Now that the defender report cards for PWHL Minnesota are finished, it’s time to move on to the forwards. The team had quite a few scorers like Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, and Grace Zumwinkle, but they also had a lot of behind-the-scenes players. This next report card is about one of those behind-the-scenes players, Clair DeGeorge.
DeGeorge didn’t put up monster numbers and didn’t stand out like Heise, but she was still an important part of the roster. She didn’t play a lot of minutes, but in this article, we’ll look at her regular-season and postseason performances and come up with an overall grade. First, we’ll look at her quiet regular season.
DeGeorge Makes the Most of her Time
She played in all but one regular-season game for PWHL Minnesota, but she didn’t get to show much of her play. She averaged four to 12 minutes a game, with a few that were higher, the highest at 18:42. She’s a speedy player who focuses on her defensive game more than her offensive game. While there are offensive-minded defenders, there are also defensive-minded forwards, and DeGeorge fits that description.
She spent a lot of time in the defensive zone and kept her head on a swivel to ensure she covered the player she was supposed to. Every time she jumped onto the ice, she rushed to defend and blocked any shots that came her way. When she got a chance to show her offensive side, she did so with speed.
DeGeorge didn’t waste any time when she had a breakaway chance. She went straight to the net and fired a shot. She may not have had a lot of time on the ice, but she took as many shots as she could, with 14 throughout the season. None of them resulted in a goal, but she did assist on a teammate’s goal for one point.
Looking back at her overall performance for the regular season, she earned an A-. Many may believe her grade should be higher because they won it all, but unfortunately, outside of her defensive game, she didn’t contribute much as a forward. However, that could’ve been because she wasn’t given much ice time to show her magic. On the flip side, her grade also wasn’t lower because she did help a lot on the defensive side.
DeGeorge Continued Quiet Play
DeGeorge’s ice time didn’t increase in the postseason, but it also didn’t decrease much. She did become a little more aggressive when given time in the offensive zone, although it didn’t produce any points. She played in all 10 postseason games and had six shots on goal. She played a physical game and did everything she could to keep the puck in the offensive zone.
She had a few close calls where she nearly scored but couldn’t make it happen. While she did try to make things happen offensively, she didn’t forget her defensive side either. She back-checked whenever an opposing player tried to sneak into the defensive zone and cut them off from shooting. She then worked hard to turn the play around and head in the other direction. DeGeorge wasn’t a huge scoring presence, but again, her behind-the-scenes work was just as important as it helped them win the Walter Cup.
After reviewing DeGeorge’s performance in the postseason, she earned an A- as well. She did play hard both offensively and defensively but her lack of production could’ve been a problem if their top scorers stopped contributing. It’s important to have production throughout the lineup and hopefully DeGeorge can produce more in the future depending on where she lands.
Her grade wasn’t higher because of her lack of production, but it wasn’t lower because she put in the effort and still worked hard defensively. She was a player who contributed without all of the attention, and every team needs a player like that.
DeGeorge’s Overall Grade
After examining both the regular season and postseason for DeGeorge, she earned an A-. Some may wonder why it’s not higher since she played in the entire postseason, and they won it all, but she struggled to contribute offensively. She made the effort and didn’t get much time on ice, but they still could’ve used more from her pointwise.
Related: PWHL Minnesota Report Cards 2023-24: Lee Stecklein
She did make a difference defensively, and that’s why her grade wasn’t lower. She is clearly a defensive-minded forward who takes her defensive game very seriously. She only signed a one-year deal with PWHL Minnesota, so it’ll be interesting to see who she’s with this coming season. If she’s with PWHL Minnesota, hopefully, she can find a way to produce some goals as they chase the Walter Cup once more.
