Claimed:Mason Richardson Rookie Profile

[Kendrick 4,741]

 

Name: Mason Kahne Richardson

Date of Birth: March 4th, 1996

Height: 6’4'

Weight: 216 lbs.

Place of Birth: Riverside, California 

Resides: Lloydminster, Saskatchewan

Position: Defenseman

Number: 15

 

Background

 

Mason Richardson is a young talent from a family with a rich hockey history. Mason was born in Riverside, California which has no huge ties to the sport of hockey, however his extended family does. Richardson spent the past two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals. Mason actually never made it out as a huge prospect and that is why he hopes to continue his career with the fast growing Victory Hockey League. Richardson is currently in Philadelphia attending the National Hockey League draft in hopes of possibly being a late round draft pick. Once he gets the word on whether he has been selected or not he will then either officially leave Oshawa or possibly head to the United States Developmental League. Richardson still has three years of juniors eligibility, but could end up taking the college route as well.

 

Mason Richardson was raised in a city in California where hockey isn't at all the main focus of the people. Riverside is known more for it's production of citrus fruits than it is of quality hockey players. Although players such as Jonathan Blum and Emerson Etem have come from Long Beach (a short distance away), Riverside has no true NHL figurehead to cheer for. However, Mason had some good influences that allowed him to pursue his dream of becoming a professional ice hockey player. Growing up he actually idolized his cousin, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski and like every young player wanted to someday become an National Hockey League star. Mason quickly realized that it would be his cousin that he wouldn't relate too in more ways than one because Mason would end up on the blue line . If you think about it there is no true California raised player who has had an impact at a professional level besides Brooks Orpik. Richardson's goal is to become one of Riverside's biggest names and someone the town can idolize for years to come.

 

 

Richardson had been playing in California with the California Wave roller hockey team when he got noticed by scouts. He was actually informed a day after he was selected in the OHL Bantam draft, so his reaction was a huge surprise. The Oshawa Generals had been scouting the California circuit to bring in draft players who fly under the radar because of their west coast roots. With only a limited amount of scouts after him it is rather surprising to see Mason get noticed and drafted into the Ontario Hockey League. Richardson joined the Generals two years ago before the season and was groomed well starting on the third line defensive pairing. Richardson saw 42 games but it was good for him to get his feet wet as he was still trying to adapt to the larger surfaces and fast pace of ice hockey. This year Mason will most likely join a VHLM team or make his way back to the Oshawa Generals. Mason does believe that competition should push him to be a better player and it will allow him to work on all facets of his game. The ice hockey game isn't strange to him, but it's an adjustment scouts will need to watch closely.

 

Richardson has hopes of playing in the Victory Hockey League someday and if he doesn't get any looks from the NHL, that is exactly what he will be doing. We see Richardson through potential as a possible blue line anchor in the league for years to come. The competition looks bright because of the influx of defenseman that have entered the VHL in the past few years. Mason is still very young and will have to mature beyond his years in the coming seasons to really sell himself. His vision is rather important to him and reminds a lot of scouts of former New York Rangers great and NHL Hall-of-Famer Brian Leetch. A defenseman with a big body and great knowledge of the game is exactly what the NHL scouts are looking for. In recent years we have seen a large portion of success be reflected on the ability to have stability on the backend of your lineup. Hopefully we see Mason progress and become a star in the league for years to come.

 

Style of Play

 

Mason Richardson is a very big body and one with great hands that seems to stay calm under pressure and pays attention to the little things that add up. The fact that he is from a unheralded hockey town will allow him to go under the radar and not have to worry about the pressure that many put on homegrown talent. Richardson is a fast learner and relies a lot on his height and weight to knock the puck off of opponents. His offensive game and lack of a quality shot will have to improve for any talent to be recognized. We see Mason Richardson being a quality number two defenseman on an NHL or VHL team.

 

 

Rookie Rating

 

B - Still a long way to go for young Mason Richardson and his B ranking, but currently we can't sell him for anything more than he is. Most prospects going into the VHL are first-line/starters and he is a tad different because of his ball hockey background. Richardson will need to adapt to the physical game before he gets a better rating from us. We look at him and see a striking resemblance to former VHL great and current VHL player agent Jim Gow. He has the ability to shutdown opposing forward but lacks the offensive skill to be a top pairing player. More time with coaches and instruction such as what D.J Smith (Oshawa Generals head coach) has shown him will help him progress quickly.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Kendrick

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Compared to Jim Gow? What a bum.

[Guest]

Compared to Jim Gow? What a bum.

I had to compare him to a scrub, cause he will be one. You're welcome!

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Content: 5/5

You included all the necessary components to make a great Rookie Profile. I'm glad you decided to make another player. I think often times a person's current player becomes stale and a change usually brings back that fire.

Grammar: 1/1

Very good.

 

draft = Draft

juniors = junior

an = a

too = to

line . = line.

OHL Bantam draft = OHL Priority Selection (and actually, the OHL doesn't draft out of Bantam, but rather Midget)

a = an

forward = forwards

Appearance: 1/1

Looked good.

Over 500 Words? 1/1

987 words.

Overall 8/8

[Ball 453]

Claimed