Graphic: Nebraska-Omaha
We continue our prospect review and forecast series with a review and forecast for Steven Spinner. (You can access all of our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page on the top menu bar, or right here.)
CONTRACT
Spinner, 22, was drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round (#159 overall) of the 2014 NHL entry draft, and will be playing his senior year at Nebraska-Omaha this fall. The 6’-0”, 198-pound forward is currently unsigned by the Capitals and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of his senior season.
CAREER
2017-2018 SEASON SUMMARY
Spinner got off to a great start in his Junior year at Nebraska-Omaha. He had three goals and four assists in the first six games, which tied him for the team lead in points. His game cooled off a bit in November before things heated up again in December.
Spinner had seven goals and six assists in the first 17 games of the season for Nebraska-Omaha. He would finish the second half of the season with just three goals and four assists in the remaining 18 games.
Spinner finished the 2017-2018 season with 10 goals and 10 assists in 35 games played for the Mavericks. The goal production was the highest for Spinner in his three seasons at UNO.
2017-2018 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS
The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Steven Spinner during the 2017-2018 season.
October
Spinner is off to a great start in his Junior year of college at Nebraska-Omaha. He has three goals and four assists in six games, which ties him for the team lead in points. The two players he’s tied with are 23-year old seniors. A good sign for Spinner is his shot totals. Last season, he had only 65 shots in 39 games. So far this season, he has 16 in six games, which in 39 games could equate to 104 shots, nearly 40 better than last season. So far, it’s good for Spinner.
Trending: Up
November
Spinner has also slowed down a bit since his hot start, only putting up one goal and two assists in his last five games, but that’s still good. He’s second on his team in points as a Junior, which is promising. He was doing well on shots rate in his first month, but hasn’t been so great since. That could explain the point drop in November. He needs to keep shooting!
Trending: Same
December
Steven Spinner is heating up. Spinner scored three goals and no assists in six games during the month of December. Spinner now has seven goals and six assists in 17 games so far this season for Nebraska-Omaha.
Trending: Up
January
Spinner started the new year with an assist against Capitals Prospect Shane Gersich and North Dakota in the Omaha-Nebraska’s first game of 2018. After the opening game of 2018 Spinner was held off the score sheet until the final game in January, when he tallied a goal and an assist in a 7-2 blowout against Western Michigan. Spinner registered one goal and two assists for the month of January, bringing his season totals to eight goals and eight assists in 25 games. Spinner is currently playing right wing on the second-line.
Trending: Down
February
Spinner continued to hold down the right wing position on the third line for the month of February, showing minor offensive production during the month. Spinner finished February with one goal and one assist in six games played. Spinner now has nine goals and nine assists in 31 games for a .58 points per game average this season. Nebraska-Omaha wraps up their regular season the first weekend in March with a pair of games at Minnesota-Duluth.
Trending: Same
March
Spinner started March with a goal in the final regular season weekend series against Minnesota-Duluth. Spinner finished the regular season with 10 goals and nine assists in 33 regular season games. Nebraska-Omaha opened postseason play against Caps prospect Shane Gersich and the University of North Dakota. Spinner continued to anchor the right wing position on the third line for the Mavericks in the post season. UND swept Omaha in two games, ending the Mavericks season. The Mavericks went 17-17-2 for the season. Spinner finished the 2017-2018 season with 10 goals and 10 assists in 35 games played, for a .57 points per game average. He registered 72 shots for a 13.9% shooting percentage and was a minus-11. Spinner will be a senior this fall.
Trending: Same
HIGHLIGHTS
PLAYER FORECAST
As previously noted, Spinner will return to Nebraska-Omaha for his senior season this fall. Both Spinner and the Capitals will need to make decisions next spring regarding the future path of the forward-prospect.
Spinner’s goal production has steadily risen during his time at Nebraska-Omaha, but his point production has remained fairly steady. He will need a good, consistent senior season this year to continue with the Capitals, considering Washington’s growing forward prospect depth.
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By Jon Sorensen
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