Projection: Puck Moving Upside

Tools: Mobility, First Pass, Checking Ability

Development Opportunities: Playmaking

A very smart defender, Colton Van Geffen has many interesting tools that make him a very projectable and mature player. He plays the right-side defence position and has the size that is sure to make him a coveted player by scouts and executives alike. This gives him the ability to battle for positioning and smother opponents against the boards, stripping pucks and killing offence. Van Geffen is also constantly going back for retrievals and has the mobility and spurts of creativity to shake off forecheckers, using quick cuts and stops to buy himself valuable time and space to assist the breakout. From there, he can make an accurate first pass over to his defence partner or to exit the zone. His passing ability translates well to the offensive zone as he is able to aid in the cycle and dish pucks with simple plays to his teammates.

Van Geffen is a player who all year showcased great traits and habits but who I always wanted more from. He has a lot of high end individual abilities but sometimes he can keep things too simple and would be best served taking a step deeper in the zone or holding onto the puck a little longer to open lanes and create offence from the blueline. Whether he adds the dynamic offence to his kit or not, the team that selects him is bound to get a smart defender that could be a useful piece on an OHL blueline.

A smart right-shot defender, Colton Van Geffen has decent mobility and a strong first pass, allowing him to get the puck up ice to his forwards. He provides a lot of two-way value for his team, keeping a good gap on the opposition as they enter his end and possessing an active stick that he uses to pressure and poke pucks with his long reach. His size allows him to challenge players and play along the boards, using his body well.

Speaking of puck moving defenders, Colton Van Geffen displayed a lot of traits that make him an intriguing player to watch. His quick turns and smooth stride allows him to move around the ice well, beating opponents and opening up lanes. The right-shot defender used his size to absorb contact and play through it, especially on puck retrievals, beating out forecheckers and keeping control, allowing to break it out. He made good reads normally, despite being caught pinching once or twice, he was able to recover well and help his team on both ends of the ice.

Van Geffen was another defender I noticed for his mobility. I thought he got around the ice quite well, using his feet mainly on retrievals to pick up dumped-in pucks, evade oncoming pressure, and make plays up ice to facilitate breakouts. He had a few strong defensive moments, suffocating time and space from oncoming attackers, but the footwork + passing out of the back was my main takeaway from my first chance to evaluate Colton.