| Rhys Wallin | Wayzata | Minnesota HS | L | C | 6’2″ | 152 | Wayzata, MN | 2005 | 2022-2023: C |
MN-HS: Wayzata vs Andover, December 17, 2022: Wallin is a long lanky smooth skating left shot center. He has a natural skating posture with a deep knee bend while keeping his hips low and his chest high. His stride is long fluid and is very easy on the eyes. There is no denying that he was a real presence in this game as he totaled 24:05 in ice time including 5:41(tied for most on team) on the power play. Away from the puck he has a tendency to loop so he earned 0:51 while shorthanded which was the 5th most among Wayzata forwards. Wallin finished the game with 7 shots on goal, 5 of which came on the power play and were grade “A” opportunities. He also had a beautiful primary power play assist after he protected the puck along the right mid-wall and then attacked the extended goal line before throwing perfectly timed backhand sauce into the low slot for a one-timer. He went 19/34 on face-offs, but unfortunately lost a game tying defensive zone draw with 0:41 seconds left in the third period while Andover had their goalie pulled. On the goal Wallin lost the draw and then chased the puck to the point. We are not sure if that was a coaching “system’s decision” to use his speed to chase the puck high or if he decided to force the puck on his own, but either way we feel this is something that can be a teaching moment through video work. There is simply a lot to like about Wallin’s future.
MN-HS: Wayzata vs Hill Murray, December 16, 2022: What caught my eye is that being a taller player Rhys was a smooth skater gliding across the ice with ease. He has good edges and is balanced on his skates making it hard for him to be pushed off the puck. Adding good hands, he is able to evade defenders on the ice and is able to get to the net. He has a good competitive factor and does a good job on the forecheck putting pressure on the defense and forcing them to make mistakes. Rhys has a pretty good release of the puck, and he likes to set up at the dots on his off-wing to fire one-timers on the net. This was used throughout the game which seemed hard for the opposing team to defend. Rhys was able to use his quick-release shots in the slot to eventually score a one-timer for the victory in OT. Grade B
MN-HS: St. Michael Albertville v Wayzata, January 15, 2022: Wallin was the most complete forward on his team. Wallin is responsible defensively being in the right position to defend and not cheating offensively. He created a goal by winning the puck on the forecheck and then making a nice pass to his linemate. Wallin has a good motor and competed hard which made him a good penalty killer. Wallin is a strong skater, and he showed some good edge work to allude the defenders. He was trusted by the coaching staff to play in all situations and was used on the point on the power play. He finished the game with 2 assists. Grade: B+