Coming as advertised, Brady Nash was arguably the Flyers’ best offensive piece in this matchup. He played with a lot of speed and flashy skill, moving the puck up ice consistently and beating out opponents in foot races for loose pucks. That skill helped him notch his first point of the night, chasing after a dumped in puck and making a back pass to Ryder Evans, who was open in the slot and able to pot the 3-1 goal. Nash was creating offence in various ways, using his speed to cut into dangerous areas in the offensive zone and make slick passes to open teammates. He showed a lot of awareness, reading the ice well and helping out on both ends of the ice too, cutting off passes and disrupting play with his stick.

Puck skills and creativity were the core of my notes from Nash in this one. He always seemed to want to control the play, looking for an opportunity to make something happen, and flex his offensive tools. With the puck, he was deceptive and shifty, having tons of moments with little dekes to evade checks and maintain possession. While they were moments of showing on-puck skills, it always felt right for the moment, applying a tactical and calculated approach to make the right play for the situation. Brady found the scoresheet when his powerplay shot from the outside sparked Coristine’s rebound goal.

I remembered Brady Nash's name from the 2024 OHF, and it never really registered that he was a 2010 who had played up, which made his performance all the more impressive in retrospect. I thought he was excellent at the Draft Day Showcase and was one of the top players on this Northern Ontario squad. There was a little bit of everything in Nash's game, from shifty puck-handling, pesky puck pursuit, and a creative passing layer that all caught my eye plenty of times. Brady was incredibly crafty with the puck on his stick, having all the right moves for any situation to skirt a defender and keep play under his control. Nash made something happen almost every time he touched the puck, showcasing his high-end offensive toolkit, and it made me look forward to watching him closely this season.

In my viewing of the Thunder Bay Kings, Brady Nash was the central standout. The key element that stood out was mainly around the idea of him being an intelligent player. Whether it was prioritizing possession, using delays, or off-puck positioning, it all revolved around smart decisions and processing the game. This mainly became apparent when he controlled the puck in the neutral and offensive third, as Brady was always patient with the puck on his stick, never rushed his decisions, and managed the puck well to advance play up ice and into the dangerous areas. He didn't hesitate to attack the middle if there was a lane to the net, penetrating the interior for a few of the Kings' only grade 'A" scoring chances. It was only one game, but I liked what I saw from Brady and will be curious to see how he looks in future viewings of the Kings next season.