<div align="center">John Matthews – Scouting Report

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John Matthews, the 6’2, 205 lbs defenseman from the United Kingdom, recently declared for the upcoming SMJHL draft. The 18-year old takes pride in being a two-way defenseman, and while there are some areas of his game that he excels in, there are some that still need a bit of work. Today we look at all of Matthews’s strengths and weaknesses, and to conclude, we predict where he will go in the SMJHL draft.

<div align="center">Strengths</div>

Defense: Being a defenseman, of course you’ll have to know how to defend, but on each and every level forwards have had a tough time dealing with John, and he’s been exceeding expectations defensively. Looking at the rest of the defenseman in this draft class, only Colin Wood is more sound defensively, and everyone else is either equal, or worse. Expect Matthews to be one of the best defensively in the SMJHL, as his number 1 priority has, and always will be, his own zone.

Skating: John’s always been a great skater. Always looked at to break out of his own zone, and jump into the rush, he’s the acting quarterback on ice. Comparing with his fellow draftees, there isn’t a single defenseman that can skate faster than him. Any SMJHL teams looking for a puck moving defenseman, he’s your guy. Not many forwards will be able to skate right around Matthews.

Passing: Adding on to the whole “quarterback on ice” theme, is the fact that Matthews is a great passer! All quarterbacks have great accuracy and power when they go to through the ball and it’s no different with John’s passing ability. Scouts have lost track of how many beautiful stretch passes Matthews has given forwards, and even more impressive is how cool he is under pressure. Matthews is always thinking on the ice, and will never throw the puck away unnecessarily. While John may love the stretch pass, he also understands that it’s not always the smart pass. The pass first mentality makes him a team player, which any SMJHL city would be lucky to have.

<div align="center">Weaknesses</div>

Checking: Matthews understands that he’s not the most physical player available heading into the draft, and unfortunately that may hurt his draft stock. John is rumoured to be a slow learner when it comes to checking, as he may be a big body, but his mind is always on the puck, not the man, meaning he’d much rather poke check, or lift the oppositions stick then lay the boom. Matthews has openly stated that if whichever team he is drafted to wants him to focus on being more physical, he is more than willing to learn.

Scoring: John is a two-way defenseman, not an offensive one. While his passing may be great, he still hasn’t found a knack for putting the puck in the net. Matthews always looks to pass the puck, rather than shoot it, as he’s aware that there are some players who focus on shooting, and combined with his passing, would be able to score on a regular basis. Matthews feels like he doesn’t need to score, because it’s something that a lot of people like to do, and someone who passes more often than not, is much rarer. John plans on letting the others do all the scoring, and is happy with being the one that sets them up, as his shot is not nearly as powerful and accurate as everyone around him.

Overall, Matthews isn’t all that physical, nor will he have a cannon of a shot from the point, but he’s a smooth skating, puck moving defenseman, and a team first player, who has a tremendous work ethic and drive to succeed. Based off of the fact that John’s agent previously worked with a potential hall of fame player, and he is a pass first player, we expect Matthews to be drafted anywhere in the 2nd or 3rd round of the upcoming SMJHL draft.