Scouting Report
EVALUATED 27/12/2023
Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
I was a bit slow to the uptake on Lee but after watching his play at the WHL Cup in October and in U18 action this month, he is turning me into a fan. The concerns with Lee are readily apparent. He’s a 5’7 defenceman with a slight build without the elite skating ability you might want from a player that small however the more I watch him the more I’m convinced he’ll succeed despite those limitations thanks to his determination and game sense. He is a surprisingly commanding presence on the ice, quarterbacking the flow of play, and being vocal in directing traffic. His anticipation and quick decision making are at a high level. He reads passing intentions and jumps routes constantly throughout the game and is dynamite at turning defence into offence. His work defending odd-man rushes is particularly impressive as it seems like he turns play back the other direction more often than the attacking team actually gets a shot off. I really like his balance of proactivity and inspiration. He prepares and positions himself in smart areas, but he is not rigidly glued to that initial thought which makes him extremely quick to respond to the unexpected. On the offensive side of the ledger, he is very comfortable creating for himself and teammates and possesses a deceptively heavy shot with little windup. I am intrigued by Lee’s ability to progress to higher levels and will be watching him closely. If he can continue to outthink and outwork the opposition so that they struggle to get established on the cycle in the offensive zone I think that he will continue to defy expectations created by his size.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 24/10/2023 Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Lee had a really strong performance and while I’ve always valued his puck movement and transition ability, I though he really flexed his defensive acumen in this contest. He is extremely smart at recognizing the intentions of the opponent and twice in this game he turned odd man rushes against him into counter attacks the other direction by jumping pass attempts. Despite his limited stature he has presence and composure on the back end; directing traffic, and vocally providing support and guidance to his teammates. He also chipped in on the scoresheet with BC’s first goal on a low and hard shot from the point. There is familiarity between Lee and Lin at the club level and it certainly shows. It’s not always easy to play with a high-end talent as the tendency is to fall into a defensive shell while they do their thing, but Lee shows how you can be a complementary asset with the puck as well.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Edmonton Oil Kings
20/05/2023
TEAM PREDICTION
No Predictions YetTIMELINE
- 2023
20/05/2023
Josh Lee signs with the Edmonton Oil Kings
- 2023
11/05/2023
Edmonton Oil Kings select Josh Lee in the WHL Bantam Draft