Analyzing John Tavares

What makes John Tavares tick in such a special way is his elite vision. He is able to slow the game down to his pace in the offensive zone with crispness and accuracy to his passes. His shot is a weapon and is deadly accurate. It is amazing just how quickly and powerfully he gets off his shots. He loves releasing the puck at the top of the point, or taking an extra step towards the centre. He works to get into the best possible position to unload his shot. He waits an extra second for the goalie to drop down and then deposits the puck upstairs beautifully. His stickhandling at any speed rivals that of a four-year OHL veteran. He has such remarkable poise with the puck, and is constantly making progressive decisions with it. Rarely does he ever just throw it away – everything is calculated, precise and with a purpose. He demands the puck, showing a certain desire to win, even when his team is seemingly too far behind to come back.

Tavares makes those around him better, a testament to his status as a future superstar. He will need to continue to work on his skating – while he generates fluidity and decent speed with his long legs, he does not yet have an explosive first step. His astute positioning more than makes up for his skating, as he has keen anticipation skills and know where the puck will be. He has been victim of constant abuse on the part of the opposition, but he is quick to recover and get back into play. Although not big, at 6 feet, 180 pounds at the age of 15, he has room to grow and fill out. He shows definite commitment to improving his strength and conditioning, which will gradually elevate his game to the next level.

In addition to showing strength and power, Tavares also has a slippery, finesse side to his game, able to make nifty moves through traffic, rolling off defenders and sometimes going right through them. It appears at times that he has the puck on a string. Adjustments in the defensive zone will be more gradual – he covers a lot of ice and uses an active stick at the top of the point, which causes some turnovers. He needs to do a better job at identifying the top point man and not allowing him time to set up and make a play.

The Generals are proud owners of a surefire OHL franchise player and potentially an exciting pro.