Player Review: IPOTG Caleb Jones (86ovr)

6'1, 192 pounds shoots left Synergies: HH1, TW1, T1 Price paid: 23k

I picked up Jones as a replacement for Brian Campbell because I was looking for a left handed TW defence. I have been pleasantly surprised with his card for an 86 defensemen on the third pairing with him having 1G and 4 assists in 10 games. I'm going to break this review into; Skating, offensive zone, defensive zone and overall.

Skating: 9.5/10 Just wow. I was absolutely blown away by how fast he feels, I expected him to be fast as a medium sized defensemen with 94 acceleration, agility and speed but he exceeded my expectations here. He feels faster than any of my other players by far. 90 endurance keeps him skating at a good speed too. The only downside to his skating is that with 85 balance he can be knocked down fairly easily.

Offensive zone: 6.5/10 Jones isn't going to be the centre point of your offence. With mediocre passing skills he isn't going to set too many guys up and with 79 Slapshot accuracy and 81 WSA he isn't a sniper. The interesting stat though is he has 98 slapshot and wrist shot power so blasting it at the net can result in some lucky tips and rebounds. Defensive zone: 7.5/10 Jones' speed is a big factor here. With mediocre defensive skills his speed lets him get in position for a pokecheck on almost any play. The HH synergy makes him a pleasant surprise when it comes to hitting, even standing a couple of guys up in his 10 game stint. Activating the It's a trap synergy is also very beneficial to rounding out his defensive game.

Overall: I would recommend him for the price to any mid level team running team wheel. He is an interesting player and when used right can be a great addition to inject some speed into the back end.