Michael Graham

Aaron Vickers

Graham is an extremely fluent skater whose long stride allows him to gain ground efficiently and is quick to change direction. He is very strong on the puck and controls it very well in all three zones. He finishes all of his offensive plays effectively and efficiently, whether it is finding his open teammate to create a scoring opportunity or getting a shot to the net. He is a good puck-possession guy, though far from dynamic offensively. He does not display too much physical play, but is smart and does not get himself out of position when attempting to make a hit or attack a puckhandling opponent. He is very responsible in the defensive zone and takes care of all his assignments and responsibilities effectively, but he is not overly flashy while getting his job done. He is an efficient and extremely effective center who is capable of making big offensive plays. He consistently wins board battles using his combination of strength, smarts and skilled stick work, then curling into the slot to snap of a shot or find a teammate with a quick backdoor pass. The Notre Dame commit’s development at the NCAA level will be extremely important to determine what kind of professional player he will be. He shows positive upside as a player who will do what is asked of him and will get the assignments done correctly.  (May 2016)