Nate Hanley (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade – Free Agent) Forward
(1) Brain – Thinks the game very well from an offensive standpoint. Understands give & goes, finds the soft areas or scoring areas naturally and changes pace with or without the puck. While playing the off wing he is excellent on the rush. He shows confidence with or without the puck and can manipulate gaps into his favor.
(2) Vision & Poise – Has excelled at putting up points everywhere he’s been. He played on a top line and was getting top PP minutes. He has the ability to make defenders feel vulnerable & exposes them off the cycle or line rush. Nate is very poised. We love his confidence, but there are times when he tries to look off every player on the ice rather than making the quick easy play. We feel this is something that he will adjust to over time and become to excel in give and go situations.
(3) Feet – Very quick laterally & can explode out of turns. Can delay on the rush to adjust gaps in his favor and can accelerate past a defenseman who is playing too tight. He is definitely fast, but may not have the high end straight line speed that other players his size have. One thing we love, he doesn’t slow down when a player in on his back and remains quick in and out of power turns while protecting the puck.
(4) Compete & Effort – We feel his commitment away from the puck has improved this year. He is maintaining shooting lanes in the defensive zone and although he is not a get down and eat it shot blocker, Nate will make an effort to block shots and he does a good job playing stick on puck in defensive situations.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is fearless heading into the corners or open ice for 50-50 pucks and will initiate contact to ensure better body positioning on the cycle. Can play on the perimeter of the scoring areas on point shots looking for rebounds, but will battle for those rebounds on scoring opportunities. We feel he has the quick stick and anticipation to be valuable in the paint.
(6) Release – Can shoot with his feet moving and is unpredictable. Nate has the ability to shoot through defenders legs while in tight areas and when playing the off-wing he has the accuracy try to go short side shelf from awkward angles. Nate is a dynamic player with the puck on his stick. He is unpredictable and can fire the puck quickly and accurately, yet has the soft hands to adjust his stick at the last second for back door passes.
(7) One Timer Ability – This is something to watch because it will increase his value as a potential power play guy. He has an expanded shooting zone that makes him a threat to score.
(8) Body Language – Nate competes, initiates contact and carries himself like he expects to produce.
(9) Special Team Potential – We feel he will have to dominate on the power play to garner serious NHL interest, but his first touch and vision make him special on the PP. Has the quickness to be a penalty killer at higher levels, but we feel he cheats too much on the offensive side of the puck at this stage in his development. Nate has always done very well as a freelancer and while his unpredictability can be an offensive asset we feel added attention to detail will enhance his game..
(10) Intangibles – Nate came from a league where he was not challenged physically or mentally. We watched to see how he handled the tough stretches of the long USHL season and think he did fairly well. We feel the added length of the off season will help him recover and eventually return dramatically stronger and motivated. Nate adjusted to the pace very well and will be an offensive catalyst during his second year playing junior hockey. His offensive skill set and vision will always be in demand.