Ben McGirr Rookie Profile [1/2]

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Age: 28

Height: 179cm

Weight: 80KG

Hometown: Cardiff, Wales

Handiness: Right

Position: LW

 

 

To an outsider, it was surprising to see Ben McGirr gain a spot on the Las Vegas Aces (of the VHLM) roster. This is not because he lacks promise, but rather that, coming from the UK, it was feared that he would have minimal exposure to training equipment and coaching. Whilst far from complete, McGirr continues to make progression demonstrating an ability to meet his potential.

 

Pros

1. Work Ethic

McGirr turns up early to practice every day, even on optional training days. Before going on the ice he can be found stretching or practising on his coordination playing table tennis. McGirr is always one of the last players off the ice and the first into the gym. It is rumoured that next off-season he will training with one of the leading fitness gurus to add to his lean frame. His work ethic, on and off the ice, shows an early understanding of what it takes to compete in this league.

 

2. 200ft Player

McGirr clearly grew up under a defence first system. For a forward, it is rare to see a player who is this young in their career have defensive stats not far behind their offensive ones. To those who only pay attention to game statistics you may query how his defensive game is a ‘Pro’ – you must remember that this is a player only 1/4 into his first season playing on the top line of a lower ranked team. It is expected that McGirr’s number of shots blocked rise at around the same pace as his points total as his career progresses. This is a player who know how to get his stick into passing lanes and drive the opposition’s play towards the boards.

 

3. Hockey IQ

The fact that McGirr was given first line duties in his first season speaks volumes about his hockey IQ. Whilst there is still vast room for improvement, the building blocks are already in place. Expect McGirr to take on even more responsibility against top opponents within the next season or two.

 

Cons

1. Slower than anticipated progression

We are still trying to determine what McGirr’s true ceiling is. He appears to have high upside, but it was thought that he would be a more complete player at this point. We want to be clear here -we are not saying that he lacks skills or has not progressed at all – we are merely stating that his rate of progression has been slower than anticipated for a player of this projected calibre. It is also worth noting that McGirr has been making slow, but consistent, progress over the last few weeks so maybe there is already a change of course.

 

2. Shooting Percentage

As stated within our ‘Pros’ section, McGirr is a player who plays an all-round game balancing offence and defence. Although we are not labelling his as a sniper, we would still expect to see a higher shooting percentage from him. As it is only his first season then this is not a major worry at this moment – maybe McGirr is ultimately destined to be a top 9 guy who scores when he can be is more relied upon to shut down opponents? I’d like to revisit this area after he has had three full seasons and established a good shooting percentage.

 

3. Hockey Personality

Some people just don’t like the limelight, and McGirr is one of them. This is not to say that he is a boring person, but that McGirr really is not one to display any personality as a hockey player – be that through press conferences, goal celebrations or interacting with fans. Perhaps he is just overwhelmed with everything as this is his first season. Perhaps he will be more comfortable in future.

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Review:  I particularly appreciate the imagination shown on the strengths and weaknesses.  It wasn't just shooting, skating, etc., but there was work ethic, defensive-mindedness, and hockey personality thrown in.  A different take on it.  Side note: I had to read this one when I saw the player is from Cardiff.  My SHL player is from Pontypridd, Wales and played some hockey with the Cardiff Devils shown in the photo.  lol