John LeClair II - Prospect Report

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

 

PROSPECT SCOUTING REPORT

NAME: John LeClair II

AGE: 20

COUNTRY: USA

POSITION: LW

HANDNESS: Right

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 225 lbs

 

The son of a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, John LeClair II grew up in an environment where he was expected to play the game a certain way. His size and strength drew comparisons to his father at a young age. He is considered a true "throw back" power forward - someone who is physical and will chip in some points along the way. Like most power forwards, LeClair II isn't expected to truly hit his potential until later on in his career. His play in the VHLM certainly backs this up. In his "free" season during S72 with the Philadelphia Reapers, the winger played a depth 3rd line role and put up 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in 22 games. His 30 hits showed that he was willing to throw the body around. In S73, LeClair II was selected 9th overall by the San Diego Marlins. He was expected to play a top 6 role on the team. While he was a good defensive forward and had some two-way play, his offense left a little to be desired. In 72 games, the winger put up 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists), but was a physical monster, finishing second in the league in hits with 355. In the S74 VHL Entry Draft, the Prague Phantoms selected LeClair II with the 8th overall selection. The Phantoms are well aware that LeClair will most likely not make an immediate impact, but are banking on the player growing into his frame.

 

PLAYER COMPARISON

CEILING: John LeClair

REALISTIC: Wayne Simmonds

FLOOR: Tom Wilson

 

PROS

SKATING: One of the reasons the traditional power forward phased out of the game at the professional level is their lack of skating. With less tolerance for interference and hooking, the power forward was just getting skated around up and down the ice. Unlike most power forwards, John LeClair II skates well, not just well for a big man. His straight line speed is close to elite. In close, his skating isn't best, some of which can be attributed to his size, but he gets the job done.

 

PHYSICALITY: LeClair II is an imposing figure, especially in the modern game. Part of the reason his floor is Tom Wilson is that at the very least LeClair II will be a player you can throw on your 4th line as a goon. John is known for intimidating the other team's star players, especially during a playoff series where there is an actual series between the two teams.

 

PUCK HANDLING: The end product might not always be there, but it's very hard to knock this player off the puck. Some might say if the game was only played along the boards, this player would be a perennial all star. To maximize the most out of this player, he'll want to play in a system that allows him to grind in the offensive zone. Depending on the power play set up, LeClair II may be a good net front presence.

 

CONS

OFFENSIVE IQ: LeClair II can get the puck to the offensive zone. When in the offensive zone, you can't get the puck off him. The problem is, he doesn't always know what to do with the puck. Currently, he keeps it simple. Cycle around the boards, shots from the point, go to the net for deflections. A smart man once said "if you want bread, go to the store. If you want money, go to the bank. If you want goals, go to the net." This is truly the one defining aspect of this player that will define how high he can go. 

 

PASSING: He keeps it simple. He can shoot. He has hands for deflections. He can't pass. This is tied into his lack of offensive IQ. He just doesn't have the vision of creativity to be a difference maker in this area of the game.

 

PENALTY MINUTES: He hits. He fights. As a big man, he's got a target on his back. Therefore, he racks up a lot of PIMs. He's good at goading players to go to the box with him, but overall, he gets a ton of PIMs.