Arguably the most reliable defenseman on New England through the week, Baldwin found himself logging big minutes and playing all situations. What sticks out about him most is his mobility and footwork that allows him to create space for himself both on and off puck as well push the play up ice. In the offensive zone, he showed great poise with the puck, opening up passing and shooting lanes in a variety of ways. Baldwin was outstanding in defending off the rush all week, stepping up to engage attackers in the neutral zone, often leading to a blown pass or zone entry for the opposing side. He is one of those defenders who loves to jump up in the OZ to keep a play alive for his team and with his reliable skating mechanics, it is a minimal risk that Baldwin will usually take.

Baldwin was the best defenseman on Team New England for me in this game. His overall two way play was highlighted by a couple amazing defensive plays in his own end. He rushed back to break up a two on one which then resulted in the puck going straight the other way leading to a great chance for his team. Baldwin would also get on the score sheet, in what was a great pass from his teammate Baldwin would finish off going top shelf to give his team a three goal lead.

Baldwin remains a personal favourite, even if the results weren’t quite as consistently impressive as other times in my experience. He moves around the ice so, so well, covering ice both with and without the puck better than many others in this group of teams. Baldwin isn’t the biggest defenseman, but his mobility gives him plenty of freedom to try things, be creative and push play up the ice. He uses his edges well to create gaps with the puck on his stick, changing his body position and shaking up defenders with all kinds of various disciplines of the game. He wasn’t rewarded on the scoresheet, but he was creating some of the more high end plays of anyone in the game stepping up from the blueline. His defending was largely positive when needed but didn’t seem challenged a whole lot, but perhaps that’s a testament to how simple, calm and effective he is. Certainly one of the best defenders I’ve seen here who lead with their footwork and mobility, Baldwin remains a great option for the US at the Hlinka this fall and one to watch at higher levels.

A previous player of the game here at PuckPreps, it doesn’t take long to see how that happens. Baldwin Excellent mobility, fluid, strong pushes on pivots that created space. Spotted gaps, stepped up in the OZ. Quick thinking on the blueline, hard passes. Great rushes up the ice with skill at high pace, slicing through defenders and generating chances. Baldwin was one of the more exciting names on the ice, especially among all the defensemen, with an impressive combination of tools and creative thinking that stood out. That is, until the end of the first half where a careless and needless check from behind put him in the box on a major penalty, potentially igniting a heck of a comeback. Luckily, his teammates killed the penalty and kept the momentum going through the end of the game.

After a quiet first half I thought Baldwin became New England’s best player in the latter portion of this contest. He showed really good top-end speed as a puck carrier through the neutral zone, often pushing back defenders and gaining the offensive zone for his team. From the offensive blueline I thought he was showing great poise with the puck, using a series of fake shots and passes in order to open up lanes for himself. Off-puck I liked how he was able to activate and get into space off the flanks in the offensive zone where he would showcase his strong shooting mechanics and one timer ability. Baldwin was also very aggressive while defending the rush, often stepping up in the neutral zone to deny transition passes and zone entries.

I was thoroughly impressed by Baldwin’s play in all 3 zones in this game. His ability to process and react to the opposition's breakout attempts was no doubt the best in this contest. Numerous occasions, he stepped up to engage attackers and intercept passes. He scored the game's first goal as Massachusetts attempted for a flip pass to the neutral zone which Everett caught the puck out of the air, played it ahead to the open space given from the opponent blowing the zone and firing a wrist shot glove side. He is a good enough skater that he was able to rush the puck through the neutral zone with minimal risk and he defended very well 1 on 1, breaking up a partial breakaway opportunity without taking a penalty.

I thought it was an overall solid game from Everett in this one. He showed off a lot of the individual attributes which make him effective like a longer skating stride, the ability to be a puck rusher in spots, finding moments to catch and release a slingshot wrister from the point, and pinching deeper in the zone to be physical. You can tell that there are still levels of comfortability that he can reach as well while being a puck rusher in the offensive zone as he would gaze at his stick a few times to make sure he had it with power moves on the outside. He took a late penalty with an unnecessary crosscheck along the boards though.