Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.plymouthwhalers.com
- Name: James Neal
- Position: C
- Shoots: Left
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 185 lbs
- Birthdate: 1987-09-03
- Eligible for Draft: 2005
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Whitby, Ontario
- Acquired: 33rd overall, 2005 NHL Entry Draft by Dallas
- Playing In: Pro
James Neal
Prospect Grade: 7.0 C (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: HF Staff
History
Drafted by Plymouth in the third round back in 2002, James Neal made his OHL debut in 2003-04 playing nine games with the Whalers and collecting an impressive six points. The strong play continued into his first full season and the Whitby, Ontario product scored 18 goals and 44 points as a rookie.
Neal started the year off well and really hit his groove around Christmastime where he began a hot streak that carried through to the end of January. By the end of January Neal had amassed 36 points, but from then to the end of the regular season his production tailed off dramatically and the forward added only eight more points to his total. Although he struggled down the stretch, the consensus appears to be that with his size and offensive skills, he has the potential to be a power forward at the next level.
Still, his overall performance was enough to warrant Canada including Neal on their U18 roster and while in the Czech Republic the 17-year-old held his own and scored once and added an assist in six games.
Talent Analysis
Scout #1: He was better earlier in the year than he was late; he made better plays and saw the ice better. He looks like he might be a decent skater sometimes and then other times I’d see him try to make the turn at center ice and I’ve seen a river barge with more turning ability. I soured on him as the year went on.
Scout #2: I like James Neal and I think he has a good upside. I don’t think he had the second half of the season that I had hoped he would to prove his worth because I think he wore down a bit. I still think he’ll be a pretty good player.
Future
Future Analysis Coming Soon...
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: October, 12th 2007
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