RHD
Toronto Marlboros U15 AAA
Described as an OHL caliber offensive defenseman, Matthew Virgilio dominates in the offensive zone but is still reliable in his own end. Seen throughout the league as a top defender in his age group, Virgilio is one to watch. His right hand shot is one of his most valuable attributes, it’s hard, accurate and described as a bomb of a shot. His playmaking ability is no slouch either as he moves the puck arguably better than any other defender in the league. He finds soft spots in opponents' defence and exploits them and he is not afraid to use his hands to create space for him and his teammates. He walks the blue line really well for a player his age. Like most offensive defenseman his speed is a plus and he uses his powerful and explosive first three strides to quickly accelerate to an electric top speed. Virgilio is a power play QB for his team, he uses the talents previously mentioned to dominate and contribute to his team when up a man. He is also very useful on the defensive side as well. He plays on the PK and is consistently in the right position. By being in the right position he is able to break up plays well. When he has the puck in his own zone, Matthew is very poised and makes strong first passes allowing his teams forwards to have clean, easy breakouts. Though he has a great first pass, in transition he is not afraid to carry the puck or jump into the rush and create high scoring chances during breakouts. Like many top players in minor hockey Matthew is working on teammate utilization as he continues to play with better and stronger players. He is also continuing to grow his decision making skills as sometimes he overcommits to the forecheck however he is fast and smart enough to recover. Virgillio wears the ‘C’ for his team as he is a hard worker and fantastic leader. If he continues to develop as expected Matthew Virgilio is someone to watch for early in the OHL draft.