He has not been shy this year at all taking charge of the Delta U15 Prep team and commanding big moments. The constantly active defender is always looking to test how far teams will let him penetrate into the zone and get better shooting spots. When he’s in motion, he can really test the reaction time of almost anyone as he finds ways to counter their defensive plan laterally and get to shooting spots. I’ve seen him slam his stick out of frustration by just missing close shots and certainly find passing lanes that few can see. He’s active, engaged, defensively responsible, and should be one of the top defensive options available in this season’s draft.

The expectation at this point is that Eli will be one that can create offense moments on his own and he continues to do just that. He’s always looking to burst into the slot area and is really trying to bait defenders wide early in order to test if he can cut in. I saw a mixture of both results in this game as he can cut back on the outside too or fire shots from tougher angles with traffic too. He’s obviously at his most dangerous when he can shake the first layer of pressure at the offensive point and drive into the high slot and pick his shot angle. He loves to hold onto the puck for longer sequences, drive past defenders and try to dip to the net, and doesn’t change his style when he’s missed a key shot or things aren’t quite working. While the upside is still really high, you could see decent defenders not making it easy on him and keeping him to the outside off rushes. I’ll be looking to see him continuing to change pace and try to implement some higher end playmaking into the game breaking goal scoring attempts which appear to be his first intention consistently. He ended up with three goals and three assists in six games for Delta.

He’s another player that is just a joy to watch breakdown pressure at the offensive zone blueline. He was seeing those opportunities to drive in from the point and finish off a backdoor goal by joining into the flow of the offense. He isn’t afraid to play give and go hockey through the neutral zone or in multiple positions on a cycle too. That ability to attract attention before dishing to open up space goes a long way. The details to his skating make a difference too such as curling into his pass receptions which allow him to step into shot lanes quicker. I loved the way he can weave through the neutral zone as a puck carrier and attack the middle if they give it to him because he can change his shot angle and slip out of reach from stick pressure quickly.

Vickers played an active game at the offensive blueline, holding pucks in and creating from there. He looked for give-and-go chances and jumped up with confidence. He quarterbacked the top power play unit and picked up an assist by moving the puck efficiently without taking risks. His second assist came later after picking up a loose puck in front of his net, he started a rush with a well placed area pass from deep in his zone which was picked up by his forwards and ultimately led to a goal. It was a composed, effective showing by Eli.