Projection: Puck Moving Upside

Tools: Mobility, Playmaking

Development Opportunities: Poise, Shoot More

A very mobile two-way defender, Wyatt Finch is a big minute muncher for the Lakers. He is strong on retrievals, with good shoulder checks and pre-scans, showcasing his good hockey IQ. From there, Finch is able to make a smart first pass, even sometimes breaking the puck out himself. He has a lot of traits that are plus attributes for a modern day defenceman to have with his mobility, brain, and puck moving ability. Finch is able to make a lot of really smart plays to progress the puck up the ice and on the cycle but may not get as much credit for it on the score sheet.

As he progresses, Finch will be challenged a lot more by quality forecheckers and bigger and stronger forwards. This may present a challenge for him that he will have to overcome as at times he can appear to be overwhelmed by a heavy forecheck and lose possessions. Inside the offensive end, he could improve his shot and use it more often, this will help to add a more dynamic element to his offensive generation and make him all the more lethal as an offensive blueliner. Finch could be more assertive with the puck, commanding his team’s offence and dictating play better.

The smooth skating right shot blueliner, Wyatt Finch uses his feet to his advantage in all three zones. In his own end, he keeps above his opponents and is able to make smart retrievals, where he then is able to assist the breakout with solid passes out of the defensive end. He can also opt to carry the puck in transition, side stepping past opponents. In this game he was a very active and effective puck mover and was doing a great job setting up his teammates, holding the blueline to keep play moving and activating when needed.

The right-shot Wyatt Finch looked like the most dynamic defender in this game at many points. He has great four-way mobility and he is able to create some deception with his footwork. He used this mainly in transition as he opted to carry the puck himself at times and keep up with opposing forwards on the defensive side. His puck moving ability is strong as well, he is able to find teammates on the breakout and inside the offensive end, as evidenced by his one assist in this game.

The Marlboros had multiple strong performances from players on their backend but Wyatt Finch showed he was a good counterpart to them. A very mobile right-shot defenceman, his puck moving mobility was on display at times, with a few carries and breakout passes. In his own end he provided a lot of value, stopping opponents from advancing, snuffing plays out along the wall. He also used his skating to stay above the puck, pressuring and steering opponents into the boards, creating turnovers. Another skill on display was his shot, he pulled the trigger from the point many times, even potting a goal in the final frame to put his team within one goal.

The right-handed Wyatt Finch displayed his abilities well, using his smooth skating to move the puck up the ice himself. He has good mobility in all directions, using quick stops and cut backs to draw in opponents and open up space, then feeds a pass to teammates in the offensive zone or to break the puck out. He plays with a lot of poise, scanning the ice well and assessing his opportunities, allowing him to plan his attack and move the puck with accuracy. He was also a shooting threat from the point, getting himself open and moving up at the right times to wire a one-timer or making the opponent bite before side-stepping and firing it from up high.