| Tucker Shedd | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 181 | Michigan State | 2022 | Holt, MI | 2004 | Long Term Watch List |
USHL Playoffs. Fargo vs Omaha, April 27, 2022: Shedd is a good size, L-shot D-man. He is mostly a steady, stay at home defenseman. He plays under control and uses good positioning to defend. He defends the attacking rusher using his long reach and stick sweeps towards the puck. He keeps his eyes on chest and uses his L glove to help him mirror the attacker’s every move. He stays under control and calmly uses his stick towards puck and his good size to rub the attacker away from the dangerous areas. He did a good job of avoiding watching the puck and being more focused on staying between his man and the net. He used quick snapshots to get pucks towards the net. He picked up an assist in game 1 getting a wrist shot through from the L point leading to a deflection goal. Grade: B
USHL: Omaha Lancers vs Des Moines Buccaneers, April 9, 2022: Shedd is a stocky slightly undersized left shot defenseman who showed the ability to end the cycle quickly in his corner or below the goal line and a real willingness to clear shooting lanes in front of his net. While defending in the neutral zone he played with a tight gap, an active stick that led to turnovers and as well as the ability to retreat very quickly from a stand still. We also loved his willingness to sacrifice his body by getting big low to block shots, especially while dropping to his knee to block a one-timer at the end of the second period. We feel his strength and willingness to defend with purpose are a real asset to his overall game. We did notice a few poor indirect passes below his goal line that led to extended time in his defensive zone, but we feel this is a skill that he can continue developing. Shedd played top 4 minutes for the Lancers and although he did not see any power play minutes, he was second on the team in penalty kill minutes.
U16: USA Hockey Nationals, May 12, 2021: Shedd is an MSU commit on the Honeybaked roster. He is a bigger defender that moves around fairly well. At times he is a bit stiff in his skating. He uses his awareness to make plays. Sees the ice well and is confident in his passing. Moves the puck quickly to open areas and then will join the rush to give his teammates an extra option. He is a solid defender in his own zone and uses his reach and body to negate chances. He cuts down time and space well and has a slick stick to steal pucks from opponents. Still rounding out parts of his game but has a solid base to build on. Grade: B College: Michigan State
U16: MAHA State Championship, April 16, 2021: Shedd is a big, physical presence on the back end that plays the game with an edge and is positionally sound. Everything that Tucker does is hard and strong whether it be net-front battles, getting pucks out or big collisions along the wall. He has a high competitive level and is tough to beat in any situation. Shedd defends his area well and makes life difficult for anyone trying to get near him. His offensive execution was not the best as he was missing some easy passes and not generating much from the back end but defensively, he was a beast in his own zone. GRADE: B+
U16: Super Series Youngstown, February 24, 2021: Shedd is a big body that is strong and powerful all over the ice. His gap control is flawless and uses his stick and body to separate players from the puck and steer them out wide. Shedd finishes his checks and eliminates players from plays at will and with force. He is able to get pucks out of the zone with hard chips or passes that rocket off his stick. He was not the type of player to lead the rush but plays a hard simple game and is difficult to play against. GRADE: B
U16: Elite Hockey Showcase, Fort Wayne, Indiana, December 15, 2020: Shedd is a big, strong balanced skater that uses his size and strength to be hard on the puck and finish checks. He has great gap control never allowing much space for the opposition to work and doesn’t allow anything to come easy against him. Shedd won a lot of 1 on 1 battles especially against the wall utilizing his strength to his advantage. He did have a few turnovers but was able to recover well. GRADE: B
U16: Midwest Exposure Series, September 25, 2020: Tucker is a strong powerful skater with good balance and tough to knock off the puck. He has good vision which allows him to see the holes and utilizes his balance to be able to make the right decisions under pressure. He pays a physical game and does a good job of boxing out net front players and eliminating sticks. Grade A
USHL Draft Recap: Waterloo Blackhawks, May 8 2020: Top Picks: Michael Lastarza (F, L, 5’10”, 155, Shattuck St. Marys U15, 01/14/2004) and Owen Baker (F, L, 5’9″, 160, Detroit Honeybaked U15, 01/29/2004)- LaStarza was tender by the Black Hawks, a high-end forward out of Shattuck St. Mary’s who was most recently ranked our #3 QMJHL Draft prospect. He’s coming off a dominate season with Shattuck St. Mary’s U16 squad and has the rare skill and power combo which works well in the USHL. He’s a hound on loose pucks, he’s strong and wins puck battles, he can go outside with speed around defenders or cut in and make plays to the net. The tender won’t intimidate QMJHL programs from drafting him so we added their next pick. Owen Baker who as some size with strong edges as he is able to cut back and change speeds to beat defenders. He can score or set the table and he did so at an amazing rate this past season with 123pts in 64 games. He plays a team game and moves the puck to create space. He gets to great spots and his stick is always prepared to fire the puck home. His release is quick and his shot is accurate. High IQ and can play center or wing. Protects the puck, plays in his end and transitions in a hurry. He does not cheat the game and there is no magic in his success. It’s hard work and smarts. That should translate. Value Pick: Patrick Geary (D, L, 5’11”, 154, Buffalo Jr. Sabres U15, 02/18/2004) and Tucker Shedd (D, L, 6’0″, 170, Compuware U15, 09/08/2004)- These two defenders were both good value picks where they got them; Shedd is better known after playing with Little Caesars last year and Compuware this season and is a mature, strong based defender who can mix it up physically, is tough to play against and can also move pucks. He’s so strong and balanced he’ll be able to matriculate to junior hockey earlier than most ‘04s in this draft and his game is still improving. Patrick is a tall, mobile defenseman. He has soft hands and a high compete. He plays tough in his end with his head on a swivel. He has soft hands and can float passes through the neutral zone and hit both long- and short-range tape to tape. He’s also a fluid puck carrier and can lead rushes or escape forecheckers behind his net to start breakouts. He rides contact and holds the blue line well. His upside is high and a player with all his tools should develop into a two-way player at the USHL level. Sleeper Pick: Will Schumacher (F, L, 5’10”, 150, Prior Lake HS, 05/04/2004) -Our Minnesota scouts have Will ranked the #19 uncommitted player in MN High School hockey. Not just in his age group but all os the State of Hockey. That’s some good company. He led Prior Lake i scoring with a 17-20-37 line. He is a fluid skater who is fast with quick hands. He makes a lot happen. He is raw but extremely athletic. He’s instinctive, can elude defenders in the neutral zone and on the rush and shoots with a purpose.
2004s: MAHA Bantam Festival, April 19, 2020: Tucker has good size with good edge work and it is tough to knock him off the puck. He is a smart player who makes good passes as he finds the open player. He reads the play very well as he is able to step up and take the body in the open ice.
U15 HPHL Playoffs, February 14, 2020: Tucker is a big kid who has strong edges and will lead the rush and score on the entry. He scored a pretty goal on the power play as he lead the rush and used his quick release to score. He is active in the offensive zone as he’s always moving his feet and getting open for his teammates. He has a hard, accurate shot from the point and will get through traffic. He made a nice pass on 2 vs 1 to his teammate as he buried the puck.
Minor Midget AAA: Toronto Marlies Classic, February 2, 2020: Shedd is a player who wants the puck on his stick at all times and looks for lanes and space to get involved offensively. He sees the ice well and tends to be the 4th forward often, joining or leading the rush and looking to create odd-man opportunities. Shedd makes good decisions with exit passes from his own zone but needs to work on the accuracy of his passes. He was very effective in key situations for Compuware in their run to the tournament finals. Grade: B+
Minor Midget AAA: Whitby Silver Stick (2004s), December 18, 2019: Shedd has defensive awareness to sprawl out and take away an easy pass in a 2-on-1 situation. He stays in motion to keeps pucks in with pinches in the offensive zone and often stays low in the offensive zone. He is active with the puck on the blue line and stays in motion looking for a chance to attack, a backdoor deflection, or a shooting lane. Shedd needs to be more aware of game situations and play more defense than offense late in a one-goal game. Grade: A-
U15: Battle of the Border, November 19, 2019: Shedd is confident with the puck deep in his own zone and uses shoulder checks to assess the situation and give himself time. He makes quick decisions with his passes or takes open ice and gets the puck deep. He is confident playing the puck after using his hand and hinges to become a lateral option for his partner. Shedd is a powerful player that needs a bit of finesse to his game. GRADE: B+
USA Hockey Select 15 Development Camp, August 24, 2019: Shedd is a strong, steady, two-way defenseman. He’s physical, plays hard along the wall and around the net and is tough to play against in his own end. He hides his poke check and then strips pucks and has a strong, heavy stick to win 50/50 battles in the scrums. He has tight gaps, makes crisp outlet passes and showed real calm under forecheck pressure. He’s strong on his stick, can get through checks and snap passes off to hit long range targets in stride tape to tape. His stride is a bit stiff and he lacks the lateral mobility to play tight coverage against zone entries on cut ins but he makes up for it with good sense, heavy shot and tough defense. He compiled a 1-1-2 line in 4 games here and proved to be a well-rounded, strong edged, two-way defenseman with D1/OHL potential. Grade: B+
2004s: MAHA Festival, June 30, 2019: Tucker is a big kid with a long reach with the ability to step up on the opposition and finish his check. He has soft hands for a big guy and will join the rush to be an option on offense. He does a great job in the defensive zone by clearing out the opposition in front of his net.
U14: USA Hockey Nationals, April 20, 2019: The September 2004 was another dominant defenseman for Caesars. Tucker is a really strong skater. He can skate through contact with the puck and knock players flat to defend. Shedd played in every situation. His gaps stayed tight, starting in the offensive end. He squeezed off the rush and pinned players along the wall in the defensive zone. He got off checks first and engaged players early in front of the net, His outlets were clean and simple. He has the ability to make people miss but prefers to move it quickly up ice. In the offensive zone, we mentioned he kept his gaps tight and as a result was able to keep pucks in. He can hammer the puck and had one of the hardest shots here. He will sneak in the back door on the power play and 5v5. Played a strong game every time out. Logged lots of minutes and was very tough to play against. Another high-level uncommitted player.
2004s: Silver Stick Finals, February 10, 2019: We first noted Tucker as he and his D partner St. Ledger, hinged and went D to D all the way up ice against Don Mills. Once they entered the offensive zone, Tucker had the puck and he drove the opposing D towards their net, turned and made a saucer pass from the dot across the ice to the point where St. Ledger received the pass on the tape. That will get your attention. He is poised, confident and can skate or pass from his end. Tucker is smart and poised. It almost seemed to annoy opponents. He easily avoided the forecheck, even bounced one off the back of the net on one breakout. Made a hard, backhand pass right after. Used his partner well as we noted above but even on a breakout he had the sense to use him as an outlet in front of the net. Real high level of awareness and sense. He blocked shots, clogged lanes with a smart stick, hit and got off checks. He played the top of the power play and can fire the puck with a wrister, slapper or one-timer. Moved well along the offensive blue line and played every situation. His approach was confident, mature and businesslike which lead to almost mistake free hockey. Tough to pick a best player on one of the two best teams here but he would not be a bad choice. Early September birthdate. Grade: A
U14: USHL Fall Classic, October 24, 2018: A strong, powerful skater who carries the puck with his head up and delivers tape to tape firm passes. He has a heavy shot from the point and gets pucks through traffic and on net. Defensively he has a nice combination of athleticism and physical edge and he picked up sticks and cleared bodies out in front of the net. Our first viewing and he made a nice first impression. Grade: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images