Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL
"LW Marek Vanacker (who is Canadian) might be slight in stature, at 6'0",165lbs, but I guess nobody told him that he couldn't be a power-forward. He fights, scratches, and claws for every inch of ice he can get, but he plays like he's 6'2" in the way that he leans into defenders to leverage his way to the middle, dishes out big hits, attacks the net-front, and competes along the walls and in the corners. He's very hard to play against, and plays with an edge. Vanacker has compiled 26 goals and 52 points in 45 games to date as the leading scorer for Brantford of the OHL, who currently sit 3rd overall, and 9th in goals-for.
Vanacker plays with a chip on his shoulder, and is highly agressive and competitive. Despite his size, he's a load to handle down low, and will not hesitate to bulldoze an opponent. He's an all-situations, all-around player who plays on the first units of both special teams for Brantford. Though he plays hard and heavy, his hands are butter soft- he's good around the net, and in tight. He owns a great shot with a neat and tidy release that can fool goaltenders. He protects well, and is strong on the puck. He reads the play quite well with his top-tier vision and IQ, and is said to be more playmaker than scorer, even though he currently has the same number of goals as assists. He can make plays off the rush, and pull off accurate passes at high speeds. Vanacker is a good skater, but there's room to improve, and it likely will as he gets stronger- but he could use a better first-step, more explosiveness, and a higher top speed. His energy and motor make up for some of this. Defensively, he backchecks as hard as he forechecks, and exerts the speed and tenacity to pressure attackers, and take away space. His stick has eyes to disrupt plays and clog passing lanes, and he's a pest- constantly buzzing in his opponents' faces.
There's not a ton of weaknesses in Vanacker's game, and some scouts think he has middle-six potential. He needs some time to get significantly stronger, as his style of play will be harder to apply to the NHL, and he has to clean up his skating. It would be nice if he could grow an inch or two as well. It's been said that he needs some work on his puck control, and skating with his head up (yikes). He's got an excellent two-way game, and some jam, so I could see him getting picked in the early half of the 2nd round."
|