Rookie Profile- Finnegan MacBurn [1/2]

[DizzyWithLogic 43]

Rookie Profile

 

 

Finnegan MacBurn

 

Position- Defense

Height- 6'2"

Weight- 220 lbs

Handed- Ambidextrous (predominantly played right this season)

Hometown- Los Altos, California, U.S.A.

Previous Organizations- Salisbury School, San Jose Junior Sharks

 

Synopsis

A big mobile defenseman who always seems to be in the correct position to make the play. MacBurn sees the ice well and has an uncanny sense for where everyone is on the ice.

 

Skating

The strongest asset he possesses by far is his skating. Finn is a fantastic skater, especially for a young man with his sizable frame. Agility and lateral movement is remarkable, giving him the ability to turn quickly and well even in traffic. He skates the puck out of trouble and pushes offensive play. He does this well, not only with his constantly churning feet but a quik first step, followed by powerful separating strides. His strong fundamental gap control and ability to quickly change gears allows him to pounce on opponents at the blue line. Often this prevents zone penetration or causes a change of possession.

Every aspect of his skating and footwork look V.H.L. ready, from his quik change of direction all the way through to his top speed, it's all accomplished with ease and grace.

 

 

Awareness

Good instincts and a high IQ are displayed consistently in all three zones. Finnegan uses his stick and positioning to break up plays, often in the neutral zone, frustrating opponents. In his own zone he single handedly turns odd man assaults into chances the other way. Great passing is often the result of his uncanny sense for where the play is going to be, and helps him be the force developing it. He can think the game a few steps ahead. Exemplifying this trait is the reduced number of offsides calls his team takes when he's on the ice. Time after time, board battles from the sidewall end up as breakaways due to a touch from MacBurns stick. Surprising everyone in the building with plays seems to be his nightly routine.

A hockey IQ of this caliber and extent should raise MacBurns stock considerably come draft day.

 

Size

Coming in at 6' 2" and 220lbs, teams won't have to wait for MacBurn to bulk up. He uses his size well to protect the puck and maintain possession. Board battles are ended quickly when he comes in, even without speed, using his mass to move things in his favor. His size should allow him to play more of a physical game when necessary, but he seems tentative to use his size to throw hits in open ice and to clear the front of the crease. I spoke to his coach and found out he grew 5" this past year, and may still be mentally catching up to his physical growth spurt.

You can't coach big, but a little guidance can go a long way to help him come to grips with his new size. He may not need time in the minors to bulk up, however a little seasoning throwing his body at men instead of boys is advisable.

 

Scoring

If you look at the scoresheet on any given night you can be assured to find Finnegan MacBurn with a helper. Unfortunately, that's about the only place where his offensive production comes from. He's pass first, second, and third guy; Which may seem baffling at first, until you see his slap shot. To say it's a project under construction is a kindness. Most certainly the sole reason he's been kept off the first power play unit. It seems his massive growth spurt severely hindered his ability to shoot from range.

A liability to be sure, but with time and coaching this could be turned around. Teams that desire a power play quarterback will pass on him, which will drop his overall ranking.

 

Decision Making

Surprising everyone in the building can be a double edged sword. With all his skating talent, and vision of the ice as a whole, MacBurn can create some spectacular plays. When he should do so is another matter altogether, and an area of concern. His ability to make a saucer pass to create a scoring chance looks amazing when it works.

 

 

The times these types of plays turn into dangerous turnovers are too numerous, and probably result in his coaches making cardiologist appointments. Oftentimes the simple play is the correct one.

A hard lesson to learn, but not the first player that has needed to learn it. A little time in the minors should be able to unravel this knot but I imagine this carries enough concern to prevent him from being most teams top pick.

 

Confidence

Finn's coach, Andrew Will, indicated he's quik to please and is very supportive of his teammates. "Finn's assistant captain status was earned through his performance on the ice.". This is most likely due to his quiet nature. His tendency to rely on his skating rather than taking the opponent out of the play, his body language after a poor turnover, and the recent disappearance of shot attempts from the point, all indicate a lack of confidence. He will need a strong example to follow, not only on the ice but in the room as well. Cultivation of Finnegan MacBurn as a young man is a delicate process, and can easily turn him from a boom to a bust. This personality warning flag will place him on some team's do not draft list.

 

[Greg_Di 1,022]

Review: I would separate these with a heading of pro's and con's. It's hard to quickly see what his pro's and con's are. Other then that great information!

[DizzyWithLogic 43]

35 minutes ago, Greg_Di said:

Review: I would separate these with a heading of pro's and con's. It's hard to quickly see what his pro's and con's are. Other then that great information!

Yeah I considered doing that but felt a real life scout wouldn't.

For example he has good size but grew quickly over the last year adversely effecting his shot. I'm not sure a professional scout would list, or bullet point, his size as a definitive pro or con but just present a summary for their employing club.

Thank you for your review and insights.@Greg_Di