The two games I had focused watches on NAX, his size and strength were the tell tale qualities that persisted. He was winning faceoffs effectively, showcasing a heavy snapshot, and was effective at 5on5 and on the PP net front. He can bash and bang in rebounds quickly, tip in point shots, and is a lot to handle at this stage for smaller defenders. There were some moments where he fired pucks well wide and missed some rush opportunities too by losing a bit of footspeed. His overall power, size, speed, and battle to him make him a desired player as a good piece to a team’s puzzle.

Kalen Miles built his game on power and strength, and the 6’2” forward dominated around the net and slot this tournament. His strength was evident as defenders struggled to knock him off the puck while he drove to the net from all angles. Miles took long, hard strides, protecting the puck effectively, and paired this with a quick release, beating goaltenders low a couple of times with deceptive shots from the slot. In front of the net, he was equally effective, planting himself firmly and creating chaos while positioning himself to hammer home rebounds. Miles’ physical and net-front presence made him a significant contributor to NAX’s success.

I thought he was another player who got more effective as the games went along. He had a bit more size and power than some he was playing against so you could tell he was trying to leverage that advantage once zone play was established. He’s a pest at times, finishing checks and stick checking players in the offensive zone with swagger. He can power to the net, shovel quick shots in traffic, and battled hard down low consistently. That ability to engage physically with either a hit or just a push establishes a bit of a presence. I think if he can work on getting a little quicker in open ice too, it’ll open up more power moves for him off the rush against the top level of opponents too.

He had maybe the most impressive moment off a cycle play that I’ve seen all tournament. He began the game by chipping and chasing pucks down low and being one of the only players who was determined to finish body checks on defenders. He has a sense of power and a sauntering pace to him at times. His highlight reel play was when he grabbed a puck down behind the net in a cycle, read the angle of attack from a closing defender, spun towards the near post from behind the net, and recognised his teammate far post. It is tough to picture but honestly it was such a perfect positional play. Talk about taking what space defenders give you and making them pay for small mistakes.