I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Turner this year. The ambition to engage defensively, apply pressure, and not let transitions progress has been a constant theme every time I’ve watched Upper Canada. He’s rarely sitting back, but looking to jump up, get into attackers’ space and shut things down early. With the puck, I’ve always found him able to connect on his passes, facilitate breakouts cleanly, and add a puck-moving element to go along with his stellar defensive play. For me, I really like how he plays and what he brings, and I think it’s just a matter of the skating getting a little more refined in his 6’4 frame. Quickening up his recovery and adding a bit more overall fluidity to his pivots and lateral mobility is the key in my eyes. The defensive engagement and physical tools make for a solid foundation in Turner’s game, and someone that I can see developing into a stellar shut-down defender at the next level as everything continues to fall into place in his development.

It was another simple but effective showing from Turner. I thought he had some good sequences in his defensive end, evading pressure with a lateral move and then connecting on a breakout pass up ice. He moves well in his bigger frame, and I thought that was the key to his impact in this one, shutting plays down and then turning things around quickly. Turner earned himself a spot in my HMs for my initial list, as someone on my radar to keep a close eye on as I work to expand in the next iteration.

Stephenson was the player I thought played the best for Upper Canada. I really liked his aggressive defensive game, always looking to apply pressure and free up pucks. Especially in the neutral zone, Turner was stepping up, getting into opponents’ space, and challenging for pucks. Transitions weren’t easy with Stephenson on the ice, as I noted time and time again him being active defensively to win pucks in the middle of the ice. This is two viewings in a row where I’ve come away impressed with Turner’s game, the baseline tools in the frame and skating are there, and given the defensive impacts, I am starting to see the foundation for a solid player moving forward.

Stephenson played a simple but effective game. He was breaking up plays in his defensive zone, retrieving pucks seamlessly, and doing a lot of little things right in his own end to secure possession and make a play to chip pucks up to his wingers. It was never a flashy evade move, just a corral of a loose puck and quickly hit a pass to a teammate to start the breakout. Turner is a strong, balanced skater that could maneuver well in all four directions, and struck me as a player to watch as he has some projectable qualities.