origin: Arlington, TX, USA 

Position: D 

Handedness: R 

Height: 6’5” (195 cm) 

Weight: 225 lbs. (102 kg) 

Preferred #: 27 

 

 

Big defensive defenseman, Rusty Shackleford, after playing 4 years in the NCAA for Arizona State University, has just signed with his first VHLM team, the Saskatoon Wild. This young player is expected to make a big impact in his first season in the VHLM, expected to start in a top 4 position, and Saskatoon is counting on Shackleford to live up to the hype.  

 

 

 

Strengths: 

• Checking: Standing at 6 feet and 5 inches, and weighing 225 lbs, Shackleford is an imposing presence on the ice. He proved his size was not just for show in his college career by consistently being one of the NCAA Division 1 leaders in hits. Shackleford made a name for himself not just with the frequency of his hits, but the severity of them. Shackleford has found his way onto several viral highlight reels and montages thanks to his bone-jarring body checks.  

• Defense: Shackleford’s strongest asset is his great defensive skill. His size and reach help him to seemingly take up the entire defensive zone, and the threat of his devastating hits will usually force his opponents to more cautiously rush into the zone. Shackleford especially shines when the puck is along the boards, as he has shown his ability to overpower his opponents and win puck battles.  

• Leadership: Shackleford was beloved by his teammates at every level of play. He livens up any locker room that he is a part of with his humor and good spirits, keeping his teammates and coaches in a good mood. He usually ends up becoming a “coach’s pet” due to his willingness to do anything for his team, although this usually consists of his violent physicality, and willingness to drop the gloves to stand up for any of his teammates.  

 

 

Weaknesses: 

• Scoring: Shackleford has a hard shot, but scored few goals in his collegiate career, and generally had relatively low point totals. Many of his points came through assists, with most of them coming directly following his defensive play. He is not expected to make much of an impact scoring or generating scoring chances. Shackleford will need to work on his shot accuracy and offensive skills.  

• Puck Handling: Shackleford creates many turnovers, both forcing his opponents into them and giving them up himself. This is largely due to his puck handling skills. He will need to improve his puck handling skills so that he does not become a liability for his team in the VHLM. It will be interesting to see how this affects Shackleford’s first season, and whether he will be able to create more turnovers than he causes.  

• Discipline: While Shackleford is usually good natured around his teammates and coaches, he has gained a reputation for a nasty temper. As some teams found out, he was quik to retaliate if provoked, and some teams took advantage of this, if their players were brave enough to take the sure beating that would follow. There are also rumors circulating about Shackleford’s party lifestyle off the ice, and whether this may affect his performance on the ice.  

 

 

Similar play style to: 

Zdeno Chara 

Scott Stevens 

Rasmus Ristolainen 

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Review:
Good writeup, I enjoyed the brief introduction to your player, gave a little more details on what type of a player he is and what the future holds for him in Saskatoon.
Now more on the Strengths and weaknesses, Great choices in both categories as I feel you didn't go for the cliche of "my guy is good in scoring/defense/passing", you went the route of "Hey, my guy can be a captain, take one for the team and really set up his teammates with his checking/leadership", I appreciated that the most.
Overall very nicely edited post, good usage of the Bullet-Lists and so on, I like the inclusion of the 2 pictures, they bring that joy to our eyes reading these articles opposed to just plain wall-of-texts.