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TheBigSandeenie · 09-09-2020, 08:09 PM

Unique Prospect Pops Up on SMJHL Radar

Defenceman Matty Sandeen has been quietly making a name for himself for Stockholm in the U16 Division 1. Never garnering much attention, Sandeen, largely flew under the radar as an undersized forward who, while unspectacular, was a good skater with quick hands. A huge growth spurt and a position change have seen this young skater go from a relatively unknow commodity to an intriguing prospect in a short matter of time.

But why the sudden spike in interest? The previous offseason has seen Sandeen grow 3 inches and 22 pounds. While he will likely never be dominating physical presence, he is now nearly average in height at 5’11”. His frame remains slight, but this is not a huge concern at such a young age with so much time to fill out. Sandeen came into camp as a forward for a Stockholm team that had a forward group featuring a couple quality scorers and very solid depth. The team's defensive unite was not nearly as strong. While they were okay defensively, they only had one real two-way presence in their captain Mikael Anderson. Early in camp Anderson suffered a knee injury (later revealed to be a torn ACL) that left the team without any offensive presence on the back end, let alone even a steady puck handler. With the coaches looking for a solution, one mentioned Sandeen as a possible candidate. While he came into camp without any real pedigree, he immediately showed he could keep up. Additionally, he seemed to show a good handle and poise with the puck. Sandeen was more of an offensive forward and a top-heavy forward group didn’t have room for him in the top 6. Instead of wasting his skill in a checking role, coaches decided to give Sandeen a shot on the blue line.

Throughout camp, Sandeen endeared himself to the coaching staff with his hard work and willingness to learn a new position. Throughout camp the staff encouraged his offense and wanted him to feel comfortable in his new role. Sandeen claimed he was more comfortable on his offhand because it allowed him to open for the one timer as well as attack the middle of the ice more comfortably. The coaching staff knew they needed more offense on the back end, so they decided to give him a shot in the top 4 by pairing him with the team's top shut-down d. The defensive elements of his game were a huge struggle right off the bat and even after a full season remain a question going forward. When he had control of the puck was a different story. Changing positions allowed the quality puck skills and poise to shine by giving him a different point of view on the ice and in turn more options with the puck. In 30 games played on the season he scored 4 goals 13 assists with a plus minus of +3. Many of his points came on the power play and did not kill any penalties. While his production was far from elite, it was promising for a young player who was still learning a new position. It is always hard to tell how young hockey players will turn out, but this season could end up being the turning point for Sandeen as a prospect. Scouts may see a lack of pedigree and track record and shy away from him. They might also end up regretting it.

JNH · 09-09-2020, 08:23 PM

Nice first article, welcome to the league!

DeletedAtUserRequest · 09-09-2020, 09:10 PM

+1

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