Player Profile: Max Iafrate
If you think the name Iafrate rings a bell, it should, as Al Iafrate was a solid NHL blueliner for 15 seasons who is famous for his rocket slap shot that set the NHL Skills Competition record, which stood for 16 years, at 105.2 miles. So should we be surprised that his son Max is a chip off the old block? Probably not. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound younger Iafrate is a high risk-high reward defenseman who has a ton of physical tools and competes at a very high and consistent level. This season, he scored 15 goals and 29 points in 63 games for his Belle Tire U-16 club, which was enough to garner the attention of the Plymouth Whalers, who drafted the 16-year-old with their first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. He has good size, which he uses to take the man and finish his checks, generally playing the game with and edge. Iafrate also has very good feet, displaying quickness and mobility. He also possesses a better then average stick, displaying the ability to move and handle the puck with some confidence while showing the potential to chip in some offensive contributions to his team’s game. Numerous hockey observers have compared Iafrate to Montreal Canadiens prospect PK Subban because of his skill set, quickness, and his ability to move up the ice. Max Iafrate has all the tools to follow in the footsteps of his father, and be a very good NHLer someday.
2009-10 Team: Belle Tire U-16
Born: Livonia, MI. March 28, 1994.
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2012
Position: Defense
Height: 6.1
Weight: 198
Shoots: Right
2009-10 Statistics: 63 GP, 15 G, 14 A, 29 PTS
2008-09 Statistics (Detroit Honeybaked U-14):
30 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 PTS
