Rookie Profile: (D) Hugh Chan [1/2]

[HughJas_ 76]

Name: Hugh Chan

Age: 17

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 195 LBS

Hometown: Hong Kong, China

Position: Defenseman

 

Hugh Chan was born and raised in Hong Kong, China. The 6'1'' Defenseman is an interesting prospect, he was first discovered by a scout from Vancouver who was visiting the local rinks in Hong Kong who saw the skill and potential of this smooth skating Defenseman. Coming over to North America he continued his dominance over the AAA leagues, he then signed as a free agent in the VHLM Chan is a smooth skating, puck moving defenseman that can contribute on both ends of the ice.

 

Pros:

Defense - Chan has always been an elite defensive player. What he lacks in size and aggressiveness, he makes up for in elite positioning and high hockey IQ, which allows him to always be 1 step ahead of the play. Chan isn't afraid to sacrifice his body in order to block a shot, he shattered records in AAA Vancouver Midget hockey for Shots Blocked in a season, while also leading his team in +/-. Chan currently leads his VHLM team in +/- as a rookie with a +33 rating, which is unheard of for a first year defenseman.

 

Puck handling -

His hands pair well with his skating ability, Chan is frequently relied with starting a breakout from his zone. His amazing hands allow him to effortlessly make an entry into the offensive zone, or to make a breakout pass. This ability has time and time again helped with keeping the puck away from his opponents, he has elite puck control and has shown its usefulness at the next level.

 

Passing -

His hockey IQ and elite vision have tremendously helped with the passing aspect of his game. Chan is a great quarterback PP defenseman who can always be relied on to make something happen, he frequently played on the PP lines in Midget and has shown at the VHL level to have the potential to be a valuable offensive player.

 

Cons:

Checking - 

Although Chan isn't afraid to make big hits, he can sometimes be hesitant to finish his checks as he does not have the biggest stature. To improve Chan will definitely need to be more aggressive on the ice in order to be further relied on in defensive situations such as the penalty kill.

 

Scoring -

Scouts would like to see Chan shoot a lot more in the offensive roles that he is given. He is often known to be a pass first kind of player, it wouldn't hurt his game to add more shooting to his arsenal. We hope to be able to see Chan as a bigger threat on the offensive end as he continues to incorporate this into his game, he could definitely be a 15-20 goal scorer

 

Leadership -

Chan has always been a great locker room presence, although scouts would like to see him more in a role where he can lead a team. As his maturity grows many scouts believe so will his game, being able to lead a team both on and off the ice has shown great results for defenseman in the VHL.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by HughJas_

[Dalton Wilcox 85]

Review:

Well formatted, nice picture and easy to read. Sounds like he's going to be a great offensive dman in the VHL.  As a fellow HKer turned North American hockey player, I can definitely related to Hugh Chan's story.  I hope he has a great career!