I never got to see Ronan in games where he had a point so it is interesting to see him grab 10 points total over the six games. I got to see him gliding to spots and playing more of a passive zone approach in the neutral zone and the top part of the offensive zone. Some plays were flowing by or even through him at times. The lateral puck skills were evident and he had a nice backhanded saucer pass to the slot and found time to grab hold of the puck. I think the play went around him a lot and other teammates were able to win more puck races and poke pucks loose more than he did in these games. The second game against Kelowna I really enjoyed his work below the goal line. He was bursting to get into position, being physical in the corners against defenders moving the puck, and even really battling heavily for puck battles behind the net. He can cover more ground than others in fewer strides and uses it to his advantage to close gaps. I didn’t get to see many high danger chances in this game either though which means that I’ll have to really see how he handles games against top competition moving forward. I enjoyed his play last season and continue to look forward to seeing how he creates offense.

It was nice to see him playing alongside McMillan and taking some key offensive zone faceoffs along the way. He looked to deflect pucks early and got physical down low by extending his reach and hustling back too. I think he picks and choose the moments he wants to exert that extra energy for. He certainly can cut back higher in the zone, survey his options, and still showed that natural movement and glide. I loved the defensive moments too as he covered the point in the cycle and backchecked with purpose. He forced someone off their lane to the corner and stripped them off the puck. He can stickhandle around the edges, shoot from almost anywhere, and snuck for a short side goal too with impressive accuracy and elevation. The effort, swagger, and mobility seem to be standout and consistent elements.

Ronan is another player that blends size, puck control, and assertiveness to his offensive creativity. He began with activation early and helped to keep pucks inside the offensive zone near the blueline, showed a hard low snap from distance that found the make, and used his wingspan well in those combinations of moments. Those little pull moves in motion come to handy for passes back to the wing around players and utilized a lot of stickhandling with his reach side to side to make plays work. I loved the flash and flair elements which give him curious upside too.