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+---- Thread: In Depth Scouting report - Conall Malceod (/showthread.php?tid=53144)
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- GemLife - 07-16-2015
<div align="center"> First Article - Double Pay </div>
With news coming in from across the Atlantic, it appears the SMJHL S25 Draft just got a whole lot more interesting. Although the SMJHL just finished up its regular season and is now transitioning into playoffs, it’s understandable that nobody is thinking about the draft quite yet. However, it’s hard to not be intrigued about a prospect coming out of Scotland, of all places. The most interesting part of this story however, is that he’s already playing pro, kind of.
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![[Image: 150627_z05da_jeremy_roy_sn420.jpg]](http://img.src.ca/2015/06/27/420x236/150627_z05da_jeremy_roy_sn420.jpg)
</div>Conall Macleod is regular roster player for his hometown Edinburgh Capitals in the Scottish National League, not to be confused with the top tier Elite Ice Hockey League in Great Britain. Officially, he can’t turn pro for another two years because he just celebrated his 17th birthday. So how is it that he is playing in a professional league, as an amateur? Well, to be fair, the SNL is a Tier III pro league in Great Britain, which means it isn’t exactly paying its players millions to come play for them. You could also say the reason why Conall is playing against men his father’s age already is because of a cleaver loophole in the leagues by-laws, which lets an underage player play for his hometown team. This was mainly brought into the bylaws to encourage the use of prospects to further enhance the leagues quality. The only way to keep it fair without a draft however, is to have home grown talent protected. The thing with this rule is that there are no max games an underage player can play, mainly because teams rarely use due to a lack of talent. That leads us to the real reason that Conall managed to work himself onto the roster as a regular, and that is because he’s the best prospect to come out of the city, and perhaps the country in recent memory, perhaps ever. How good you may ask? Well, he won the scoring race in the SNL last season.
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![[Image: edinburgh_capitals_748768.jpg]](http://img.skysports.com/08/03/496x259/edinburgh_capitals_748768.jpg)
</div>Now anyone paying attention thus far, or knows anything about Great Britain hockey (yeah we know, longshot), would ask the question why doesn’t Conall move up to the English Premier League or the Elite Ice Hockey League? Well, that answers easy, he’s too young. Since he’s too young to play pro, and too good to keep playing a low level of pro, where does Conall go now? Well, to Juniors of course, and more specially, to the SMJHL.
That’s great and everything, but several of you are curious to know who this kid is I’m sure. Where did he come from before the SNL? Is he still going to school? Etc. Well, we’re going to tell you.
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![[Image: map_of_scotland.jpg]](http://www.emse.fr/~bsimon/documents%20p%e9dagogiques/p%e9dagogie/Edinburgh%202008/Edinburgh%202008/maps/map_of_scotland.jpg)
</div>Conall Macleod grew up in Edinburgh and was just like any old regular kid, until he turned four however and refused to kick a soccer ball. His parents were raised in the Highlands before relocating prior to his birth and were traditional Scottish culture guru’s. Everything from Conall’s name, to what he wore, and ate all had a place in Scottish culture. Thank goodness for Conall’s sake that he liked golf. Realizing that their son was a little different, his parents learned to embrace some changes. Once they put him into a school with a hockey program they noticed even more changes. Conall fell in love with the game, watching his hometown teams play as much as he can, watching games on TV, and playing street hockey (by himself) were all Conall seemed to do. His interest in the game turned serious once he realized he could do a lot of things other kids can’t. Gym sessions were added into his regular routine and at the tender age of 15, he got the call from the Capitals. He was used sparingly to start the season and only appeared three of the team’s first seven games. Once he found his footing however, he finished off playing ten of the next eleven as his team finished middle of the pack. The next season however he led the league in scoring and brought his team within one game of winning it all, losing out to the dynastic Kirkcaldy Kestrels. With his growth seeming limited by the leagues low ceiling, Conall made the decision to enter the S25 SMJHL Draft and try his luck in North America.
Those reading this article and asking themselves, “Well, where does he fit in terms of skill? Where will he go in the draft?†are asking the right questions, and we have the answers. We talked to several scouts across the EIHL and other major Euro hockey leagues that got a chance to watch Conall and here is what they said.
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![[Image: J-Roy-1-Sherbrooke-Phoenix-385x175.png]](http://futureconsiderations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/J-Roy-1-Sherbrooke-Phoenix-385x175.png)
</div>Player Style
Overall, Macleod could be classified as a Two-Way player. He skates just as fast up the ice as he does back down the ice. His skating ability is something to admire at such a young age. His first two steps are lightning fast and get him up to top speed almost instantly, something that a left winger can find very useful coming off the boards. His foot speed, and agility are also top notch as well as his stopping ability. In short his skating isn’t far off most pro guys. Something that Macleod has improved tremendously is his endurance, as playing on the Top line demands the most minutes as player can handle.
Offensive Game
Although considered a two way player, Macleod is only looking for one option when he has the puck in the offensive zone, and that is to shoot. With a deadly accurate and heavy snap shot, his scoring ability is not only natural, but uncanny. His ability to score in many different ways earned him a top spot on the Capitals first line. His strength down low in the corners is coming along as well. He’s progressed to the point where he can win battles and recover pucks off the cycle and the power play, and the fact he’s doing it against grown men is all the more impressive. It’s tough to say if Conall’s passing is at an elite level however. Being the number one option on the first line, everyone was looking for him, and not the other way around. The real cause for concern however would be the lack of moves and hands Macleod possess. Rarely used in shootouts tells me that his hands haven’t caught up to his body yet.
Defensive Game
Being a defensive winger is harder than you think in today’s game. You have the have the ability to pressure and win battles in the corner if needed, while still covering your d-man if the puck works it way back to the point. Although his strength is there like mentioned earlier, his aggressiveness on body and checking ability are something left to be desired. His ability to recognize a pin and pick up the loose puck however is exactly where it needs to be. As a winger, he should primarily be used a support player or recovery player if the play is to his side in the D-Zone. In terms of challenging the point and getting to his man, it’s excellent. Fast stops and starts, along with the ability to get into the shooting lanes and line his body up to the puck and not the man is something a lot of younger players can learn from his game.
Transitions Game
Going from defense to offense is something a lot of younger players struggle with early on in their career; however this isn’t the case for Macleod. His ability to recover the puck on the boards low enough from the defensive man shows great defensive awareness. After that, his outlet pass to the center is good enough to get by, but his ability to make a long stretch pass across the ice is nonexistent. However, this is something pro teams take away every play so it’s not needed. Conall’s ability to blow the zone and stretch the ice while he’s on the weak side is something a good coach can take advantage of. Moving into the regroup game, Conall’s skating once again can be used very creatively in order to gain the opposition’s blue line. Whether carrying the puck or using his speed on a dump, Malceod has the tools that a first line is going to need in order to maximize their zone time.
Intangibles
Moving away from the ice, and looking at the type of person Macleod is it’s not hard to see why having success at the pro level isn’t out of the question. A player already wise beyond his years, he would be a veteran presences in any Junior team’s locker room, despite the fact he would be a rookie. His maturity and self-confidences speaks to a player that perhaps is on his way to start a young family, not someone who isn’t even legal to drink yet. Leadership qualities are also there as Macleod is an example driven leader. Although young, he was perhaps one of the most respected players on his team last year. This can also be factored by looking at his work ethic and desire, and it seems there is nothing this young man won’t do to further his career in hockey. As of today, there are no red flags a coach or GM might want to stay away from, save one. Once Macleod turns 18, I’m sure he might enjoy his adult beverage little too much, like every other Scotsman. All joking aside, what you see is what you get with Macleod.
Hockey Sense
We’ve talked about his skills and the concrete evidence to his game, but does Macleod have the ability to see the game develop before him, or is he always a step behind? Just like every other good player in this draft, Macleod has the hockey sense to play at the next level. The way he reads the ice, gets open for his teammates and puts himself in a good scoring position speaks to the intelligence that this young man possess. He works hard, but works even smarter with many of his goals and chances coming but not only his great shot, but his ability to exploit the oppositions weakness. The real telling factor however is that Malceod makes his linemates better just by being on the same sheet of his as ice. His skills are one thing, but the way Macleod seems to use his teammates and help allow them to make plays is something to marvel at.
System Knowledge
One of the struggles playing on a good Junior or Pro team is certain players can’t handle playing within a team system. Whether it be set plays of the draws or on special teams, or basic neutral zone or fore-checking systems, the number one thing to look for in young prospects is the ability to play their own game, within a team based system. Luckily for Macleod, he seems to have it. Starting in the D-zone, it was clear what the Capitals and Macleod were trying to do this past season. They effectively used his skating ability to pick up loose pucks or got him in a position down low on the wall for the breakouts. The real interesting adjustment was how Macleod effectively covered his point man while essentially playing in the corner and outnumbered the opposition. He took away the wall with his body and used his stick to win battles and forced turnovers. Rarely did a pass reach the point, but when it did, his explosive skating quickly cut down the shot lane and the defenseman was forced to move the puck or fire it into Macleod skates, causing a turnover in usually both cases. Moving to the neutral zone, the capitals used Macleod in the centerman position during the 1-3-1. His skating ability quickly forced the opposing forwards to one side where a trap of two other players were waiting for him, causing the forward to dump the puck. The Capitals easily recovered the puck and soon were skating up the ice with it. One set play I noticed during their neutral zone regroup would be Macleod peeling in behind his defenseman, picking up speed. The D-Man would then move the puck to a winger who would dump it or pass it to Macleod. Either way, Macleod once again used his speed to gain the line and recover the puck, setting the cycle game in the offensive zone. Interestingly enough, a similar play was used on the power play that saw Macleod have great success having room in the middle to fire a shot on net, resulting in a prime scoring chance. Case and point, Macleod has the tools the play in a variety of systems, even trap systems not designed for his up tempo game and he can have great success.
Player Comparison
On the Left Winger, Macleod plays a lot like Taylor Hall with one big noticeable difference, the way they skate. Although both fast, Macleod skates more upright and vertical then Hall who gets low and uses massive stride length for his quickness. Other than that, Macleod mirrors Hall’s game from everything to his shot, to turnover frequency, to offensive creativity. Not bad company for a 17 year old Scotsman.
Stats
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![[Image: edinburgh-capitals-logo2.png]](http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/edinburgh-capitals-logo2.png){kind=logo}
Season 23 Edinburgh Capitals (SNL) 13 GP 13 G 14 A 27 P 2 PIM +4 +/- 10 PP 1 GW
Season 24 Edinburgh Capitals (SNL) 19 GP 31 G 20 A 51 P 6 PIM +20 +/- 22 PP 10 GW
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Diving into the stats tells us an interesting story. Let’s keep in mind; the SNL is a league where 10-6 games are incredibly common, as some teams as just not up to par with the rest of the league. Macleod improved in every category from Season 23 to Season 24, showing massive growing potential. He finished this past season playing in every game and scoring a league high 31 goals in a season, which has never been done before. Add on 20 assists and a +20 rating, it’s easy to see why a change of leagues would do the youngster good, playing against a higher quality of opponent. The real impressive stat is the 6 game winning goals however. In the Capitals 15 wins, 10 game because of a goal from Macleod. With a few SNL records including most goals in a season, Macleod is a prospect that a struggling Junior team can build around as it’s evident he can carry the load.
Projection: Although way too early to tell, it seems like Macleod could be at the top of this year’s draft class. Over the next few weeks the draft class will grow larger with more players declaring the enter, but of the players entered so far, it doesn’t seem like anyone can quite match up to the talent that Macleod brings to the table. Expect Macleod to be taken during the earlier rounds of the draft. Depending on the team he ends up on, we could see himself in the top six right away, as well as special teams time. With the SHL expanding, the amount of send downs will be reduced, making this the perfect time for Macleod to make an early mark on the league in order to gain SHL team’s interest for the S26 draft.
Given this incredibly in depth scouting report, it’s time to take a look at which teams could be the best fit for Conall Macleod. It should be noted, that the “time†we are referring to is incredibly early.
Detroit Looking at the Falcons roster, it’s impressive to say the least. The SMJHL regular season champions scored a league high 195 goals this past season, in large part to Knutsen, Mack, and Girard. With their top seven scorers being veterans, its no wonder they are on their way to a possible championship season.
Taking a look at left winger depth, it’s dominated by a rookie presence. All three left winger rookies are comparable players to not only each other, but to Macleod himself. The question quickly becomes can Macleod slide in behind Burch, but ahead of the other two if taken by the Falcons? If so, winger depth and secondary scoring could make Macleods first season, an attractive one.
Kelowna Moving west, the Knights were the top team in their conference this past season, largely in part to more veteran presence such as Abodobe, Randleman and trade acquisition, Pentecost. 180 goals for gave the Knights the second best offense in the league, just behind the Falcons.
One area needed next season will be Left Winger depth. With Howard and Randleman having excellent years, and the expansion draft forcing more call ups, will the Knights have any left wingers returning? If not, a major hole is needed to be filled. Enter Macleod.
With a top spot ready for the taking, Macleod could enter as the top left winger choice for the Knights. However, it’s too soon to tell if a role this big is ready for Macleod, and what kind of season he could do with it.
:impact: Montreal :impact:
Montreal had tough luck this past season, sharing a conference with the Scarecrows and the Falcons. They finished last in their conference but still managed a +1 goal differential. Led by Wagner, Killington, and rookie stand out, Jesster, the Impact did the best they could in a tight conference and are looking for an upset in the playoffs.
With seven bodies, and six of those being rookies, left wing is a position where Montreal has no shortage of options.
For Macleod, this probably isn’t a place for him to want to start his career at. With potentially limited room to grow, it might be hard to secure a spot in the starting line-up. However, this may all change due to the SHL draft and expansion teams, so who knows!
Prince George Home of the lumber, and land of complete isolation. The Firebirds finished .500 after moving from Regina, and had a -20 goal differential total. Brumm and Scuderi led the way offensively with rookie Nyquist a little further behind.
With three rookies as the only left wingers on the roster, there is competition to see if Macleod could steal a spot or two. All three wingers play a heavy offensive game, so it would be up to Macleod to steal the show and earn his ice time.
Similar to Detroit’s roster, he would have to fight for his ice, but the competition is a little fiercer.
St. Louis Second best American team in the league, and still second best team in the league. Finishing only one point behind Detroit for first overall, the Scarecrows had a horrible +2 goal differential for such a good team. Wert carried the load with rookie Wind and veteran Underscore providing help.
Five bodies crowd the left side, but the top two could be gone next season. Wert and Federov both have their eyes set on the SHL and could leave a gapping hole of scoring open on the left side.
Macleod could earn himself a top option role and provide valuable defensive awareness to a team that struggled to stay positive in the +/- category
Vancouver Last, in more ways then one, but not least, are the Vancouver Whalers. The only team with a losing season this year, the Whalers are hoping to rebound for next season. McZehrl, Bure, and Ballard were the top offensive options and all three could be moving on.
With a league high eight players could play the left wing this past season, with Bure being their top choice. Right now, it’s a mess to guess who is staying, who is leaving, and who is getting cut. We’ll have to wait until closer to the draft to determine is Malceod has a shot to carve out a regular roster spot with a potentially crowded left side.
If you’ve made it this far in reading this, congratulations to you. You’ve just wasted a lot of time, reading a draft article, on an unknown prospect that was way too in depth trying to find a fit for him with a SMJHL team who haven’t even looked at the draft class yet. Well done.
But in all seriousness, we’ll be sure to follow Conall Macleod right up until the draft and potentially, right into the SHL in due time.
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3,623 words
First Article- carousel182 - 07-16-2015
Great first article man
keep this up and you will be a top prospect for the draft in no time
- Kevin Juice Bieksa - 07-16-2015
Wind 2.0 Confirmed
- Ballerstorm - 07-16-2015
Well done. Welcome to the league
- Ballerstorm - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Kevin "Juice" Bieksa@Jul 16 2015, 12:26 PMLet's hope not.
Wind 2.0 Confirmed
- Cynthia - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Ballerstorm@Jul 16 2015, 12:27 PMI just noticed your sig as I was watching friends lol
Let's hope not.
- Winter is Coming - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Ballerstorm@Jul 16 2015, 03:27 PMLiar, you love me!
Let's hope not.
- GemLife - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Kevin "Juice" Bieksa@Jul 16 2015, 01:26 PM
Wind 2.0 Confirmed
Judging from the comments I don't know if thats good or bad haha
- carousel182 - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by GemLife@Jul 16 2015, 04:33 PMThats a good thing, Wind was the first overall pick in the last SMJHL draft
Judging from the comments I don't know if thats good or bad haha
- Winter is Coming - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by GemLife@Jul 16 2015, 03:33 PMIt's better than sex!
Judging from the comments I don't know if thats good or bad haha
- GemLife - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Winter is Coming@Jul 16 2015, 01:35 PM
It's better than sex!
Well, that settles that then.
- RaiN - 07-16-2015
Good shit. Welcome aboard!
- Eggy216 - 07-16-2015
I like this guy.
- BeanSnoodie - 07-16-2015
Can't be Wind. This guy hasn't played a game yet and is already plays better defense than Wind
- GemLife - 07-16-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Eggy216@Jul 16 2015, 01:45 PM
I like this guy.
