What follows is a scouting report on various players/users for the upcoming S72 SMJHL Entry Draft, with a focus on first gens (non-recreates).

David Soupre - C @MartinLK

Strengths: This is a player who at a young age has already developed a great shot. He has dominated lower levels with incredible goal scoring performances and even at this early stage, would already be one of the best pure goal scorers in the SMJHL. In addition to his wicked shot, he has shown the ability to score from any area on the ice and knows how to find the open areas to provide an opportunity for his teammates to feed him the puck. He also has solid puck control for the his age and is not easily dispossessed of the puck. The goal of hockey is to put more pucks in the back of the net than your opponent, and there may be no better player in this draft at scoring goals than Soupre.

Weaknesses: Has played center in his developmental years due to being the best player on his U16 and U18 teams, but either needs to develop his game beyond goal scoring or make a transition to winger. Not a great playmaker and has had mundane assist numbers through his teenage years. He is average at best in faceoffs for a center and needs to improve if he wishes to remain a viable option at center going forward. Defensively, he does not use his body (6'1, 250+ pounds) the way you might think and is often a passenger in his defensive zone. Does not throw his body around or play physically, instead relying on attempting to thwart opponents with his stick, which is a skill he isn't particularly good at in any case. Athletically, he is a decent skater but has an appalling lack of physicality for someone his size.

Projection: Soupre has shown an elite ability to score goals, but his other offensive skills need development, and his defensive game is a mess currently. However, he has shown some promise in developing those skills as he has risen through the ranks and age groups, and it seems likely that he can eventually become at least a somewhat more balanced player in juniors. If he can improve his defensive game from "abysmal" to "serviceable", and show that he can be a threat offensively beyond simply shooting the puck, he can be an offensive star in the juniors.

Middle to Late First Round.

Benji Hunter - RW @BenjiHunter1

Strengths: Hunter is a player who has gotten on scouts' radar only very recently, and largely on the back of a very dangerous shot. Similar to Soupre, his offensive strength relies largely on his ability to shoot the puck, coupled with his excellent stickwork that makes it difficult for defenders to dislodge him from the puck. While a bit undersized at just 5'10 165 lbs, Hunter has still shown he is not afraid of the physical side of the game, frequently giving up his body to block shots in his own zone. He has shown some flashes of having some defensive upside with his hockey IQ, though he currently doesn't possess the skillset to frequently break up plays. His skating is fairly strong, particularly his straight line speed, occasionally leading to breakaways.

Weaknesses: Hunter is a below average playmaker, though as a winger this is less of an issue. One aspect of his offensive game that he needs to work on is shaking his defender so that he can find a lane to unleash his deadly shot. On the defensive end, while he has shown some ability to anticipate the opponent's play, he still is often ineffective due to poor positioning or weak checking. As an undersized winger, he may want to focus on getting more active with his stick to try to force turnovers. Physically, while his straight line speed is solid, he isn't able to utilize it to reliably beat his defenders 1 on 1. Developing a few dekes or toe drags would make him a much more dangerous forward.

Projection: While Hunter has shown some flashes of brilliance, particularly as a sniper, he hasn't had as much time to be scouted as most other players in this draft and enters it as a relatively unknown quantity. At this point it is unclear how committed he is to pursuing a hockey career, so while some team may end taking a flier on him and have Hunter develop into a top scorer, it seems equally as likely that his game may not end up improving at all.

Third Round.

Declan Van Ryker - RD @LumberingGiant

Strengths: Van Ryker is a versatile defender who is capable at both ends of the ice. Offensively, he is a reliable blueliner that rarely turns the puck over and will consistently move the puck to the right player, an ability which he has showcased when quarterbacking the power play. In the defensive zone, he is rarely caught out of position and plays with an active stick, utilizing his 6'4 frame's long reach to keep attackers at bay. His positioning and also leads to a fair amount of blocked shots. Physically, Van Ryker skates quite well for someone his size, and though he has room on his body to add some muscle, he still is already rather sturdy and is not easily pushed off the puck.

Weaknesses: Offensively, Van Ryker's primary weakness is his shot. He has the ability to develop into a PP1 mainstay, but only if he can develop his shot. His build and general athletic ability suggests that with proper coaching, he should be able to improve it, but currently it is inaccurate and not particularly strong, allowing defenders to sag off him and try to play the passing lanes. Defensively, Van Ryker's game can lack physicality, especially for someone his size. He needs to develop an "edge" to his game and be more willing to throw his body around at offensive players that challenge him with the puck. Currently he relies too much on his stick which can allow space for smaller, skilled players that should be afraid of challenging the larger Van Ryker.

Projection: Van Ryker is a solid two way defender with clear parts of his game that need to be developed for him to continue on his path to becoming a first pairing defenseman. Scouting reports generally suggest this is a coachable player with relatively low risk and high upside. With defensemen often at a premium, it would be surprising if Van Ryker remains on the board beyond the first round.

Mid First Round.

Nick Larsson - LW @zflem

Strengths: Back in the day, when we'd head into New York City, you could always tell which tourists were foreign and which were domestic because the foreign ones were the skinny ones. I suppose there's an exception to every rule however, and I suppose the Swedish exception is Nick Larsson. Standing at just 5'9 but weighing 300 pounds, it seems like some sort of law of physics is being broken watching him glide around the ice, yet he does it with surprising ease. Indeed, once you get past has outlandish appearance, you realize Larsson is in fact a rather balanced forward, as long as we aren't talking about his diet. His offensive skills are surprisingly refined as he holds off defenders with some slick stickwork, and his shot is above average. Frequently parking himself in front of goalies, he is an effective screener, though he will start to run into goalies that are tall enough to see over him in the juniors. Defensively, his game is built primarily around throwing his considerable weight around which he does to generally great effect. And as mentioned, despite his size, he skates surprisingly well and can keep up with or even outpace most opposing skaters.

Weaknesses: Larsson's hockey IQ is still developing and he can find himself looking a little confused about where the play is developing on both the offensive and defensive end. Despite his massive size, he is actually a rather poor shot blocker, as he seems to be unable to anticipate when the attacker is going to launch his shot, or finds it sailing cleanly between his legs. His stickwork on defense is basically non-existent as he instead relies solely on throwing his body at opponents, which can lead him vulnerable to faster, more agile skaters.

Projection: Larsson is a power forward taken to the extreme, who will throw his body around to great effect and park himself in front of the goalie. With surprising grace for someone his size, he can handle the puck fairly well and find an open teammate, or launch his own shot, which is also reasonably accurate. He has already shown a willingness to continue to develop his game and should find himself as an effective player at both ends of the ice in juniors. Look for him to be leading the league in hits shortly.

Late First Round.

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