Scouting Report
EVALUATED 03/12/2021
Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Projectable Skills - Skating Fluidity, Slapshot, Transition game
Development Opportunities - Physical maturity, More confident in breakout passing
I first watched Josh play this summer in the WYC for the MN Machine in the US. Already, you could see how deep his skating cuts were and how easily he built speed and momentum in his first few strides. You can already see how that skating stride has improved over the past few months which allows him escapability when retreating and evading a heavy forecheck. At the WHL Cup, Josh had even the best of skaters chasing him around the ice. Just when you thought you had a chance to catch him, he’d make a simple outlet pass or use that space to defer to his defensive partner. Josh seemed to let Jonas Woo be the uptempo player with Team Manitoba, but he certainly isn’t shy at joining the rush for the Southwest Cougars. He’s beginning to gain that confidence to slice through layers of pressure on his own and use that skating stride to the fullest of its potential. Partner that with a developing rocket of a slapshot and all that is left is that physical maturity. Josh could be an absolute home run swing. He is certainly currently on the thin side of things and had issues with bigger players once play was established down low during the WHL Cup. Josh’s game will be able to break up plays early and turn momentum up ice.
Skating
10Puck Skills
8Hockey IQ
8.5Playmaking
9Scoring
8Physicality
6.5Defense
8Overall
8.29Scouting Report
EVALUATED 15/07/2021 Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Minnesota Machine vs. The Tropics
One of the first things I noticed about Josh was the types of skating strides he was using quite often. He really can carve back and forth along the inside edges off one foot at a time in order to change direction and shift with his head up. He does these things both with and without the puck. I think it certainly opens up more potential passing lanes and keeps forecheckers on their toes if he’s looking to quickly turn the play around.
Overall
8.29Scouting Report
EVALUATED 15/07/2021 Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Minnesota Machine vs. West Coast Prime
I wrote about Josh on the last game report but I just simply wanted to reiterate my thoughts about his mobility. I found him to really carve deeper in his edges and is able to be quite dynamic with his stride. It isn't necessarily the strongest or the quickest stride, but the length of the push and how much ground he can cover allows him to close gaps quicker and circle away from pressure if the situation calls for it. A lot of his stride should be able to pop once he adds more lower body and core strength. He was able to be part of both transitions up the middle of the ice with both his stick and feet more often in this game.
Overall
8.29Scouting Report
EVALUATED 14/07/2021Gabe Foley
US Regional Scout
Minnesota Machine vs. RSG Selects
The Machine have been very reliant on their defensemen to control their movement up the ice throughout the tournament. While Will Emerson has been the man for this job for many games, it was Josh Fluker who stepped into the role on Saturday. Fluker was confident carrying the puck and used strong stickhandling to pull opponents out of position, opening up passing lanes that Fluker was quick to exploit. This made him a threat in both the neutral zone and the offensive end. Fluker’s passing and ability to patiently work opponents earned him an assist on the lone Machine goal and defined him as the quarterback of all of their plays when he was on the ice. While he showed a bit too much aggression when defending the rush himself, Fluker’s confident ability to skate the puck, mixed with very aware passing, was exactly what the Machine needed against a shut-down RSG defense.
Overall
8.29Game Reports
EVALUATED
Gabe Foley
Regional Scout - USA
The Machine have been very reliant on their defensemen to control their movement up the ice throughout the tournament. While Will Emerson has been the man for this job for many games, it was Josh Fluker who stepped into the role on Saturday. Fluker was confident carrying the puck and used strong stickhandling to pull opponents out of position, opening up passing lanes that Fluker was quick to exploit. This made him a threat in both the neutral zone and the offensive end. Fluker’s passing and ability to patiently work opponents earned him an assist on the lone Machine goal and defined him as the quarterback of all of their plays when he was on the ice. While he showed a bit too much aggression when defending the rush himself, Fluker’s confident ability to skate the puck, mixed with very aware passing, was exactly what the Machine needed against a shut-down RSG defense.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
I wrote about Josh on the last game report but I just simply wanted to reiterate my thoughts about his mobility. I found him to really carve deeper in his edges and is able to be quite dynamic with his stride. It isn’t necessarily the strongest or the quickest stride, but the length of the push and how much ground he can cover allows him to close gaps quicker and circle away from pressure if the situation calls for it. A lot of his stride should be able to pop once he adds more lower body and core strength. He was able to be part of both transitions up the middle of the ice with both his stick and feet more often in this game.
Game Reports
EVALUATED Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
One of the first things I noticed about Josh was the types of skating strides he was using quite often. He really can carve back and forth along the inside edges off one foot at a time in order to change direction and shift with his head up. He does these things both with and without the puck. I think it certainly opens up more potential passing lanes and keeps forecheckers on their toes if he’s looking to quickly turn the play around.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Wenatchee Wild
04/01/2024
LEAGUE PREDICTION
-
CHL
Confirmed
100%
TEAM PREDICTION
-
Wenatchee Wild
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2024
04/01/2024
Josh Fluker is traded to the Wenatchee Wild
- 2021
17/12/2021
Swift Current Broncos sign Josh Fluker
- 2021
09/12/2021
Swift Current Broncos Draft Josh Fluker
