Vancouver Canucks prospects: 2018 World Juniors tournament report card

RW William Lockwood (Team USA)

3GP: 0 Goals + 0 Assists

The Michigan State University winger was a welcomed addition to Team USA after he was hurt during pre-tournament camp. Turns out, Lockwood will be injured once again and this time, he won’t be back in time for anything this season.

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The good

William Lockwood can skate and once he starts working with NHL skating coaches, he may skate better than Jannik Hansen can. The winger is speedy, agile, explosive, and powerful. We knew these things from previous scouting reports, but doing it against the best hockey players of his age group really highlighted his skating prowess.

Oh, and he loves hitting at high speeds as well.

https://twitter.com/NucksWatch/status/945848804468604928

Lockwood’s work on the penalty kill was great for the Americans. In the games leading up to his injury vs. Canada, the US had not given up a single goal on the PK. After Lockwood got hurt, they gave up three in their last four games.

Lockwood’s speed was also appreciated when Team USA attempted zone entries. He has puck skills that are underrated despite how fast he is skating while making his moves. Once he was hurt, the US had to rely heavily on Quinn Hughes and Casey Mittlestadt for zone entries.

The Bad

The injury that Lockwood sustained against Canada has sidelined him for the rest of the season. There are talks that he will be out for up to nine months, meaning he won’t be able to do much offseason work on the ice. How much this will hurt his 2018-19 season and his overall development, we won’t know.

Also bad is the fact that Lockwood failed to record points in the 2.5 games he did play. He was used on a checking line with heavy PK duties, but to record no points at all despite the skill he possesses is a bit of a letdown.