I was disappointed MacPhee wasn’t able to play at the QMJHL Cup in October and after watching him for his club team it’s obvious New Brunswick missed him as well. He was one of the more productive draft-eligible forwards throughout the entire event, flashing high-end offensive creativity and playmaking ability that allowed him to generate scoring chances for himself and his teammates at a high rate. He’s a strong puck-carrier in transition, combining nimble footwork with good puck control to weave through pressure in the neutral zone, execute controlled entries and flash some deceptive playmaking off the rush using subtle fakes to open up lanes to thread pucks cross-ice. He was an absolute buzzsaw off-puck as well, using his footspeed to pressure opposing defenders to force turnovers in the offensive zone and jump on loose pucks before making quick feeds to teammates in the middle of the ice. He possesses great timing on his off-puck routes as well, as he was seemingly always right on the puck as soon as it popped out in an advantageous area so he could get a quick shot off. Despite his size, he certainly wasn’t shy to engage in board battles, often providing support and fishing pucks out of scrums before initiating a prolonged offensive zone sequence. He possesses all the skill to beat defenders off the halfwall and gain access to the middle of the ice, which will only become more of a strength as he continues to grow.

Despite their lack of offense throughout this camp, I thought Macphee was one of the brighter spots for Team Yellow up front and really helped generate some chances while he was on the ice. He’s a highly skilled puck transporter in transition thanks in large part to his elusive and agile skating combined with his high-end puck skills that allowed him to weave through traffic in the neutral zone and gain the offensive blueline. He was consistently looking to attack the middle of the ice in transition, using his speed to back up defenders before drawing the pressure in and dishing to the flanks. He could leverage his stickhandling to get off the halfwall, sometime evens carving through multiple defenders at a time to attack the middle of the ice and get shots off from the slot. I liked his commitment to the defensive side of things as well, often being the first one back on the backcheck to nullify odd man rushes and break up plays.

Much like Lyons, Macphee’s high-end skill started to shine through in the second half when he began to get more puck touches. He’s a really shift and elusive skater which when combined with his quick hands makes him difficult to contain in transition. I liked how middle-oriented he was as a puck-carrier, opting to attack the middle of the ice off the rush, push back defenders with his speed and utilize drop passes to get the puck to his linemates in space up high. At times he used his stickhandling ability to make a quick move off the halfwall to carve through defenders and gain access to the middle of the ice where he could get off a shot from the inside.