Claimed:Tyson Stokes

[fever95 333]

Player Name: Tyson Stokes

Position: Center

Handedness: Right

Height: 6 Feet, 5 Inches

Weight: 223 Pounds

Hometown: Hell, Michigan

Age: 25

Jersey Number: 33

 

 

Childhood:

 

Tyson Carter Stokes was born in the small community of Hell, Michigan on June 6, 1988. Hell is home to just under 300 people and is under thirty square miles in size. Ann Arbor is about twenty miles away while Detroit sits sixty miles away. Being born in Michigan, Tyson naturally fell in love with the game of hockey from an early age. He enjoyed watching his favourite NHL team, the Detroit Red Wings play on television as well as in person at Joe Louis Arena from time to time. Stokes started playing organized hockey in Ann Arbor as soon as he was old enough to do so and Steve Yzerman became an idol of his, the face of the Red Wings in that time period.

 

 

High School:

 

During high school, Tyson attended Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor at Pioneer High School and he was a fairly good student but excelled in sports, particularly hockey. Tyson's parents attempted to have him be more involved in his studies but to no avail. He was not all that concerned with his grades but rather concerned with continually improving his hockey skill-set. Thus, Tyson's grades during high school were not great but he did enough to keep them good enough to graduate and keep his parents off of his back.

 

Stokes was not a superstar player for the Ann Arbor Pioneer but worked his tail off day after day to become better with each passing day, improving his skills with each passing game. He started his sophomore season as a role player on the third line, mainly using his big frame to make hits and stop opposing players from getting quality scoring chances and was part of the penalty-kill unit. In his junior year, the coaching staff recognized that Stokes had improved his offensive abilities significantly and moved him up to the second line where he was counted on to set his linemates up with passes and continued to play on the penalty-kill. In his senior year, Tyson was moved up to the top line and played a big role for the Pioneer, playing in all important situations. Stokes finished his high school career with 93 games played, 20 goals, 60 assists, 80 points, a plus-33 rating, 195 hits and 53 blocked shots. He was a perfect example of "Purple Pride" as he was a heart and soul type of player for the Pioneer.

 

 

 

 

University:

 

In University, much to his parents delight, Tyson really buckled down on his studies and attained a degree in law from the University of Michigan. Located in Ann Arbor, Tyson enjoyed that he would be close to home during his University days, making it accessible to keep in touch with his family and friends. He started to have more of a social life as well and this is where he met his current girlfriend. Stokes' life was really busy in University life, attempting to keep his head above water while juggling his studies, sports, and social life and he did a good job of it.

 

Tyson made the Wolverines hockey team in his first year at the U of M and continued to grow as a player under head coach, Red Berenson. Much like his first year in high school, Stokes was a role player in his first year with the Wolverines, averaging around four minutes a game and being expected to provide big hits, timely shot blocks an providing a spark when needed. He moved up to the third line in his second year, averaging around ten minutes per game and was relied on to provide a bit more offense as well as keep playing solid defense and gritty play with some penalty-kill time. His third year seen him jump to the second line with Tyson developing more and becoming more of an offensive threat while in his final year he was a go-to guy on the top line for the Wolverines and helped them win a NCAA Frozen Four Championship. Stokes finished his University career with 158 games played, 34 goals, 102 assists, 136 points, a plus-56 rating, 331 hits and 90 blocked shots. At the NHL Entry Draft, Tyson went undrafted through seven rounds and became disappointed and frustrated but at least he had a career in law to fall back on. A few days later, his agent called with the suggestion of declaring for the VHLM Dispersal Draft and Stokes agreed that it was a good idea. It is just hours after the draft and he was selected in the first round, second overall by the Brampton Blades. In due time it will be apparent if Stokes is cut out to play in the VHL or if he will fade out and fall back on his law career.

 

 

 

 

Positives:

 

+ Passing: Stokes is an excellent puck distributor who loves to set up in the opposing team's zone and find an open teammate for a tape-to-tape pass and set up goals. He possesses first-class vision and the ability to find a linemate, even under the highest amount of pressure and that is a huge reason that past coaches have loved him. Tyson enjoys playmaking rather than sniping goals himself and takes great pride in that role.

 

+ Skating: Stokes exhibits his outstanding speed and acceleration rate to jet past defenders and transition up-ice on odd-man rushes. He also uses this superior foot speed to beat opposing players to the puck in foot races, whether it be to beat out an icing call or to dig the puck out of the corner. His speed is a definite asset on the penalty-kill where he has always been a threat to score a shorty.

 

+ Defense: At this point in his career, Stokes has showed that he has the discipline and skills necessary to defend against opposing player. Whether it be on the penalty-kill or defending an odd-man rush, he is always in position. Tyson has an active stick that he uses to his advantage and frustrates opposing forwards in the process. He plays a great two-way game and is never a liability on the ice.

 

 

 

 

Negatives:

 

- Scoring: Stokes has never been a sniper is his hockey career and I don't foresee him starting anytime soon. His shots do not pack all that much punch behind them and often miss the target, thus you do not want to rely on him to score goals for your club. As Tyson develops, he will need to improve upon this but for now he is content with being the playmaker.

 

- Checking: Although Stokes is a big man at six foot five and 223 pounds, he does not use that size to his advantage as much as he should and shys away from making hits every now and again. He has all the tools in the world to play a physical game and succeed at it but maybe the bigger and stronger players of the professional game have put a bit of fear and doubt into his mind. Tyson should address this going forward and become a dominant physical presence.

 

- Faceoffs: It's no secret that to become a successful center in the game of hockey, you need to win faceoffs and that is something that Stokes is not all that good at. Once he becomes stronger and gets the technique down, there is no doubt that he has all the potential to become one of the best in the business at winning draws. Until then, Tyson needs to work hard each and every day to improve upon this so that he does not fall behind in his development.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2014 by fever95

[AwfulHomesick 148]

Overview- 3/3 - You covered all the criteria needed in the childhood and his life onward. I like how you split them up in different sections with different parts in his life. Good idea.

Grammar- 2/2 - I didn't find anything, good work!

Presentation- 1/1 - Very well put together and easy to read. Nice picture of Big Buff.

Pros- 2/2 - All good.

Cons- 2/2 - Likewise.

Overall- 10/10

 

Final: 10/10

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