Hockey Essentials vs. Draft Day Black

While he didn’t dominate possession like Vansaghi and Hinton, McIlwain’s impact was arguably the most important to the team. He scored two goals and recorded one assist on the back of one of the smartest performances of the day. McIlwain wasn’t overwhelming in any one regard but his skillset was a notch above the rest. He used great edge work, agility, and elusiveness to control play in the slot. He created space that’s hard to find so close to the net and was nearly always an open target for teammates. But beyond that, McIlwain’s ability with the puck was on full display. His shot was beautifully-accurate and combined well with great deking ability to make McIlwain very dangerous when the puck was on his stick. If he couldn’t create chances on his own, McIlwain’s vision in transition would gift teammates with a high-danger chance of their own. McIlwain’s assist came from a saucer-pass through the neutral zone that went over the heads of two opponents before landing perfectly on a teammate Hayden Hastings’ stick. With an open lane thanks to the great sauce, Hastings was free to walk into the offensive zone and bury an easy goal. It was a terrific showing of McIlwain’s passing ability, after he had already flaunted great shooting on his two goals. His confidence and ability with the puck was terrific and will be pivotal for Windy City as the tournament goes along.