Shawn Andrei Zyuzin - Scouting Report

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Background:

Shawn Andrei Zyuzin was drafted by the Philadelphia Reapers in the 4th round, with the 38th overall pick, and to say the least he has become quite the draft day steal. Over the course of the season, SAZ has turned into the Reapers number 1 defenseman in terms of practice hours. The 18 year old defenseman is 6'1 and 208 pounds, making him average in terms of size but he does play a lot bigger than that. SAZ will be a late 1st round pick or early 2nd round pick if my estimations are correct for this draft so far. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.

 

Season Totals:

72 GP | 11 G | 31 A | 42 P | +5 | 98 SH | 193 PIM | 233 H | 100 SB | 2 GWG

 

Team:

Philadelphia Reapers, Did not Qualify for playoffs, missed by 3 points.

 

Strengths:

Shawn Andrei Zyuzin is very much a stay at home defender so don't let his 42 points fool you from this season. He was used in all situations and I don't think that will translate to the VHL unless there are no other options. SAZ works very well in his own end as we can see with his 100 blocked shots. Another strength in SAZ's game is his physical play. SAZ was one of the top hitters in the VHLM with 233 hits. That is about 3.23 hits per game which is nice. When SAZ is on the ice you know if you go into his corner or in front of his goalies net, he will let you know he is around. Last strength is his skating ability. To play hockey these days, you have to learn how to skate. The elite players are most likely those who can skate. SAZ can skate with and without the puck which leads to a lot of hits and well timed defensive plays. He is never caught out of position because he can skate and keep up with the very skilled forwards of today's VHL and VHLM.

 

Weaknesses:

Shawn Andrei Zyuzin has a few weaknesses and one of them is his discipline. He may step out of line to hit a player back who may have done him or a teammate wrong. That is the price you pay when you step over the line though and SAZ will let you know it on the ice that it is not okay to take advantage of his teammates like that. His 193 PIM's are high but I think his teammates appreciate what he does for them. Scoring is another weakness I think for SAZ. He won't score this much when he reaches the VHL level, because he will be playing with and against more higher skilled guys than in the VHLM. He won't be used in all situations like he was in Philadelphia which led to him having 42 points.

 

Comments:

Shawn Andrei Zyuzin is a team player first and foremost. You know you will get a solid two way defenseman who will have a knack for staying in his end of the ice most of the time but can step up in the rush once in awhile. He won't be putting up monster numbers but he won't embarrass himself out there that is for sure. He is also very loyal and will look to stay with the team that drafts him for as long as he can. 8 season if he could, that is what is preferred. I can't wait to see what happens in the draft and in the future for Shawn Andrei Zyuzin. This season has been a blast in Philadelphia with this young team, they will only get better but, if the GM that drafts me allows it, I will like to stay in the VHL rather than go back to the VHLM even if SAZ will be a little under developed for the VHL.