Projection: Top six scoring winger
Projectable Skills: One-timer, shot accuracy
Development Opportunities: Skating

Jacob is a sure handed and determined player who understands what spaces to get to when his team has possession. He looks for one-timer situations and quick release one timers with quality off puck space and aggression. Those quick touches and PP moments help set up him to succeed consistently. Along the boards, he isn’t overly physical but he gets into the muck of board battles and individual moments. He has the fluidity of decision making and the ability to adapt in the offensive zone. Little toe drags and powerful cuts to the forehand help him create shooting space or propel in through his crossovers. While he does sometimes have problems closing gaps on the forecheck in time or escaping bigger players with long strides, he has the ability to adapt positionally and move the puck before that close happens. The height of his game relies on quick puck touches and PP moments to use the one-timer.

This certainly wasn’t his most productive event but all of his positive qualities could still be seen. He makes really smart toe drags in motion look simple, can make little adjustments to consistently drift into scoring spaces, and powers his way off the boards after grabbing loose pucks to drive through his crossovers into heavy shot space. He always leaves himself the options to pass laterally or slip pass against the grain too. Regardless of the result, his same determination can be seen when he’s looking to score with his heavy release.

Jacob has been one of the most consistently good players in my early season views and this includes the Bauer event. It seems like the vision, effort, skating stride to cut into the interior, and the explosivity/intention he shows shift to shift is tough to match for some teams. He doesn’t have that commanding presence like other players to the natural eye, but his effectiveness has been electric. You can find him battling through the neutral zone for inside position, changing his posture and dipping lower to gather possession or collect poor passes, and consistently attacking off the rush or curls in order to adjust to the pressure. I think his best element for me has been to how he counter balances his attack vs how he reads the defensive pressure. He seems to solve the puzzle so consistently.

Yet another George’s Prep School skater, and our highest ranked forward to this point, Jacob Schwartz had a well-rounded offensive impact for his team, showing great team play along with individual skill to create chances. Capable of executing dazzling 1-on-1 moves, he picked his spots appropriately to make his moves, taking advantage of poor foot positioning of defenders when attacking off the rush, his awareness to attack weak points and handcuff defenders working in tight to them was impressive. An added bonus to his puck control is his ability to handle and protect the puck on his backhand, equally as strong on either side of his blade with the puck, this really helped him better shield the puck from opponents. He was quick to intercept passes and form counters in transition, good anticipation and quick feet let him get the jump on opponents, picking off passes and quickly moving it up ice. He was able to hit teammates with accurate passes in all situations and circumstances, adapting well to the play around him with quick hands and good reads. A nice total package on the offensive side of things with soft hands, strong passing, and a decent shot that can threaten the goaltender from the right angles.

Schwartz was the best player on the ice in this game by a significant margin despite not factoring on the scoresheet. I doubt he spent a minute in the defensive zone as he was ruthlessly efficient at entering the offensive zone and keeping the pressure on throughout a shift. He was so many weapons with which to attack. He shows great explosiveness through his stride and pushes defenders back with the threat that he will blow past them. More impressively for his age is to keep his pace high while also always keeping his head up surveying for passing options and reading the defensive structure. Even at full gallop his head is never buried, and he is always aware of his teammates. Schwartz really is the complete package and I think he’ll be looked at early in the WHL draft.

Every time I’ve seen Jacob Schwartz, I’ve been very impressed with the blend of compete and skill he offers. In this one he was the best player for St. George’s in my eyes, scoring 2 massive goals that ultimately led to the 3-3 outcome. His first goal came when receiving a pass in stride off the rush, and with 2-3 powerful forward strides took off away from his nearest checker and wired a shot on net beating the goaltender far-side. Schwartz’s ability to pull away and create separation from nearby opponents is partially what made him so lethal, generating a few breakaway chances as a result, he could’ve easily had 3-to-4 goals in this one. When working along the wall in all 3 zones he battled relentlessly for pucks, showing great compete, energy, strength, and disciplined to utilize his stick to strip opponents of pucks without taking penalties. His 3-3 tying goal was a display of a high-end player using his talent to takeover a moment and let his instincts take over. Finding some space in the slot on a 4-on-3 powerplay, Schwartz with great poise and confidence took an extra step in towards the middle and disregarded the nearby pressure, firing a bullet of a shot past the goalie to even things up.

I think the power and core strength showed well with Jacob today as he can shift laterally and push a little heavier than most to open space in the slot. He was dangling on the outside while keeping proper patience on the puck along the halfwall on the PP. He can spin away from coverage and facilitate with confidence back to the point if need be. I thought he was his most dangerous off the rush as he can cover quite a bit of ground when he’s already at top speed. I loved his ability to disguise a slip pass down low and drive into the middle for a return feed too. He should have been rewarded today more than he was.

Jacob Schwartz had a solid 200-foot game whilst also leading the charge amongst forwards for Team Canada 3. Soft puck handles, quick feet, and nice vision let him make several plays in transition and off the rush, slippery and fluid, he was able to slide into the middle of the ice and make plays through traffic here-and-there, sending pucks to teammates low in the zone nearby to the crease. His work at connecting on passes against the grain of play really helped spread out opponents and cause some confusion in the process. He scored 2 goals for his team, both coming off partial breaks via some good speed and positioning in the neutral zone – owning a nice release, he beat the goaltender both times cleanly off a quick snap-shot while in motion. When playing without the puck he stuck to his man like glue, pushing and shoving the puck carrier, landing stick checks, and edging them out to the perimeter, he was an engaged defensive forward who valued protecting the middle of the ice.