Jet Jaguar Rookie Profile [1/2]

[gorlab 4,321]

 

VHLM Draft: Undrafted. Signed by in S65

VHL Draft: 10th oa byin S66                       

 

Jet Jaguar made his professional sim hockey debut in S66 when he was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Reapers of the VHLM. Settling into a top-6 forward role, Jaguar excelled with the Reapers, putting up 8 goals and 23 points in 26 games with Philadelphia. However, due to his uncommon status as an undrafted free agent, the Reapers were motivated to move Jaguar for assets instead of losing him for nothing. Jaguar was traded to the Halifax 21st, only twenty-five games into Season 65. The drastic change of scenery led to a significant decline in Jaguar's play and his position in the Halifax lineup. Jaguar would record 15 goals and 34 points in 44 regular season games with the 21st. The decline in both his point-per-game pace and his +/- rating continued into Halifax's playoff effort, as Jaguar only recorded 1 goal and 5 assists in 13 playoff games, unable to help Halifax overcome the Minnesota Storm in the S65 VHLM finals.

 

Jet Jaguar - Philadelphia Reapers & Halifax 21st - S65

 

After an off-season of heavy physical training and conditioning, Jaguar had a decision to make on whether he would immediately declare for the VHL draft, or return for a second season in the VHLM, via their entry draft. Despite the slip in his performance and stat-line during S65, Jaguar's training regiment really improved his game and his representatives felt he was ready to make the jump to the VHL, despite how underwhelming his VHLM stat-line would be when compared to his fellow draftees. In the end, Jaguar declared for the S66 VHL Entry Draft. Scouts and pundits had him ranked anywhere from #3 to #15 on their rankings, but most knew that Jaguar would be one of the more controversial picks in the upcoming draft..

 

Jaguar was selected in the 1st round of the entry draft, with the 10th overall pick, by the Moscow Menace. This was the 2nd selection that Moscow had made in this draft, after drafting standout winger prospect Dimitri Volosenkov with the 5th overall selection. Jaguar's slip to the 10th overall pick was somewhat controversial, as a lot of scouts had him pegged as a top 3-5 selection, but it would turn out to be a stroke of luck for Moscow, as the duo of Jaguar and Volosenkov would go on to prove their pedigree as one of the VHL's most lethal combos in Season 66.

 

Jet Jaguar - Moscow Menace - S66

 

Jaguar would really find his form in his first VHL season, as the man from Ukraine would finish the season leading Moscow in scoring with 40 goals and 90 points in 72 games. He became a lethal weapon on the team's power play, recording 15 of his 40 goals with the man advantage. He also led Moscow with 50 assists, 299 shots, and a league-leading, 1.22 points-per-20 minutes. Jaguar was scoring at almost double the rate of his previous VHLM season. After such a strong performance in his debut, Jaguar made a very strong case for the S66 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, as the top rookie in the VHL. As of the writing of this profile, the winner has not been announced, but it looks very likely that Jaguar will bring home the hardware and look to build on such a successful season with Volosenkov and Moscow in Season 67.

 

 

PROS

 

Scoring - After 40 goals in his debut season, Jaguar's pedigree as a finisher is undeniable. VHL league meta does seem to favour a shoot-first center, and Jaguar is just that. Although he does have an above-average passing ability, shooting and scoring is clearly the preference for Jaguar. His hand-eye coordination and bigger frame make him a very potent goal producer in front of the net on the power-play, as shown by his 15 goals in season 66.

 

Two-way Game - Moscow was coming into their second season of existence in season 66, and had been exposed defensively in their debut season. Although Jaguar earned most of his plaudits for his offensive production, he also brought some stability to the back-end, and establishing a strong 5-on-5 presence for Moscow's second line. He ended the 72 game season with a +7 rating and 48 hits. Jaguar is not scared to play down low and showed he wasn't just an offensive player, but a dynamic two-way centerman.

 

Athleticism - Since his introduction to the VHLM, Jaguar has been known as a gym freak, and a physical specimen. He has been developing his physicality over the past 2 seasons and has been seeing gains at a very good pace. Jaguar is often in the gym between ice-time and will be one of the first players on, and last players off, the ice at practice. His strong training regiment and dedication will continue to help improve all aspects of his game.

 

 

CONS

 

Faceoffs - Despite his strong two-way play, one factor currently lacking in Jaguar's game is his ability in the face-off dot. He took 1816 faceoffs in his rookie season, and only had a win percentage of 47.36%. This is a number that can be improved as Jaguar becomes more accustom to the VHL, and trains his faceoffs. I don't know the math on 47.36% of 1816 faceoffs, but I do know it's a significantly more losses than wins. Jaguar will need to improve this.

 

Physicality/Hitting - Although he has a very athletic nature and is a gym freak, obsessed with fitness, Jaguar's isn't the most physically dominant player on the ice at any time. In season 66, the center who had plenty of minutes in both offensive and defensive situations, only recorded 48 hits in 72 games. His line-mate, fellow rookie Dimitri Volosenkov, carried the load physically for their line allowing for Jaguar to produce more scoring. Jaguar would be suited to improve his physical game and help his line-mates with the checking aspect of the game.

 

Attitude - There have been some reports of Jaguar's egotism getting in the way of team success. After being moved to Halifax in S65, there were numerous rumours in the media that Jaguar was unhappy with his position in the lineup. Although nothing was ever made official, the difference in Jaguar's numbers from S65 to S66 might confirm that Jaguar was indeed unhappy in Halifax, and not putting forth the effort required to elevate his game, which he has done since playing a much more prominent role for the Moscow Menace.

 

 

 

Jet Jaguar does look to be a very promising VHL player and will have to build on the success he found in his rookie season if he wants to help Moscow become a competitive franchise and start contending for the Continental Cup. Jaguar has always held the position that he one day wants to be inducted into the VHL Hall of Fame. He will need to experience both individual and team success in order to achieve that goal. The strong possibility that he will bring home the S66 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy should certainly help him along the path to VHL history, and to one day hear his name called to the hall.

[Greg_Di 932]

Review: Great rookie profile, like the touch of the included stats. Might be a touch to long at the beginning in terms of this being a quik scouting rookie profile but none the less, great work and it shows that you put a lot of effort into this!