Ht/Wt: 6' 1"/200 lbs
Position: C
Team: NDU (CCHA)

Riley Sheahan's Player Profile

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had high hopes for the 2009-2010 season. However, a rash of injuries and inconsistent play led to disappointing results. One of the bright spots was the play and emergence of Riley Sheahan as not only a contributing player in his freshman season, but as a legitimate NHL prospect.

Sheahan started the season as the one of the youngest players at the NCAA level. However, he soon showed up on scouts’ radars as a potential top 10 pick in this year’s draft. Sheahan has all the tools that can’t be taught. In addition to his 6’1 ½” 202 lb. frame, he displayed an uncanny ability to play defensive hockey that defies his age. Sheahan plays a very disciplined game and never allows himself to get trapped as a third forward in deep. In fact, Sheahan is regularly in position to be a third defenseman skating backwards through the neutral zone. Sheahan has a good stick in the defensive and neutral zones and automatically takes away passing lanes when his team loses possession. Sheahan also is good at recognizing when to force a puck carrier or buy time for his defense or backchecking forwards. Sheahan also has the awareness to cover for rushing defenseman. When you see Sheahan on the ice directing his teammates and barking out instructions, it’s hard to imagine him as a 17 year old freshman at the season’s start. Coach Jeff Jackson had no hesitation in having Sheahan handle the point on the power play and wasn’t afraid to leave him on the ice once the penalty was over.

Offensively, Sheahan has a good skill set. He skates well, passes well and uses his body to protect the puck. He also has very quick hands and handles the puck well. However, Sheahan was only able to net 6 goals in 37 games and you would like to see more production out of a forward projected to go in the first round. It’s possible that he was simply adjusting to the rigors of NCAA hockey and contributed through his strong defensive play. He’ll need to focus on being more confident with the puck next year to keep his development on track. If so, he should have a very long, productive NHL career. If not, at the very least he should serve as a solid 3rd line shut-down center.

Any scouting report on Sheahan would be remiss if it did not mention his alcohol related arrest this spring. Was this just another college kid who had a momentary lapse of good judgment or does this indicate some sort of character flaw? That will be up to each NHL team to decide.
Pros: Great defensive player with excellent awareness and hockey sense.
Cons: Lack of production to match skill set as season wore on.
Skillset comparison: Jordan Staal
Submitted by: Rich Michalowski of TheScoutingReport.org

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