Quote:
Originally Posted by TheScorpion
A guy who has caught my eye a bit is Jeremy Hanzel, a defenseman for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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That's a name I often see when I'm looking up Ciona's stats. This season, he put up 48 points in 66 games, but he led the WHL with an eye-popping +70! From the Hockey Writers, in 2021:
"Hanzel is a modern offensive defender, combining speed and puck-handling in order to play in all ends of the ice. He sees the ice very well and knows when to pinch in order to keep the puck in the offensive zone, utilizing slight puck taps in order to change it's trajectory just enough for a teammate to pick it up. With the puck, he's equally effective, using quick, deceptive movements to make it nearly impossible for opponents to figure out what he's going to do next."
"One of the most uniquely skilled transition defensemen in the 2021 Draft from the WHL. An outside of the box thinker who uses a lot of deception, finesse, and puck-control to play a high-possession style game."
"This blend of intelligence, deception and puck-handling makes him a truly unique player in not only the WHL, but in the 2021 Draft. However, in just 23 games this season, he wasn't always able to demonstrate it, putting up just 2 goals and 6 assists. Those who look simply at his stat line will miss a huge part of his skillset, which is one reason he has fallen under the radar"
Seems he was a victim of the Covid-shortened season in the WHL. 6'1" 192lbs, 20 years old. They have a really crowded blueline in Seattle, with Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, and Luke Prokop- so I would hazzard a guess that his stats would be more impressive if he played on another team. Nice find, Scorp!