The big and lanky defender was at times the only player on Okanagan who could keep pace or get anywhere against the tougher teams they faced. In those lopsided affairs, Aiden was still able to fend off pressure behind his net, push through a few layers, and find some rush chances when others could not. Against some of the well matched teams in their pool, you could see the standout qualities of size, awareness, and ability to create all over the ice. In my notes, I saw him setting up for one timers, calculating situations well on the PP, setting himself up for end to end rushes, and even scored from the point with a powerful wrist shot. The length of stride and his composure helped him in moments where he wasn’t quite quick enough in his change of pacing or direction. Once the play was established in the offensive zone you could see his intellect truly take shape. While his name did not appear on our initial top-25 list, I don’t think he’s too far off that group.

Early on, it was clear that Aiden Potash played with tremendous confidence. He was aggressive in his own zone, pouncing on loose pucks and getting into passing lanes. He moved the puck quickly, getting his feet moving up ice as soon as it was on his stick and finding teammates with tape-to-tape passes nearly every time. In the first period of game 2, he picked up two beautiful assists. First, he intercepted a pass in front of his net, maneuvered around a pinching defender using his long reach, and slid a backhand pass up ice for a streaking winger, resulting in a breakaway goal. The second assist came as he corralled a bouncing puck at the blue line, quickly zipping a cross-ice pass through traffic to the far circle, setting up a tic-tac-toe goal. There is so much finesse and confidence in his game, qualities not often seen from a defenseman. Building on these attributes could take Aiden’s game to the next level.

When I first watched Aiden back in November, I noted how effective he was shutting down rushes and moving the puck quickly. This game showed that again, just at a higher level. He engaged early and aggressively on puck carriers when defending the rush, a couple times getting beat for being overly aggressive but for the most part he was successful in separating the puck from the player just inside the line and finishing hits with heavy contact. He also showed an early heavy shot mentality, walking the line and firing through traffic with smart selections aimed for tips or rebounds.