A solid two-way forward with a power game, Mason Quinn displayed a willingness to engage opponents, using his body and clever stick to separate pucks from opponents. He is willing to battle and use his sheer will to win pucks but can also be more methodical applying pressure and reading plays defensively. Offensively, he was able to get on the board with an assist and overall showcased his ability to move the puck well while also flashing some projectable habits through his forechecking style.

I don’t have a lot to say here, but I just liked Quinn’s effort level and wanted to mention him. I noted him on a handful of occasions giving it his all to backcheck and get back in the play to help out defensively. He never seemed to take a shit off and was looking to engage on both sides of the puck. Offensively he had some nice moments, beating guys wide and connecting on passes, but his effort on the backcheck was the key element I wanted to mention.

I really liked what I saw from Quinn. He showed a really eager attack mindset, always looking to get off the wall or attack the middle lane, trying to penetrate for chances. Especially when in tight areas, off the cycle, he could swiftly navigate from pressure and find ways to spark scoring chances. His game revolved around smart, calculated touches, weaving in and out of checks, and driving the scoring areas for quality chances. Quinn is a strong and explosive skater, who was strong on the puck, making it difficult to knock him off, enabling him to thrive as a puck carrier in the offensive end. He was impactful on the forecheck, forcing turnovers that sparked secondary chances and sustained zone time. All in all, a really strong performance from Mason, displaying a lot of practical skills that I like to see early in the year.

Quinn was all over the ice, constantly involved in Draft Day White’s offence and had chance after chance. Mason was always flying up and down the ice, attacking with full speed, generating plenty of chances off the rush. He scored two in this game, one off a tip and a second off a rush shot coming in down the wing, beating the goaltender. Outside the offence, Mason had some positive forechecking moments, applying pressure and winning back possession.

Merrill had some nice flashes, using his quick hands and shifty skating to evade pressure all over the ice. While there were some nice sequences in open ice, I thought he was highly effective in small areas, always having the crafty move to skirt a check and keep play flowing in the offensive. Finley just seemed to have the tools to problem solve himself out of anything, making him hard to contain. He scored one of his team’s two goals, burying a short-side goal off a turnover from the slot.