We have upgraded Gunnarwolfe to a ‘C+’ NHL Grade and no longer feel like it is an “if” he gets drafted, but a where.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
(1) Brain – In all three zones Gunnarwolfe has always been a smart player creative offensive player, but where we’ve noticed the biggest improvements in his play is defensively or away from the puck. In the defensive zone he has learned to be patient and not cheat to the offensive side of the puck while keeping his head on a swivel. He has turned himself into in a reliable weakside forward who understands that his job isn’t to patrol the blueline always looking for the stretch pass. When he is the low forward he is now cagey enough to maintain net side positioning and not let a larger opponent trap him on the wall. This allows him to create turnovers with his quickness and stick, which he does consistently. In the neutral zone Gunnarwolfe is using the blue lines or red line as an ally by not allowing easy zone entries and forcing decisions to not only be made under man pressure, but also pressure from spacing. And lastly, in the offensive zone his situational awareness of where his teammates are on the ice has allowed him to still generate scoring opportunities while being a reliable high forward that his defensemen can depend on. Earlier in his career or even earlier this season Gunnarwolfe would look to engage on low percentage pucks below the face-off dots while his linemates where engaged. What does this mean? Well, he would try to jump on low percentage pucks, lose his defensive responsibilities in the process and a track meet of odd man situations would be happening towards his net.
(2) Vision & Poise – He has always had both skills and after putting up 57 points this season for the Steel and an additional 10 points in the World Jr. A Challenge we feel Gunnarwolfe will be a high end offensive threat at Northeastern next year and beyond.
(3) Feet – Can fly. No need to say more.
(4) Compete & Effort – Maximum effort player.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He uses his size to his advantage by keeping opponents off balance and cutting through their triangle. Meaning, he gets defenders sticks in the air so they can not use their reach advantage against him.
(6) Release – Excellent. He does not need space or flat pucks to get the puck away in a hurry.
(7) One Timer Ability – He gets hard accurate one timers on net while as a traditional weakside option and while driving the net for cross crease passes to his forehand. We’ve noted that Gunnarworlfe has strong hands while engaged in puck battles and this is another area where we can see his strength.
(8) Body Language – He wants to win and it shows.
(9) Special Teams – His puck skills, vision and anticipation will allow him to be a special teams player in college and professionally.
(10) Intangibles – We do not know Gunnarwolfe personally, but we feel he plays the game with a chip on his shoulder and like he has something to prove. We like that. We have been watching him since his days at Moses Brown and we have never seen him take a day off. His energy is infectious and we feel he is a winner.