Scouting Report: Cale Salad, 16-year-old Center

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 210 lbs

Salad is an intriguing player, a two-way dynamo with impressive dexterity on both sides of the ice. He has an incredible shot at nearly every distance, and his ability to read the play and his puck handling allow him to open up space and find a feathery pass to a forward the defense never saw coming because their attention was on him. On the defensive side, he can make the hit to save the play, keeping the corners locked down while staying positionally sound. He’s a thief, who can take the puck away with ease, and he rules the circles, able to win almost any faceoff. His ability to read defensive schemes mean no team is truly safe with him on the penalty kill. He’s quick, can accelerate at a blinding pace, and has the balance and strength to make the physical play easily.

His weaknesses are easy to spot, he has trouble using his size to block shots, one of the rare occurrences where he takes himself out of the play. He has trouble in front of the net, often lacking the ability to truly cover an effective amount of space, and he seems to lack the aggression to stay in those heated areas where size dominates skill.

Despite this, I really think Salad is a top-notch prospect in this year’s class. He has the fundamentals and the ability to grow into one of the better two-way players in the game.

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