Waterloo played Lincoln on December 6th, 2019. Here are out post game thoughts on Matthew Argentina, Xander Lamppa & Wyatt Schingoethe and how they relate to past evaluations. Enjoy.
Matthew Argentina (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — C) Forward
Not a draft eligible player as he is only an 03, but he played very well tonight. Matthew can really skate and played with energy while hounding pucks. His puck skills matched his speed and he made several plays including a great pass on the backhand backdoor resulting in a goal. He did things at full speed and competed. As he continues to grow his game and make it more complete as a player, he should be on the 2021 Draft radar. GAME GRADE: B+
All told Neutral Zone has 11 past evaluations of Matthew on the Men’s Hockey side. Here are 3 past evaluations;
As a U13 playing in a U14 Tourney in March of 2017; Considering his age and he was playing with a bad wrist, he put on a very strong show. Matt has good size for an 03, is smart and handles the puck well. We look forward to seeing him healthy next year.
As a U13 playing in the U14 World Selects; One of the only ‘03s in the tournament, he is strong and mature for his age. He plays a smart game, is poised with the puck and showed natural, instinctive hockey sense. He didn’t find the stat sheet here, but he did a lot of things away from the puck that caught our eye and showed high level upside.
National Camp July of 2019; Argentina was one of the bigger names heading into camp after being invited to NTDP Evaluation Camp and being tendered by Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL soon after. He is a natural goal scorer who has soft, elusive hands and the ability to score from anywhere in the offensive zone. His shot is powerful, as he can score from the top circles; and his shot is accurate, he can place it and has a rapid release that he can get off in stride and in traffic. He’s got excellent balance, he can get off checks and power his way through contact and has sturdy edges and a hard stick in tight around the net. While he doesn’t have an explosive first step or breakaway speed, he’s able to find open ice and has the strength and edge work to protect the puck and get to scoring areas. He’s more of a finisher than a play maker, but has good touch on his passes and can snap it off or sauce it into soft spots and allow his teammates to skate into it. Argentina’s goal scoring was his best attribute here, as he finished with 5 goals in 5 games. However, we were impressed with his play along the boards, spinning off hits, lowering his shoulder and protecting in tight areas and making quick, subtle stick moves to change the angle and get to the slot area. He reads goalies and breaks them down, allowing him to pick corners in stride, which is rare at this age. On the power play, he showed great poise and composure with the puck, both from the perimeter and in tight around the net. He also showed an ability to elevate pucks in tight and knock defenders off the puck on the fore-check. He’ll need to get a step quicker, but he scored some highlight reel goals here; quick release snap shot top corner in stride on the rush; a quick stick deke move in tight on a rebound; a patient stick play just outside the crease out waiting the goalie and firing it to the empty netting and finally, he scored from beyond the dots on a power wrister. A talented sniper who is tough to knock off pucks, tough to take on 1v1 and is one of the most junior ready prospects in the age group.
Xander Lamppa (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade – C) Forward
Xander showed off his size and strength with the puck while shielding it from defenders. His feet and soft touch on the puck allowed him to possess pucks and roll off checkers. He moved the puck to the open man and worked to find space to get puck touches. He worked hard and competed in all areas of the game while being productive offensively finishing with a 1-1-2 line. Offensively he was aggressive in shooting the puck and getting into the traffic areas. He ended the game registering 5 shots on goal. GAME GRADE: B+
National Camp July 2016; This was our first viewing of Lamppa other than the Minnesota Select 16 Camp and we thought he was better there than he was here. He’s got good size and touch around the net and a soft set of hands. He shoots with authority and can make plays while defenders or back-checkers are draped on him. With that being said he’s got a choppy stride which limits a lot of what he can do. He finished the week with a productive 2-2-4 line and scouts who can look beyond his skating may have him ranked higher. Undrafted in the USHL and he’ll return to John Marshall HS in Minnesota.
As you can see from our past evaluation, Xander has always been strong with in an excellent compete level and he continues to have soft hands around the net with a rocket of a shot when the opportunity arises. But where we are seeing the biggest improvement to his game is his skating. He appears to have a more explosive first step and he is now able to lose defenders while rolling off the wall on a cycle. He remains un-committed, but we feel he will have college coach’s eyes on him as we head into the new year because of his professional approach to the game, his combination of strength and high level of compete and his ability to play in every game situation.
Wyatt Schingoethe (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-) Forward
Wyatt used his best asset tonight which is his strong skating ability. He has quickness and speed which can put stress on defenders. His first couple steps are explosive and his top speed is very powerful. He separated quickly from defenders and had a shoot first mentality while getting 4 shots on goal tonight. A quick release along with his aggressive minded play resulted in a 1-1-2 line. He did tend to hold onto the puck and attack defenders directly and would like to see him move the puck and get open in space with speed to be even more dangerous. None the less a physically talented player. GAME GRADE: B-
Here is a quick look back at some of Neutral Zone’s 14 past evaluations of Wyatt on both our Men’s site and NHL site;
From October of 2016: There is no questioning the talent, size and upside this player has. He’s a polished skater for his frame, he has the speed to beat defenders wide or the puck skill to cut in and go through them 1v1 with smooth, agile hands. He can score goals from all over the offensive zone and is a legit scoring threat every time he’s on the ice at this level. With that being said, his work ethic and play away from the puck left a lot to be desired. He didn’t consistently play winning style hockey and at times cheated defensive and tried to get too cute with the puck instead of making the sure play. Tremendous upside but needs to play with a more consistent effort and focus.
December of 2017: Wyatt was the best forward here. His elite skating ability is what really stands out when you see him. He is quick, fast and shifty. He can give a fake one way and then go the other and separate quickly, allowing him to make plays. He has a great stick and the ability to snap off the puck with little or no time, making him a threat to score from several areas. Wyatt looks to be a strong USNTDP Candidate for next year.
NTDP Camp in March of 2018: Schingoethe is one of the best skaters in this age group as he combines both a fluid stride with excellent edge work, balance and powerful strides. He accelerates well in every direction, stops and starts and can separate from opponents at will. He got injured at camp and wasn’t his best; but he has the shooting ability, the skating ability and the grit to make plays in tough areas. He can go into a scrum, win puck battles and come out with possession. He is aggressive, gets himself in the scoring areas and has an excellent release. He doesn’t back down, he doesn’t quit on plays, he plays an honest, complete game. He isn’t flashy and is more noticeable in traffic than in the open ice, up and down nature of these events.
NHL Evaluation on Wyatt’s hockey IQ: (1) Brain – For the most part Wyatt is aware of what he is, which is a dependable strong two way forward who creates havoc on the cycle or fore-check. On the fore-check he takes angles that eliminate the defenseman’s options, is able to break up aerial seem passes with his stick and looks to punish defensemen by following through on all of his checks. As an F2 he is patient along the wall and he he is one of the few forwards on this list who consistently stays patient as an F3. He has very good ice awareness in both five on five and special teams situations and he plays when the game matters most.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images