MacLean’s game has started to figure itself out in the past couple of months, culminating in what I thought was a very strong performance here at this event. There’s no denying he’s a shooter through and through, possesses tremendous power and accuracy which allows him to be a scoring threat from a distance in the offensive zone. He does a really good job of creating space off-puck in order to get into room to use his shot, mainly by keeping his feet moving and reading and reacting to the play around him to find holes in the defensive zone coverage. I really liked his play along the perimeter as well, utilizing physical play to win the puck in board battles and make quick feeds to the interior to create scoring chances. He showed intriguing elusiveness with the puck as well, anticipating pressure well and spinning off it to turn into space and execute difficult passes from off the wall. I wouldn’t necessarily call him a playdriver at this point of time, but as a complimentary goal scorer he is certainly starting to make a name for himself.

MacLean lead the way offensively for Nova Scotia in this tournament, finished tied for the team lead in both goals and points. The shooting ability is what really set him apart from the rest of the forward group, demonstrating velocity alongside an excellent release that made him a threat to score from distance in the offensive zone. He showed great off-puck instincts throughout as well, often getting himself into prime scoring areas as a passing option or just being in the right place at the right time to pick up a loose puck and fire a quick shot on net looking to catch the goaltender off guard. MacLean was also able to utilize his teammates at times to generate looks for himself from the interior using give and go sequences, which he was able to execute both off the rush and off the cycle. I noted a couple of moments where he was able to force a turnover and jump on the loose puck but rather than spotting an open teammate would throw a bad angled shot on goal. If he continues to develop the playmaking side of his offensive arsenal there’s a good chance he becomes one of the premiere prospects out of Nova Scotia this season.

It’s safe to say it was a pretty disappointing camp from MacLean who failed to register a single point throughout four games despite leading the U15 Nova Scotia league in scoring this past season. Despite this, the tools that made MacLean such a prolific scorer at that level were definitely able to rear their head from time to time. He’s probably one of the more physically mature players from the province thus far, which allows him to affect the game even when things aren’t clicking for him offensively. I thought he did a good job of using his frame on the forecheck to eliminate defenders along the boards to separate them from the puck and also using it to win inside positioning on opposing players to come out on top in battles for loose pucks. The hands and shot combination are what really set him apart from the rest of this Nova Scotian class. The stickhandling provides him with the ability to carve through defenders with ease through the neutral zone while also allowing him to pull pucks through defenders along the perimeter in order to access the middle of the ice to get himself into scoring position. His shot really pops off his stick and he’s able to get it off with power even from awkward postures, making him a threat to score from all around the offensive zone. At this juncture in his development he does seem to be a bit too individualistic, a common issue in players who have been able to dominate the competition up until this point. I look forward to seeing if he can expand his game come October, where he will be looked upon to be one of the main scoring threats for his province.

This was the type of game I’m hoping to see from MacLean from here on out. He was engaged physically in the offensive, always looking to disrupt and turn over pucks and was flashing his skilled small area game on a more regular basis. On his first shift of the game MacLean was able to get in quickly on a defender and force a turnover on the clearing attempt which lead to an extended offensive zone sequence. He made a couple of heads up plays in transition by getting pucks up the ice quickly to spring odd man advantages and allow his line to play with tempo. My favorite instance from MacLean in this one came when he took a pass in the neutral zone, built up speed while gaining the line to catch a step on the defender before dipping his shoulder on his way to the net to get a shot off in tight. Although he wasn’t able to utilize his shot very frequently in this one, the way he was able to impact the game in a myriad of ways at even strength made much more optimistic about him as a QMJHL prospect.

While it was a slow start for MacLean, I thought he got better and better as the game went on, culminating in what was a very strong third period that saw him all over the puck and creating offense at a high rate. At his best MacLean was using his feet to close in on defenders quickly, creating turnovers and recovering loose pucks to get pucks on net from the interior of the ice. He was reading and reacting well to the play around him by taking advantage of even the tiniest of mistakes from PEI defenders and turn them into high-danger chances in a split second. He tied the game up late in the third period when he blocked the PEI goaltenders clearing attempt, jumped on the loose puck and deposited it into the empty net, a testament to his impressive off-puck worth ethic throughout the latter half of the game.

While it was a frustrating game for MacLean offensively, I thought he did a good job of using his frame to impact the game in other ways. The offensive ability did show itself in spurts, as there was one sequence where he was able to make a series of moves around two defenders to gain access to the slot. Besides that, MacLean was using his speed and size to get active on the forecheck, causing turnovers and winning inside positioning to come out on top in puck battles. While he may still be a bit too individualistic offensively, it’s good to know that MacLean can still find ways to impact the game off puck.

Although I came away impressed with McLean after this game, I did get the sense that there was a bit more to unlock in his game. He owns an impressive set of hands, probably the best of the bunch in this game, that allows him great control with the puck and very few bobbles as he navigates through the neutral zone. His shot is a serious weapon and he knows it, as there were a few times in this game where he was able to show off his impressive drag and release mechanics that came off his stick quick and was hard for the goaltender to get a read on. There was even a time where he used his shot as a decoy to get a defender to go down before slipping the puck into a dangerous area for a chance. The foot speed is an issue for McLean at this juncture, which limits him as a puck-carrier and inhibits his ability to gain separation from checkers in the neutral zone. In this game you saw what he was able to do in small areas thanks to his hands and his frame, but the rest of his game looked to still be a work in progress.