Scouting Report: Seamus Weaver, 16-year-old Right Winger

Height: 5’10’
Weight: 182 lbs

Weaver is a lethal sniper, an offensive force, and an impressive physical force despite his size. He’s got incredible vision in the offensive zone, which makes his laser beam of a shot more deadly. He’s got an innate ability to handle the puck in dangerous situations, twisting and turning until he finds enough space to release. He can also hold his own in front of the net. He’s also a speed freak, with the acceleration to beat almost anyone, and the agility and balance to get by anyone, and the strength to squeak through without any damage. He’s got plenty of offensive upside.

But the other side of that is he has no defensive upside. He’s a black hole in that department, almost no natural skill in anything. He can’t use his strength effectively in the corners. He struggles to find himself in the right spots defensively, and that hurts his ability to effectively use his stick or his body to disrupt the play. He also can’t contribute effectively when called to take the center spot in emergency situations, and his ability to read the defense is nonexistent. Now, usually I mean to say this when describing a player who has some foundation, but a lack of training or polish to these skills, but Weaver simply does not have the foundation in the first place. For him, it’s building a defensive skillset from the ground up, which is certainly a hard sell for any team looking for a winger who can help them on the power play. If it’s not something he looks to address quickly, it might mean he fails to find meaningful minutes in the league once he’s drafted.

Eddie Morozov signing off for now. Stay tuned for more info and more reports from my trips abroad scouting the next SHL stars!

Word Count: 329