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Brandon Girard knocks in a goal off the post on the powerplay against the Prince George Firebirds to avoid losing by 2 goals

BRANDON GIRARD SCOUTING REPORT </div>

Hello and welcome back to HockeyTown Scouting! Having previously taken another look at the younger part of the first line defensive pairing, let's observe the second part in Brandon Girard! Girard has proven that veteran leadership for a minor league team is important, leading the Falcons to a regular season championship and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Falcons will have a fantastic defender to lead the defensive unit, let's see how the Steelhawks prospect has developed since our last outing to Girard's practices:

<div align="center">TPE = 350 (+6 TPE)
CK = Checking: 80
FG = Fighting: 25
DI = Discipline: 62
SK = Skating: 82 (+5 TPE)
ST = Strength: 57
EN = Endurance: 86
DU = Durability: 50
PH = Puck Handling: 81
FO = Face Offs: 53
PA = Passing: 82
SC = Scoring: 74
DF = Defense: 82 (+1 TPE)
PS = Penalty Shot: 50</div>

Not much room to grow for an accomplished 1st round defender in the minors, but Girard made some final tune-ups in his skating speed and defensive game. The Steelhawks are looking for Girard to be part of a Steel Wall defensive pairing and Girard can afford to spend more time among former Falcons like Bubba Nuck and Michael J. Caboose and learn some about the defensive game. This is crucial to how an offensive defender is used: if he's only a one-directional player, offensive defenders might get called up to forward positions, which in Girard's case is left wing, a position on the Steelhawks that is dominated by elite forwards like Riko Muerto, Rider Clitsome, and Arthur Grosberg. If Girard capitalizes on his time at Steelhawks mini-camps before his big break next season, HockeyTown Scouting has Girard looking like this at the start of preseason:

<div align="center">TPE = 391
CK = Checking: 80
FG = Fighting: 25
DI = Discipline: 62
SK = Skating: 82
ST = Strength: 57
EN = Endurance: 86
DU = Durability: 50
PH = Puck Handling: 81
FO = Face Offs: 53
PA = Passing: 87 (+25 TPE)
SC = Scoring: 77 (+6 TPE)
DF = Defense: 84 (+10 TPE)
PS = Penalty Shot: 50</div>

Girard has been marketed as the offensive side of the Steel Wall in Hamilton, with Patrick Brumm being the brute of the two, and Girard can learn more offensive moves from a former forward in Nuck. This comes with some defensive improvements as well, however, as the best offense is a good defense. Girard can become a great player in his own end by becoming the go-to distributor, but with some work, he can also be a sniper from the blue line that can create rebounds on powerplay chances and score the occasional goal from up top.

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Girard nails in his 9th goal of the SMJHL season against the Impact on a powerplay opportunity</div>

The Falcons have been guided by Girard's veteran experience on the blue line and have succeeded, with Girard posting over a point per game this season. This might be thanks to a great lineup of veterans in Alex Mack, Bjorn Knutsen, and Girard that all scored over a point per game. With an average 3 points per game coming from the top line, it was impossible for Girard's Falcons to not dominate a tough Eastern Division. They did have struggles, however, and were even in last place in the East, but Girard's defense helped rookie goaltender Austin Lemieux and send-down lee Bowden for a great finish to the season. Girard's 4-Star Cup ring proves every day he's in the locker room that his teams win, and they plan on winning again this season.

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Girard takes his rookies Tim Tebow, Jasper Clayton, and Austin Lemieux out for a day on the boat at Lake Michigan for a "defensive pow-wow"</div>

One of the best attributes from Girard is his locker room presence and making sure that everyone feels welcome. When new Co-GM Vsevolod Nikitin entered what was until then soiled ground, Girard opened his arms and turned Nikitin from rival Scarecrow to loving Falcon. Many rookies have felt the same way with Girard, with Clayton taking pointers during practice, Burch challenging Girard to friendly offensive competition, and Burke and Lemieux always listening to Girard in-game. This type of refreshing attitude is exactly what can bring a team like the Steelhawks into contention: positive attitude leads to positive plus/minus, as shown by Girard being one of the Falcons that was part of the 10 best plus/minus players in the SMJHL.

<div align="center">SHL Comparison: Valterri Bottas, </div>

Girard has been known to fly down to the offensive zone and has been very productive on the powerplay. Current All-Star Valterri Bottas of the Los Angeles Panthers had those same qualities and has become almost a 4th forward option for the Panthers first line. A similar disposition for pass-first offense is shared betweenthe two and their strengths match up perfectly. Bottas is better in the weight room and can last through some checks better than Girard, but Girard's checking posture and fluid forn throughout the check gives Girard a small taste that's different from Bottas. If Girard's career trajectory is similar to Bottas, expect Hamilton to have an All-Star sooner than later.

<div align="center">SHL Draft Selection: S24, 5th Overall</div>

Girard is still in the SMJHL while Hamilton called up draft mate Patrick Brumm after the Firebirds elimination, but the Hamilton Steelhawks are nevertheless happy with their top 5 selection in defender. Girard has grown and is an active member of the Hamiltion and Detroit communities, and while Brandon isn't elite in terms of the SHL, he has shown to be ready to get into the SHL and start competing for top 4 playing time. Girard should only need 1 season as a send-down as his play is superior to similar picks in the draft like Richard D'Amour and Klaus Wagner.

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