Team: Penticton Vees- BCHL

Date of Birth: April 21, 2003- North Vancouver, BC, Canada

Height: 6’0″/183 cm

Weight: 190 lbs./86 kg

Position: Center

Shoots: Right

Player Introduction

In his second season in the BCHL, Finlay Williams has improved his points per game average from .76 (2019-20) to a point per game in 2020-21. Granted this is over a much smaller sample size as he played 40 games in the 2020 season and only 13 games so far in 2021. Nonetheless, he is an intriguing prospect.

Williams began his BCHL journey playing 8 playoff games as part of the Prince George Spruce Kings, on route to a BCHL Championship. He also appeared in all 6 games at the 2019 RBC Cup, where Prince George would fall to the Brooks Bandits in the finals.

Following his first full year in the BCHL where he posted 31 points in 41 games with Prince George, Williams was traded to Penticton in exchange for future considerations. He currently has 13 points in 13 games for the Vees and was named their captain for the 2021 season.

Skating

Williams is an overall good skater, he has a good skating stride with a good push-off that possesses some good power when he is in full flight. He also possesses some good edgework and has good lower body skating mechanics. 

I have noticed, however, that he sometimes bends his upper body over his knees which I would say hampers the amount of power he generates with his lower body.

Speed-wise, Williams possesses good top speed, but it takes him a few strides to get up to that speed. I’ve also noticed that he has a hard time generating speed following a stop off his first few steps. Often times you will see him skate back into his own zone or behind the net in order for him to gain that speed. 

This can be improved with the addition of some quickness to his first three steps. I think that this would also help improve his backwards skating, which needs some work. Adding some explosivity to his stride would also benefit his skating.   

Playmaking and Decision Making

When it comes to his vision and his passing ability, it’s his decision-making that needs the most improvement. He is not the most consistent player on the ice due to this, however, one can see he has the capabilities to become a good playmaker.

Williams throws the puck away without looking much too often for my liking. This occurs most often when he is throwing the puck blindly into the slot. 

If he can make better decisions with the puck when looking for a man in the slot, Williams will be a much better and more dangerous puck distributor.

As mentioned, his passing ability is good, but he can be inconsistent when it comes to reaching his target. At times he will put it into his teammate’s skates which makes it harder for them to get a shot off when in traffic. 

When his pass does make its way to his teammate’s stick though, it’s a good crisp pass. 

Offensive Play

Williams best attribute when he is on the offensive is his tenacity on the forecheck. He is one of the first players in the corners and is constantly hounding the opposing defensemen. I believe that it could be more consistent but when he is on his game, he is a defender’s worst nightmare.

Williams possesses a decent shot which still could use some improvement. He has a good release but I find that his shot could still use some more power and accuracy. If he could add some more zip to it, he could be deadly on the powerplay.

With the puck, Williams is a very confident player and is able to push defenders back when carrying the puck in, however, that does hinge on him gathering enough speed in the neutral zone to do so. 

His puck protection is good as well, however, I would like to see it improve as he is often losing control of the puck or having it knocked off his stick by defenders a little too often.

Defensive Play

When it comes to his defensive end, Williams appears to have a good understanding of his responsibilities as a center. He is very responsible in his own end, supporting his defensemen during breakouts and in corner battles. 

He also backchecks consistently and always tries to pick up a man or get into a position to take away the passing lane.

One thing I would like to see him do more often though is being more consistent and aggressive when it comes to jumping on loose pucks. I do believe that his lack of stop to start footspeed hinders his ability to be the first one to the puck at times. With an improvement in that area, I do believe he will get to those pucks much easier and more consistently.

Final Verdict

I believe that Finlay Williams is a good prospect. I think that his footspeed from a starting position will need work and as will his decision-making. However, he has the talent to become a decent middle 6 two-way forward in my opinion, but I don’t see him as a center at the next level.

His tenacity on the forecheck is something every team could use and his understanding of his positioning in the defensive zone is also an important aspect for any young player. He is committed to Michigan University for next year which will definitely help his development as a player. As of now, I would slate Finlay Williams in the fourth round.

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