Jacob Lukes was the straw that stirred the drink for Team Illinois during the Eastern Exposure Cup, with great pace, puck handling, and some dynamic bold moves, he really drove play and helped elevate his linemates. He displayed some excellent transition ability, even against some of the tougher competition, bolting around the outside of opponents through the neutral zone with great footspeed and quick hands, he reacted accordingly to stick checks and bodies coming his way, giving him the space to gain the line with control. For a player of smaller stature, he did an excellent job taking bumps and bruises as he worked his way into high danger areas. Seeing lanes to the middle, he was quick to step off the wall into the high slot, absorbing checks and whacks in the process, retaining control of the puck, and getting into a shooting lane where he flashed a nice release in tight spaces. He showed very little hesitation to make moves to the middle, at times when play for his team came to a halt, his dynamic skillset and speed helped bring his team to life, getting to the high danger areas of the ice to make plays or direct shots on the net. I was really impressed with his offensive skillset as a whole, the skating, edgework, balance, puck skills, and a good scoring touch made him a standout player for Team Illinois.

He’s a player who seems to understand his limitations size wise and how to battle against that. Since he’s smaller, he looks to get behind coverage early on zone exits and try to spur those breakaway attempts. He was able to make a few high-end dekes in tight on the netminder because of that. I thought the one game was particularly his best though as he was winning loose puck battles, cutting quickly along the wall to shake pressure, and either powering wide or making crisp cross ice passes. His routes were sound, his effort was there, and got robbed on a couple attempts too. He’s someone who tries his best to play bigger than his stature with speed and agility.

Chipping in a little everywhere on the ice for the Mission, Jacob Lukes was one of the most overall impactful players I think I saw at this Port Huron event. Some quick hands and problem solving under pressure through transition and along the wall in the offensive zone let him forward pucks through feet and bodies to teammates with space, all while avoiding turnovers and pulling away from pressure with some quick hands and deception. His neutral zone play as a whole was a strong-point of his, forcing turnovers, getting in lanes, and being quick to move up ice with speed both off-and-on puck allowed him to be the recipient of passes to gain the line with control, and generate some decent counterattacks off the rush. Going back to his problem solving skills, he navigated pressure well with this upbeat tempo to his step, stringing some quick stick handles into a nice snappy release on his shot, he has some decent accuracy to it and can certainly create chances of his own taking it to defenders with speed, adapting to their stick checks and creating shooting lanes as a result.

One of the two goalscorers was Jacob Lukes, converting on a breakaway opportunity that he did well to earn after creating a bit of separation and then neatly finishing off. He popped up frequently in this game and proved to be a catalyst for the Royal Blue offense, constantly seeking the puck on his stick and looking to the next pass. He found space for himself well by making subtle adjustments and dekes with the puck on his stick to work his way to the inside and make plays. He was aggressive on both the forecheck and backcheck, not giving up on the puck and ensuring he fought hard for possession as he repeatedly hunted down loose pucks. He played with an intensity that his teammates looked to match and he helped lead the way for his team.

Terrific game for Jacob in this one. It started with powering wide and cutting back to the interior to make a lateral pass. His skating routes and timing of them seemed to be the difference maker today as he’s happy to let the North-South skaters push deeper into the zone while he delays and then cuts back to the middle of the ice to give himself more options. I loved the moments where he’d chase down pucks, win battles down low, and keep his head up for passing plays as well. He could have had another goal late in the game too except he was robbed after being left all alone in the slot. He had a primary assist on one goal I’m pretty sure but didn’t get credited.