Prospect Spotlight - Roman Vitolo
Height : 6 ft 0 in
Weight : 180 lbs
Position : Forward
Hometown - New York, New York
Current Team : Maine Nordiques U16
The Maine Nordiques U16 forward has been a top performer for his squad most of the year. Vitolo sees a ton of ice time regularly because he is used in all situations for his team. Vitolo previous played for the North Jersey Avalanche U15 team in 2019-2020, and finished with 14 goals and 3 assists in 28 games.
What makes him a prospect?
On the Power Play he plays the half wall on the umbrella and is used as the swing player on the breakout where he is often asked to carry the puck into the zone. His hands combined with his shiftiness make him hard to contain for his opponents. His release and accuracy make him a scoring threat not only on the power play but 5 on 5 as well. On the penalty kill he not only is effective as on the defensive side but is known to create shorthanded opportunities. His first steps are explosive and allow him to jump on his opponents very quickly often resulting in turnovers. He has shown no issues blowing by defensemen this year.
Areas to improve on
As with all players at this age, consistency away from the puck. There is no question when he has the puck, he is a dominate player at U16. There are times where he is being reactive when he needs to be active. When he is in the offensive zone, he has a tendency to drift outside the dots. He is not afraid to play inside the dots, in fact that is where most of his goals come from. He just simply needs to live inside the dots and he will produce a lot more.
Overall
Vitolo is a prospect that has some buzz on him and rightfully so as he has so many tools in his tool box. For a coach or a scout watching him you need to get excited about his potential and his ability to do multiple different things for you. As Roman gets to the Junior age he should have no issues finding a home in the USHL, NAHL, AJHL or BCHL.
If interested in learning more about Roman Vitolo please contact his coaching staff directly.