Capping things off for Little Caesars and their lengthy list of standouts from the Tier 1 MAHA Showcase; Jack Peterson is another of the top blueliners for his team, playing an effective two-way game, bringing a nice degree of physicality, adding an element of contrast to some of his teammates. His anticipatory play made him great at intercepting pucks, along with being quick to take away ice and gap up on puck carriers. His lateral movement along with attention to detail of where the puck was going and the pace of play enabled him to quickly cover ground and be on top of the puck in defensive transitions. From the blueline in the offensive zone he managed to fire a few nice shots on net leading to some chances in front. He has a quick release, and leaning on that previously mentioned lateral mobility, he did a nice job at opening up lanes as a result and found that space to get pucks to the net. Finishing out his game, he was reliable on his first pass out of his defensive end, rarely ever making an errant pass or a miscalculated decision, he did a great job at moving play out his defensive end while setting up his forwards for success further up the ice.

Jack Peterson’s most important involvements were in the offensive zone, showcasing his puck moving ability and ensuring that he kept his team on the attack and the defense chasing the puck. He was a good skater whose ability to pinch and step in on loose pucks helped keep play alive on numerous occasions through good anticipation. He distributed the puck quickly and effectively, not letting the opposition close him down and keeping the play stretched by finding the open man across the rink. He made a few nice plays with the puck on his stick and showed a knack for making defenders dive in and miss as he pulled off some nifty dekes. Defensively I thought he did alright, showing a nice physical edge down low and holding play up along the boards. His mobility came in handy in his own end as he was able to shadow puck carriers looking to find space and harass them with constant stick checks and nudges.

Making his debut on our rankings this month, Jack Peterson is a defender who you may not get pulled out of your seat by, but after watching him for a few events now, he is a safe defender who moves the puck well, and has some untapped puck skills to go with it. He’s a hardnosed defender who plays a disciplined, well-balanced, and intelligent defensive game both in front of his net, along the wall, and while defending the zone. He manages the gap well and closes off puck carriers appropriately as he converges on them and connects on strong bodychecks. In front of his own net he’s aware of passing lanes, the open man, and clears rebounds fairly well to make his goalie’s life easier. When handling the puck he can slow down the game and make a strong first pass out of his own end, along with if there is no lane, has the creativity and skating to escape pressure at times and exit with control as he moves up ice.

Peterson played a simple yet effective game for Caesars’s from the backend, bringing a stability that was much needed among such an offensively dynamic group. My notes on him centered around his ability to shut down rush plays using a strong gap at the line to deny entries while also getting his stick into lanes to block passes. He wasn’t afraid to take on the primary forechecker when skating the puck up ice, using his hands to work around them before executing an outlet to his winger that lead to a clean exit.

Jack Peterson was perhaps the most mobile of Kelly Green’s defense and he used it very effectively at both ends of the ice. He was able to keep plays alive in the offensive zone by making well timed steps along the boards, pinching well after anticipating the play and shutting down the outlets for Royal Blue to get the puck out. He was smooth on the puck and used his agility well to make players miss as they dove in to try and steal the puck; keeping his head on a swivel and quickly passing the puck off if he found himself in trouble. He worked well down low on defense as he kept his feet moving and followed play well into the corners as he harassed the puck carriers, getting physical and preventing them from getting by him.

Jack played a very solid defensive game, playing physical and often pushing his man to the outside negating high chance opportunities by attackers. He has a reliable pass, but it was his quick release and his shoot first mentality that stood out in this game. Without second guessing he would put the puck on the net. With his quick release this was hard to defend against as he would get the puck on net before anyone had an opportunity to get a body or stick in the way. This helped him secure an unassisted goal and a primary assist thanks to a tip in.