Here at Neutral Zone we have 22 published amateur evaluations on Jarod. Our first was published in September 2016 while he was playing right wing and our most recent in September 2019 where he was viewed as a mobile defenseman with high upside. Combine all of our information together and heading into the start of the New England Prep season we feel Jarod is a defensive prospect who deserves the attention of NHL organizations.
Jarod Crespo (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
(1) Brain – We feel that growing up as a forward has made Jarod a smart hockey player. He understands what his line mate’s jobs are and what they are responsible for. He is confident in the defensive zone and is very vocal when breaking down a fore-check or an opponent’s cycle. Offensively he joins the rush at appropriate times and does not force himself into a desperate situation. His overall gap control is improving, but he makes strong reads while defending a line rush and does not leave his defensive partner out to dry. Meaning, he reads his back-checking forwards very well and his gap control will improve as he develops.
(2) Vision & Poise – See above. Jarod sees the ice very well in defensive situations and is poised with out the puck. Offensively, he makes quick decisions and looks to make tape to tape passes. He has the ability to join the rush and is very good at creating depth to an attacking line rush. He is poised with the puck in the offensive zone and his shots do not get blocked.
(3) Feet – He has a strong base and is quick laterally. He is athletic and strong. His hips are loose while pivoting to retrieve pucks and he shows acceleration while winning puck races. Jarod shows explosiveness when closing on opposing forwards who escape after coming over his defensive blue line. Moves like an athlete.
(4) Compete & Effort – Jarod gives it and will never be considered lazy. He expects to win physical confrontations, and does.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is very strong along the defensive walls and has little trouble pinning opposing forwards to end their cycling. He battles in front of his net and controls sticks. His goalie(s) will not have to worry about second chances when he is battling in front of his net. He will take a hit to make a play in transition.
(6) Release – He has a canon from the point and does not need much space to get it off. Has the ability to receive and fire puck in one motion. His point shots create rebounds / chaos.
(7) One Timer Ability – Jarod has a bullet. He does not need a perfect pass for his shot to be effective and he hits the net. His shot appears “heavy” when it hits the goalie’s pads and is difficult for goalies to control.
(8) Body Language – He seems to have a workman like approach. He is vocal in the defensive zone which shows leadership to us.
(9) Special Teams Potential – We do not feel Jarod is a first unit power play guy, but we do feel that his quick release and offensive instincts make him a potential second unit player. His lateral quickness, anticipation and willingness to battle will earn him an opportunity to kill penalties at the collegiate and professional levels.
(10) Intangibles – Jarod is still relatively new to playing defense. We know this sounds crazy because he’s been playing primarily defense for a few years now, but he is still pretty raw and we feel his best hockey is in front of him. An NHL organization might see his body type (Absolute Truck), combine that with his work ethic (He’s a Bulldog) and see a potential NHL defenseman when he comes out of Penn State. Add another thing to think about… Jarod can play forward and the NHL has a hard salary cap. This means that having an NHL caliber player who can do multiple jobs at multiple positions can be a huge plus for an organization.
Some comments from Jarod’s past evaluations;
March 2017 – We have seen Jared do more on the attack. But he played a VERY solid two way game. He does not have to go end to end to impress. He is good in his own end and can play it physical. His hockey sense is high end, he can control a game through good passing and let the puck do the work.
June 2017 – Crespo is typically a defenseman but predominately played at center here. He didn’t rack up points on the stat sheet but played an excellent two-way game. He played up with the NJ Avalanche U16 squad this season and it showed as he plays a more mature, complete game than most of the other highly touted prospects here. He’s a strong, powerful and smooth skater with vision and swift hands. He snaps passes off the blade and can connect on both 5 foot and 30 foot passes. He’s a balanced skater with strong edges which allows him to win races and battles for the puck and gain position on opponents at both ends of the ice. He’s got a rare speed, strength and shooting combo which makes him tough to defend against. His puck skills are still developing but it was impressive to see him playing out of his position and having success. A sure fire D1/OHL prospect.
March 2018 – Jarod is one of 25 defensemen in the United States to have a Neutral Zone Amateur Star Rating of 4 or higher.
July 2018 – Crespo was one of the top two-way defenders here. Closed quickly with an active stick and an attitude to defend. He has a strong stride, good speed and moved laterally quickly to defend. Hit and quickly moved the puck up ice. Consistently stood up and knocked forwards down at his blue line. Trusted his feet and kept impeccable gaps. By keeping opponents close, he was able to constantly create turnovers and push pucks the other way. He was a breakout machine and looked really elite up ice with the puck. Played fast, showed skill to make people miss and has a hard, accurate shot. Joined the rush as the second wave but also knew enough to drive the crease and take defenders with him when the situation called for it. Moved in and out at smart times from the offensive blue. His first step is excellent and he could take chances and recover back to his end. Can run a power play and be counted on to finish games. He is a skilled player who is on a clear upswing in his development. Big, fast, smart, slick and tough. Made the all-star game and five-nations team. College: Penn State
January 2019 – Crespo is only an ’02 but plays with the confidence, skill and poise of a veteran offensive defenseman. He has strong, sturdy edges, he can move pucks quickly and accurately on the breakout and shakes off forecheckers with nifty stick moves and quick side steps. He made some brilliant passes from his end through the neutral zone that very few defensemen can make and he quarterbacked their power play. He has a heavy shot, can blast a one-timer and has a heads-up mentality to see the entire sheet and canny ability of knowing when to shoot to score, when to shoot to put a puck on net and when to make the backdoor or cross-ice pass. While his puck control, swift hands and passing ability catch the eye; it was his vision that really stood out. It would be fair to question his puck management and decision making as he pushes the envelope too much at times, puts himself in tough situations and over handles; however, his vision in how he sees the play and how he can activate any one of his teammates on the ice is a rare skill, especially at this level and this age. Defensively he is raw; he works hard, he plays the body, he has a nice grit factor to win 1v1’s in small areas but he’s positionally all over the place, he runs around, he overextends and gets caught puck watching as the weak-side defender instead of picking up coverage around the net. Love his competitiveness, his skill set, his skating ability and high-end vision but he will benefit from playing prep and rounding out his defensive zone game. College: Penn State