Scouting Report: Archibald Walker, 16-year-old Left-Handed Defenseman

Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 200 lbs

Walker has been a critical name to track in major junior circles, one of the most intriguing prospects currently under the microscope. The young Berserker lives to hit and use his body to separate players from the puck or their fillings, depending on how fast Walker is moving. He’s got a great sense of the play and can use his zone presence and passing ability to enable a breakout. He’s a physical specimen on the ice, quick on his feet and stable under contact, and a critical closing speed, even on the strongest skaters in the league today. He’s not afraid to initiate contact and never shies away from hard contact. He's the perfect wrecking ball on the blue line, something any team wants.

But every team also wants complete players, and Walker struggles with basic competency when it comes to offensive instincts, and his stick is an entirely foreign object to him. He fails to find the open spaces in the offensive zone to create more plays from the point, and his shot is weak and has no accuracy. He cannot read the offensive zone effectively. He fails to use his stick to strip opponents, relying almost entirely on his physical play to separate players from the puck. He doesn’t deploy his body to block shots effectively, something disappointing when he is utterly unafraid of playing the body in the tough areas of the ice.

As an overager, Archibald will not be a player eligible in the S75 junior draft, and the Newfoundland Berserkers hope he can fill out those tangible skills to become an effective SMJHL player in all aspects. As it stands, Walker is a one-gimmick player, and that gimmick can be effective but only situationally. The best junior players are reliable in general scenarios, and Walker has a lot to learn about playing offensively and defensively before that happens, but that can be achieved by his natural physical abilities, and plenty of practice.

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

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