Kaladin Kvothe Scouting Report

[DangerGolding 222]

Kaladin Kvothe

RW / / 5'11" // 215 lbs

United Kingdom

 

Whilst not coming from a nation that's known as a hockey powerhouse, or much of a hockey country at all Kvothe is the first off a new generation of British players that we might see grow in number and the inclusion of the London United into the ranks of the VHL have spurred a spike in popularity amongst both Londoners and Brits outside the capital. Kvothe signing with the Aces just after the trade deadline last season and though he was limited in his role, he contributed to the Aces run to the semi-finals of the Cup. His most notable performance was in the Aces Game 3 win over Mexico City when he notched 2 goals on the night to aid Vegas on their route to a 4-1 series victory.

 

Strengths

 

Shooting

It doesn't take a trained eye to see that Kvothe's finishing is by far his most valuable asset, when it comes to shooting the puck there's not many in the minors that are better at it than the British winger, he's adept at hitting powerful shots from distance and also finding tight gaps past goaltenders at close range, though if there's sufficient pressure on his by the defense his relatively weak puck handling can let him down.

 

Skating

While it's certainly true that Kvothe's skating doesn't match his shooting, it's by no mean a weakness in his game, Kvothe has proven he's got the ability to accelerate well to capitalise on fast break opportunities and matches that straight line speed with a agility that is pretty good for someone with his bulk. He can occasionally get caught out when tracking back for defense and players with a good change of pace can sometimes leave Kaladin scrambling to keep up but overall this is a part of his game that's he's been developing well.

 

Defense

Many pundits may focus on Kvothe's sharp shooting prowess but that doesn't mean that the wing is solely a one way player, Kvothe's ability to track back and disrupt the opposition has gotten better in recent weeks and he's publicly stated that it's been a main focus of his training over the summer break.

 

Strengths

 

Passing

In the few games that we've seen Kvothe appear in, it has been clear that having Kvothe finish off a move is the most beneficial way to run an offense with him on the ice as he struggles to effectively distribute the puck to open teammates, often being unable to pick out the correct pass and giving up possession with some wayward passes. This might be something that the Marlins will have to deal with though as it doesn't seem to be a focus for the young Brit at this point in his career.

 

Strength

While a fairly stocky player Kvothe has yet to work out how best to utilise this in a way that can benefit himself in discovering more scoring opportunities. If he can start to work on how to be more physical on both ends of the rink it will massively improve his production and his overall game.

 

Faceoff

A weaKness that can potentially be exploited by opponents is Kvothe's weak skills at securing faceoffs and this was on full display in last season's playoffs as he won a paltry 35 of his 100 faceoffs. This may be something to keep an eye on as he develops as something that will need to be improved upon at some point.

 

Overall

Kvothe is one of the brightest talents in the S76 draft and currently is projected to be a top 10 pick, he'd be an excellent pick up for any team looking for a forward that can be relied upon to take big shots. There will be more than a few scouts keeping an eye on San Diego this season due to the wealth of talent on the roster and there's no doubt that eyes will be on the sharpshooting Brit and his development. So far he's yet to miss any training hours which is often a strong sign of a good VHL career and is an active presence in the locker room. Whether he can take advantage of the minutes he's getting on a deep Marlins roster will be a highlight of this VHLM season for Marlins and minor league fans alike.