Matthew Soto

December 2022 – Soto has been extremely underrated this season, with few scouts hyping him up, which I don’t quite understand. He has great puck skills, is an excellent playmaker, has terrific off-puck instincts to find soft ice, drives the middle lane, and is one of the youngest players in the class. He also has a high motor, which when paired with his efficient movements, makes him a very effective forechecker and penalty killer. Soto scans the ice very well, makes good passing decisions in transition to diffuse pressure, and finds pockets of space upon entry in the offensive zone better than most OHLers. He is definitely undersized as of now, but he has a decent frame to grow into. That being said, he is far from a perfect player. His skating mechanics are flawed, including a shallow stride, which limits the effectiveness of his decent top speed. Good edgework does save his skating grade a little bit, though. He also lacks a strong delay game, which contributes to his upside being limited to a second-line role. However, his motor and intelligence make it conceivable that he could fit into a third or fourth-line role quite seamlessly as well. Sebastian High