A quick-thinking problem-solver on the blue line, Koller proved to be a valuable piece to this Penguins roster thanks to his defensive instincts and puck moving abilities from the back end. He had such good timing on his stick and body checks, knowing when to commit towards a opponent and try to snuff out the play but what I was most impressed by was his success in board battles, displaying a good amount of upper-body strength and quick decision making to win back pucks and quickly get them moving up the ice which created quality chances in transition for his team. At the offensive blue line, he’s also very quick in his reads and is able to use his physicality and quick footwork to keep possessions alive, making him such a reliable defender in all three zones.

The crux of Koller’s effectiveness was his high-end skating ability, which allowed him to get around the ice with ease, take away time and space from opposing attackers and play a role in his team’s transition game. On his retrievals he could use a strong set of crossovers to pull away from forecheckers, wheel out from behind the net and execute some controlled exits with an outlet or his feet. He also wasn’t shy at taking contact while going back for pucks, demonstrating good protection abilities to hold on to the puck under duress before putting an outlet up the boards to initiate the breakout. He kept a tight gap defending along the perimeter thanks in large part to his footwork, which allowed him to stick with and angle out attackers as they tried to stop and pivot away from him. Koller was also quite adept at defending the rush by using powerful lateral pushes and backwards skating to close in on attackers quickly and either cut them off at the blueline to force dump ins or closing them out along the boards.

While being a smaller defenseman, Owen Koller was great in this tournament. Koller excelled at battling in the defensive zone and quickly transitioned the puck to his forwards to spark a counterattack. He was also great at jumping into the play whenever an opportunity presented itself. Once his team gained the zone, Koller was great at setting up in the offensive zone. Koller’s vision from the blue line was outstanding, as he consistently executed slap passes and wrist shots that often resulted in deflections in front, creating excellent scoring chances. Koller was also great in the defensive zone, what impressed me most was his ability to box out. Despite his smaller size, he was excellent at boxing out in front of the net. Koller was also not afraid to put his body on the line, frequently getting low to block shots and prevent scoring opportunities.

Owen Koller was very fun to watch in this one, the Pens Elite blueliner continued to show off his two-way prowess that has made him one of the higher ranked defenders in the nation to this point in time. Bursts of speed out of his own defensive end made him a strong puck-moving force. Whether it be quickly escaping pressure and scanning for an outlet pass, or carrying the puck himself, he was extremely valuable at managing the puck and getting out of his own zone with control. He moved around the offensive zone quite well, connecting plays by constantly staying moving, shooting off accurate, and quick passes to teammates, challenging the middle portion of the ice; he forced his opponents to match his pace, giving him brief moments of time and space to work with. His shooting ability from the line was a factor in this one, keeping his wristers from the line low, and with good power, he was able to generate a few rebound chances as a result. Developing some more physically from the last set of viewings as well, Koller’s ability to now overpower puck carriers, stand his ground with strong, physical play, aided by his mobility, has made him a much more effective zone-entry-denier from what we have seen in the past.

Owen is a strong skater, who is strong in neutral ice transitions. He was able to generate multiple quick rushes by his ability to cut up the wing and take full advantage of his speed to drive the net. Add in his ability to make quick touch passes to move the puck up the boards, and he was able to secure a goal by generating his own rush (which he was miscredited for). Comfortable to activate from the blue line and become a part of offensive play he was able to secure a second goal near the end of the game.