Even among the best in this draft class I thought Hoyt’s speed and puck-carrying ability were able to stand out on a consistent basis. The way he navigates through the neutral zone is really tough to contain, generating speed through powerful crossovers with the ability to change directions quickly and alter his course to evade pressure and gain the offensive blueline. Hoyt also showed the ability to use his teammates effectively in transition by dishing wide then using his speed to attack the middle of the ice looking for a return pass to create a chance in tight. He still has room to pack on some weight to his tall frame, but I thought he was able to hold his own along the boards in the offensive zone by anticipating pressure, spinning away from checks and distributing to teammates to extend cycle sequences.

Hoyt is a tall, lanky and speedy centerman who helped carry a large part of the offense for Weeks throughout the tournament. He’s a powerful skater through the neutral zone with his ability to gain speed through his crossovers and push back defenders which allowed him to enter the zone with momentum. In this event I found him to be more of a shooter than a passer, demonstrating smart off-puck play and really good catch and release mechanics that allowed him to get shots off quickly. I also thought he did a really good job of pressuring defenders and chasing loose pucks in the offensive zone, which helped him generate puck touches for himself and help lengthen offensive zone sequences.

A tall and lanky forward who possesses an intriguing toolkit for a player who is clearly still growing into his frame. His best moments came when he was able to build up speed as a puck-carrier through the neutral zone and flash his puck skills to beat defenders in one on one situations. There was one particular instance where Hoyt opted to attack the middle of the ice off the rush, try and split two defenders before slipping a pass to the outside while the two players converged on him. I noted a few times where he was able to win a puck battle below the goal line and make a quick centering feed from down low that lead to a shot on goal from a dangerous area.

Despite being listed at 5’9, it is clear that Hoyt hit a growth spurt over the summer as he looked like one of the camp’s taller players. It seems the skill level has carried over into his larger frame as well, as he was one of the more effective puck-carrying forwards at the entire camp. He demonstrated the stickhandling ability on multiple occasions to beat opposing players in the neutral zone in order to get around them and gain the offensive blueline. He was attacking laterally off the rush in order to get himself to the middle and use defenders as screens in order to get shots through. He was using his size to attack off the halfwall as well, using his intriguing size and skill combination either pull pucks around defenders to attack the middle or dip his shoulder and drive. His play was enough to earn him a spot on the QMJHL Cup squad in October, where I’m excited to see how he fares.