Scouting Report
EVALUATED 21/05/2021
Brayden Olafson
Player Type: Stay-at-home defenseman
QMJHL Draft Projection: Second to third round
Projected QMJHL Arrival: 2022-23
Projectable Skills: Composed breakouts
Development Opportunities: Core flexibility, Maintaining advantageous angles against attackers on rush
Matteo Rotondi is a conservative defenseman who excels most in the sectors of positioning and decision making. He has a relatively sizable frame and has good power in a straight line. His role in transition is typically as a source of a reliable and optimal first pass, which he is revered for. It is a relatively rare sight to see Rotondi opt to carry the puck in transition, however, it seems to be more of a preference than a limitation. His defensive play is regarded as very preventive of opposition opportunities, thanks to textbook positioning during both strong and weak side defensive battles. He remains mentally active, even in instances of stagnant puck movement and actively adjusts his positioning to inhibit the opportunity of his assignments. His primary opportunities for improvement lie in the form of technical skills that are known to be teachable at later stages of development - nonetheless, they are aspects of his game that would be exposed at higher levels of competition if not developed further. His lateral mobility while skating backwards is a key aspect of comprehensive reliable defending, and something that he might consider dedicating some time to. This limitation seems to be as a result of two roots - the first being an apparent lack of core flexibility and the second being an apparent hesitation to shift his weight and turn his feet gradually. The two factors result in a transition defending style whereby Rotondi can occasionally be exposed by fleet-of-foot attackers, and is unable to track their movement to the inside or outside. To compensate, he adds an additional layer of conservative positioning by backing off the blueline early and giving himself the space to adjust to oncoming attackers. On a mental level, his future seems to be in the role of a stay-at-home defenseman. He may contribute offensively on occasion, but will more than likely develop into a player who teams rely on to play heavy minutes and reduce opposition scoring opportunities.
Skating
6Puck Skills
7Hockey IQ
7.5Playmaking
7.5Scoring
6Physicality
7Defense
8Overall
7.00Game Reports
EVALUATED Brayden Olafson
Head of Eastern Canada Scouting
Rotondi was something of a minute mucher for Drummondville in this game, as I'm sure he's been on many occasions early in his QMJHL career. In his QMJHL draft year we praised the Newfoundland native for his defensive aptitude and while I think that's still where his potential lies, in this contest I observed a few opportunities for improvement. Particularly when it comes to defending effectively at this level I think Rotondi could stand to improve the speed of his pivots. While he was quite strong in gapping up and tracking his opponents into the defensive zone, I found that when one of Saint John's speedy 19 or 20-year-old's like William Dufour or Phillipe Daust decided to cut wide, Rotondi struggled a bit to impede them. That being said, as a 16-year-old, Rotondi was often faced with the Memorial Cup host-to-be's top offensive players. His role as a shutdown blueliner still has a lot of potential. The general speed of the game did seem to come at him quite quickly in the defensive zone. Occasionally pucks would get lost in his feet, or he would appear to scramble to get on the right side of his opponents. Saint John's powerhouse offense was very effective at sustaining pressure from all corners of the offensive zone. In the instances where Rotondi was able to get an opponent pinned against the boards, either off of the rush or in a cycle, he thrived in winning strength puck battles and using his feet to move the puck in the direction that he chose.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Drummondville Voltigeurs
07/07/2021
LEAGUE PREDICTION
-
CHL
Confirmed
100%
TEAM PREDICTION
-
Drummondville Voltigeurs
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2021
07/07/2021
Drummondville Voltigeurs Sign Matteo Rotondi
- 2021
25/06/2021
Drummondville Voltigeurs Draft Matteo Rotondi