Scouting Report
EVALUATED 15/08/2024Noah Poirier
Regional Scout- USA
Grimes was one of the defencemen I came up most impressed with throughout the tournament. I noted a lot through the games how fluid Grimes is when lugging the puck through the neutral zone, gaining easy zone entries by either taking it himself or quickly one touching it off before the blue line. He was able to keep opponents to the outside off the rush, using his terrific footwork and mobility. He activated quickly off the rush and didn’t hesitate to step up in the play and get below the dots. Grimes showed off some solid work below his own goal line as well, using his frame to disrupt the puck from attackers before starting a transition up ice. He scored his only goal on one of the more interesting tallies of the tournament, dumping it in from center and fooling the Czech goalie into the top corner.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 22/07/2024
Puck Preps
Regional Scout- USA
Grimes was a calming presence on the back end for New York in this tournament and served as an excellent pressure release valve for when things got hectic. His mobility is a significant asset, with strong edgework and a game characterized by direction changes, spins, and fakes that make him hard to contain. Once the puck is on his stick it only seems to leave when he chooses which makes him so effective on the counterattack. There were countless times this week where he was able to use his frame and active stick to create a turnover before quickly recognizing his outlets up ice and kickstarting the attack. Grimes also utilizes his mobility at the offensive blue line, where he excels at freezing opponents with shoulder feints to create shooting lanes. Perhaps the greatest area of improvement seen this week was simply in his game-to-game consistency. There were no moments when his calm nature leaked into sleepiness and if he can continue that complete effort moving forward, he’ll continue to be a very attractive asset.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 16/01/2023
Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Matthew Grimes is one of the better defensemen on his team and doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for how sound he plays. He plays tight to the puck carrier in the defensive end, suffocating them and matching pace with some good edges to remain on top of them, he walks them into a corner before engaging himself physically to force the puck loose. A strong first pass lets him hit the man on the half-wall on the breakout. He’s shown to be a useful piece in helping his team transition to offence. Good enough puck skills to keep up offensively as well, he can walk the line and distribute the puck atop the zone, and is capable of quarterbacking a powerplay, opening up shooting and passing lanes in the process.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 11/08/2022 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Matthew Grimes was a strong two-way defender and kicks off our list. In 4 games on Team Navy, Grimes went without any points, but was reliable at both ends of the ice at moving the puck and shutting down the rush thanks to his smooth edgework and responsible decisions with the puck in the offensive zone. His ability to outwait defenders whilst remaining in motion, corralling the puck with his head up, and scanning the ice for plays, made him a strong playdriving defenseman.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 21/07/2024Blake Kloeppel
Regional Scout- USA
Grimes was the best defenseman in this game by far. He was an absolute monster in this game with his edgework and skating in the offensive zone. There were multiple times in this game where it looked like he had nowhere to go, but his skating allowed him to get out of trouble and keep the puck in the offensive zone. Grimes did only have one point in this game however it was on a great play, Grimes realized the poor change by the other team and got the puck up quickly to take advantage. Grimes’s skating is very deceptive, there were times in this game where his deception allowed him to shake the defenseman and get up ice quickly. This game further cemented him as one of the better defenseman in his age group.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 29/06/2024Cameron Patton
Regional Scout- USA
Grimes is a smooth offensive defenseman who creates offense out of tricky situations. He has tons of skill, great hands, good vision, and a strong point shot. He showed strong defensive awareness by denying entries on the penalty kill and forcing turnovers. He did take an undiscipline after the whistle penalty midway through the second down 4-1, which prevented his team from getting their powerplay opportunity. Other than the penalty, he played a strong, well-rounded game.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 12/08/2023
Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout- Western Canada
Grimes has been hot and cold during this tournament but I thought his pairing with Danny Klaers really shined in this contest. Grimes is a bit of a conundrum for me to evaluate as he can be so competent in dealing with the oppositions forecheck and kickstarting the counterattack on one shift then have a perplexingly difficult time dealing with pressure the next shift. His mobility is a major strength to lean on as he is really strong on his edges and his game is full of direction changes, spins, and fakes that make him difficult to swallow up. He uses these tools at the offensive blueline as well where he walks the line well and excels at freezing the opposition with shoulder movement to create lanes to get his shot through. One of his three assists in this game was collected by exactly this scenario where he was able to shimmy around a potential shot blocker and get a low and hard shot tipped home by a teammate. While his mobility is a strength, Grimes will need to continue to improve his poise under pressure. He has the feet to escape pressure but not always the awareness to find an outlet nor the hands to maneuver out of traffic. At times he seems to lack confidence with the puck on his stick and I think he will need to develop consistency to be trusted on a regular shift at higher levels.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 02/04/2023
Brayden Olafson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
The Saints' lefty was extremely detailed but efficient in how he processed his options after recovering a loose puck. Beginning with the acquisition itself, Grimes showed excellent determination to make a clean recovery with whatever means necessary. Whether his feet, hands, detailed stickwork or a combination thereof, he was able to turn otherwise unmanageable pucks into very manageable ones. He always made an initial read, and if necessary found ways to extend his possession to continue processing before executing on a pass or decision to carry. His goal in the dying seconds of the first period was a excellent case of him reading the leaves, so to speak, recognizing the limited risk of his aggressive pinch and anchoring himself on the back side of the crease. When it did he made no mistake with his contact of the puck, squeaking it over the line with less than a couple seconds remaining.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 31/03/2023 Brayden Olafson
Regional Scout- Eastern Canada
I was super impressed with the urgency that Matt Grimes brought in this game. No matter the context or what was on the line, Grimes had the speed, not to mention his size and intimidating inertia, to make an efficient puck recovery and calmly play the puck into a sustainable sequence. He ensured continuity when the play was otherwise at risk of deteriorating and make solid exchanges that were manageable for his teammates.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 31/03/2023 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
The embarrassment of riches continue for the Rhode Island Saints as Matthew Grimes shone bright from the backend. I found at the NTDP Evaluation Camp he played a more reserved two-way game, but in this one I saw him show glimpses of offensive ability I haven’t seen out of him in a while. On one play just inside his defensive blueline he made a nice pivot followed by crossovers forward and laterally to get by a forechecker, gained plenty of speed in only a few steps, gained the offensive blueline with control, circled behind the net, and attempted a centering pass that nearly led to a goal. On the powerplay he moved the puck very well, using backward crossovers to manipulate passing lanes, push-and-pull defenders, and overall make quick heads-up plays leading to shooting opportunities for Rhode Island. On the powerplay he picked up an assist taking a quick-and-low shot from the blueline that was deflected by Dylan Krayer to give Rhode Island a 3-2 lead. He was extremely poised in his own end, used his strength to win space in front of his own net, and some explosiveness to converge on puck carriers and land stick checks to impede their progress. I hope to see more of his offensive flare in the future.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 20/03/2023 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Something I can always appreciate about Matthew Grimes’ game is that even though he may not wow you with flashy moves or an elite skillset, he somehow always manages to catch your eye and end up as a standout player. Now don’t get me wrong, he still has very strong puck skills, athleticism, and hockey IQ – but its more so he uses all his talents to build off one-another to form an extremely well-rounded game. His smooth skating allowed him to remain poised with the puck, spinning off forecheckers and using his strong first pass to get transition moving up ice for Team Matthews. He had 2 particularly nice plays where he sent Cullen Potter on a breakaway with a nice pass from the wall in the neutral zone, along with a crafty pass to John Mooney at the goalmouth off the rush to pick up an assist. He was positionally sound in his own end, utilizing his stick to take away passing lanes, force poor passes, and deny shot attempts by clogging up shooting lanes. Another admirable aspect of Grimes’ game is that if he does make a mistake, he’s always very quick to make up for it and redeem himself, usually only seconds after a mistake is made.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 21/07/2022
Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
The more I watched Matthew, the more I wanted to watch Matthew play. At first glance, it seems like he’s capable of a real high-end game. He was throwing together spins in coverage, bursts of speed with long and powerful strides, and dips low to get ample power in his shot. He’s one of those “I’ll make my effort count” kind of players. There is no wasted energy there. He can knock down a pass easily by stepping into a gap, and can circle away from pressure after reading it well. He made a tremendous puck rush near the end and almost had a highlight reel chance.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 26/05/2022 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Matthew Grimes did a good job at handling some of the top forwards of the Blades. His backward skating speed is up there with the best in the class, allowing him to maintain good body position and gap control, making his poke attempts at the right moments he directed the puck carrier to the boards and forced them to make the first move. He skated through the neutral zone with the puck a couple times, once again showing off his quick crossovers, accelerating with the puck and penetrating the offensive zone blueline to help aid in transition.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 24/03/2022 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Matthew Grimes’ good skating ability along with strong heads-up plays let him navigate his way through all 3 zones safely and effectively for MW Prime. When pressured in his own end he used pivots, stops and starts, along with slick stick handles to turn the forechecker inside out. When necessary, he laid a few strong bodychecks, separating player from puck and quickly jumping on the loose puck to begin the breakout. He was also sound in intercepting passes through the slot, letting very little high danger chances occur whilst he was on the ice.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
COMMITTED:
Minnesota
13/08/2023
SIGNED:
Sioux Falls Stampede
18/04/2023
LEAGUE PREDICTION
-
NCAA
Confirmed
100%
TEAM PREDICTION
-
Minnesota
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2023
13/08/2023
Matthew Grimes commits to Minnesota
- 2023
22/04/2023
Kitchener Rangers select Matthew Grimes in the OHL Priority Selection
- 2023
18/04/2023
Matthew Grimes signs tender with the Sioux Falls Stampede
