May O'Nayse Scouting Profile:

Height: 5'6
Weight 150 lbs
Born: Orem, UT, USA

Strengths:

Athleticism

May O'Nayse is a diminutive forward from the USA but what she lacks in size, she makes up with great athleticism on the ice. Known as being one of the fastest skaters capable of beating players down the ice whether on the attack or assisting on defense to break up sure breakaways, she certainly can use this advantage against slower skaters. She can accelerate and get to her top speed quickly and her ability to change direction and blow past opponents should have scouts excited!

Balanced Style of Play

O'Nayse is a winger with a lot of talent and while most of her talent really shines with her athleticism she can use her overall hockey ability to do well on the ice. May is not specifically gifted is one particular area and while she is not a top assist getter or goal scorer, she can be solid in both areas. As she grows into her game, perhaps she will find a niche for something but in general she has learned to be good in most areas rather than great in one and it has helped her so far in her young hockey career.

Ability as a Potential Goal Scorer

We mentioned May O'Nayse's ability as a potential all around player but we do see some things to make us believe that she could be a great goal scorer at the next level of competition in professional hockey in the SMJHL. She has a knack for being able to get open for scoring opportunities and when she does, her shots are powerful and accurate and she can score at multiple levels on the ice. There sometimes is some hesitation on the decision making on when to pass or when to shoot but in general, the gifts and foundations are there for a player who could be a lead goal scorer for a team or a league even.

Weaknesses:

Size

We mentioned it a bit when talking about her athleticism but May's size could certainly be a concern as she is on the ice. While she does pack a punch with all her 150 pounds, she is just 150 pounds and stands at just 5'6 which could pose problems close to the goal against bigger, taller defenders. She can hopefully utilize her speed and puck handling ability to keep with it but overall might find herself being tossed around by the big brutes at some point. Her toughness level and skill should hopefully alleviate this but it at least is a thought when her name is brought up in scouting.

Defensive Ability

May is a great all-around hockey player when you look at everything, however, one of the bigger knock on her games are her propensity to use her skill for offense rather than defense and it can show. She is not a big strong checker and in general just tries to use her athleticism to do the work. She also is not a big shot blocker either so in general, if she can't catch up and steal pucks, a lot of opposing forwards could find it easy to work against O'Nayse. It is certainly somewhere she needs to work on but with a little focus there she could find herself be at least useful on the defensive end, she has the IQ for it.

Versatility

While we talked about not having a ton of defensive ability and that certainly goes into this, May lacks some versatility in her game overall. At each level she has played at, she has solely been on the right wing from youth hockey to high school and to college, it has all been in the same position. She has even mentioned this as a request that she has had because it is where she is able to shine and hey, she is potentially going to be drafted so it has worked so far at least a little! If she is asked to play elsewhere, she likely would but may struggle and in general she would have to stick with a wing. With weaker defense and a lack of faceoff ability, she is essentially a winger and nothing more. That is not bad of course but something to consider.