| Jack Hamilton | Columbus Mavericks | USPHL Premier | L | D | 6’5″ | 196 | Powell, OH | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
USPHL: Columbus Mavericks vs Toledo Cherokee, September 15. 2023: Hamilton is a 6’5″ left shot defender who took shifts on both the left and right sides with a shoulder width skating base and a knee over toe chest high posture. While skating backwards he tends to glide on his inside edges but at his size we feel this “A frame” posture can be corrected through adding core strength and consistent power skating. On puck retrievals we liked how he communicated with his goaltender and did not jam him looking to take the puck, plus on a few occasions he shoulder checked to see all three opposing forecheckers trapped on one side of the ice and Hamilton wheeled the net to take the open ice. Defensively we would like to see him show more confidence in his skating by moving up with the play so he could surf through the neutral zone to maintain tighter gaps. There were a few too many times when he slagged off the defensive blueline simply because he was trailing too far behind the play when there was a grey area turnover and at his size we would like to see him meet opposing forwards early. In the defensive zone he literally looked over the play to anticipate scissors or potential picks and when he had the opportunity he pinned his man to the wall. Nit picking wise often times he defended with two hands on his stick and we would like to see him use his reach to his advantage by using one hand his stick. Hamilton maintained shooting lanes and showed the willingness to get big low to block shots. Offensively he scored an incredibly athletic shorthanded goal (5:02 remaining in 2nd) after he forced a poor pass up the mid-wall and continued on to the point as he recognized the bouncing puck. He then hurdled a defender to go in on a breakaway. Obviously at the next level being a hard high compete defender will need to be his calling card but this athleticism was great to see from a 6’5″ young defenseman. Hamilton his project who has a long way to go to before probably getting D1 college looks but his development will be accelerated as he is confidently playing in all situations for the Mavericks. He currently has a “C+” Neutral Zone 2024 draft grade and we will continue to track his progress closely.
U16: Ohio Bluejackets vs Victory Honda, September 30, 2022: Hamilton is a big left-handed defenseman with long reach and at this point is raw in the skill development. There were shifts whereby Hamilton would lose puck handle or fanned on a pass on the breakout. He lacked touch with the puck as instead of chipping to open space to the neutral zone for forwards from the defensive zone he would always go hard off the glass or ability to make that 5-8-10 ft pass on the breakout. He will play physically and uses his long stick defensively to his advantage in breaking plays up. A defensive-minded style defenseman that wear down opposing forwards. Strong in the corners and in front of the net Grade: B-
U16: Culver Academy vs Team Illinois, December 11-12, 2020: Good size, good skater and skills, hard passer and contributed offensively. Jack made simple plays, didn’t force a lot of passes. He could get up and join an offensive rush with his skating. Not overly physical for being 6’3”, but well positioned and took away space. Grade C+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images