Luke Evangelista (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B+) Forward
(1) Brain – Luke processes the game quickly and he is a committed 200′ forward. As a strong side wing he maintains line-ups well and has an active stick that deters passes to his point, while on the weakside his head is on a swivel showing excellent ice awareness. When he gets stuck as the low forward Luke contains the cycle well and is not a puck watcher. He entered the OHL as an offensive machine and has blossomed into a true 200′ forward playing for Coach Hunter in London.
(2) Vision & Poise – Luke has the ability to generate offensive opportunities from all three zones, but where we have seen his largest jump in his game is in his poise away from the puck in defensive situations. He is no longer a puck watcher who’s looking to take off for the fast break at the first sign of a loose puck while in defensive situations. Instead, Luke shows poise while waiting to see who wins the 50-50 puck battle and adjust his game accordingly.
(3) Feet – Luke is explosive and powerful. While there is no doubt that he will gain strength over the next few years, his skating is an asset.
(4) Compete & Effort – A maximum effort player who does not take a night off. The team that drafts him will be getting a player who can impact the game in many different roles.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Luke finishes his checks without taking himself out of position or exposing open ice. He has the skating base to protect the puck for extended periods of time and is willing to take a hit to make a play.
(6) Release – He has the ability and body control to have a very smooth release while fending off opponents or while being in tight spaces.
(7) One Timer Ability – Luke has strong hands and has a very good cross body one timer while driving the net on his strong side.
(8) Body Language – He carries himself like a pro and treats the game with respect.
(9) Special Teams Potential – We feel Luke has the capabilities to play in every situation. He is a smart player who’s game away from the puck has grown considerably over his two years in London. Combining his attention to details with his offensive skill set and he is a player who will be counted on to play key NHL minutes in the near future.
(10) Intangibles – Playing in London for Coach Hunter prepares players for the expectations of professional hockey. Luke has thrived under the structure of Coach Hunter’s system and he will be ready for the mental demands of being a professional. His improvement into a 200′ player is a credit to Luke’s willingness to be coached and a testament to his desire to be an NHLer.
London Knights NHL Prospects (2/14/20): Evangelista continues to impress us with his consistent play this season. Evangelista is a high skilled, high IQ right winger Evangelista and operates very well on the wing on London’s top line. A defensively reliable player he is showing an ability to be a two way threat on the penalty kill. While on the PK he has patience and will hold pucks to find teammates moving with pace on the counter attack. We continue to like his body positioning in all 3 zones – his 200 foot game and ability to have his body in the right defensive situations offer him the opportunity to win pucks and transition up ice effectively. A skilled, high IQ forward who does many things well and plays a versatile role for the Knights. He can play in a top 6 forward role with his speed and slick stick handling and he can also play in 3rd line defensive situations in tight checking games. Evangelista, who scored 2 points in 27 games in his first year has blown last year’s totals out of the water with better than a point per game (57 points, in 55 games) so far this season. Game Grade: B Other London Knights evaluated in this report Antonio Stranges, Brett Brochu, Kirill Steklov and Gerard Keane.
Erie Otters at London Knights, November 2019: No change from our viewing a week ago on Oct 25 vs Saginaw. Evangelista continued to show as a high skilled, high IQ right winger Evangelista and operates very well on the wing on London’s top line. Evangelista showed strong board play in transition and was clean finding pucks along the wall in hitting teammates with pace. Offensively, he was excellent on the cycle, he uses his body positioning and footwork well to win pucks and finds good angles to the net. He set up the second goal of the game with a nifty play to keep the cycle going and create space for his line mates. He continued to create space for himself with a pass first and give and go approach game. We continued to like his patience and willingness to hang on for an extra second to let the passing play develop. Evangelista continues to see most of his opportunities 5 on 5. His play in the first half of this game was limited as London played half the first period of the game on the power play but he made a number of clever plays off the cycle on London’s to win pucks and create space for himself and his teammates. Game Grade: B Other players evaluated in this report Jamie Drysdale, Hayden Fowler, Aidan Campbell, Kirill Steklov and Antonio Stranges.