Marshall, Marshall, Marshall

Kevin Marshall
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Defense
League: QMJHL
Team: Lewiston Maineiacs
Height: 6'1'''
Weight: 191
Shoots: Left
*****
Scouting Report: Lewiston’s gritty defenseman is much more than a pest .. such a reliable defensive presence already and compares to a slightly smaller Hannan .. has smooth acceleration and good straight line skating .. shows pretty odd agility as he tends to overemphasize stops and turns making him look as if he is stuck in sand for a second or two .. puts his head down and barrels into scrums to advance play .. never quits on a play and is a courageous battler .. routinely takes on bigger forwards and finds ways to stop them .. hits and hits hard but tends to go underneath his checks at times .. always in opponents faces saying something .. is a comical nuisance as his victims usually end up laughing in stride with him .. never lets up and always gives forwards the business after whistles .. makes beautifully simple plays and always finds a way to separate opponents from the puck .. steps up at the right times and keeps the play alive with good skating .. a very rough stickhandler and is not expected to lead the rush .. decent at getting his shots on net but lacks any real precision or power .. Marshall is an unheralded defenseman who has 2nd round talent and production packaged in 1st round competitiveness and technical understanding of the game.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

70 games 5 goals 27 assists 32 points +34 141 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats (Including Memorial Cup)

*****

21 games 0 goals 7 assists 7 points -2 40 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Marshall is most likely one of those defensemen who an NHL team is hoping slides through the cracks this coming June 22nd/23rd. We think he is a stud defender, but also one who needs to develop his offensive talents some more. DraftBuzz sees him as a top 40 talent, and believe he will get drafted in the range of 25-50. He truly is a shut down defenseman who gets the job done with a combination of physicality, reliability, and superb decision making.

*****

(photo courtesy of Ron Morin)