Jackson is a top-end skater who carries the puck with extreme confidence. His long powerful stride enables him to cover tons of ice in no time and thrive with the puck on his stick. Almost every time Nolan touched the puck in his defensive zone, he skated the length of the ice into the offensive third for a controlled entry. Nolan relied on quick turns and changes of pace to evade and blow by defenders. Upon entering the zone, Nolan constantly scanned for passing options and rarely wasted offensive possessions with low-danger shots. I appreciated Nolan’s game in the offensive zone as he was incredibly active on pinches to keep plays alive and, like Wiles, was constantly rotating around looking for open space. Jackson was relied upon heavily on the powerplay as the main breakout option. He usually carried the puck up ice and could reliably enter the zone with control and set up the powerplay structure. He operated as the quarterback, with most of the sequences flowing through him. Nolan effectively distributed the puck to where it needed to be and set up plenty of powerplay chances. There is plenty to like here, and I see a case to be made that he is too low on my list at the tail end of the second round.

On opening day, Nolan Jackson was the defender who impressed me the most. He thrived in transition as a reliable puck carrier through the neutral zone. Nolan was always looking to push play up ice and would be assertive, taking the space the Wolves gave him to facilitate plenty of controlled zone entries. In the offensive zone, Jackson showed off his ability to walk the blue line, avoid oncoming pressure, and create lanes that led to scoring opportunities for the Colts. I especially appreciated his eagerness to penetrate the slot and not simply be stationary on the blue line. In one noteworthy sequence, Nolan dished a pass to the corner and immediately cut through the middle to get the puck right back, leading to a solid chance. Finally, Nolan’s involvement in transition and offence makes me excited about his progression.