I wanted to highlight Ipsen for his willingness to assert himself on the offensive side of things by applying his above-average tools to his advantage. The skating is quite refined by a taller defenseman as he loses little momentum coming out of his turns and possesses a long stride that allowed him to pull away from checkers as he galloped with the puck up the ice. His best moments came off the rush as he was able to turn around defenders a few times by gaining the zone with speed and also activating off-puck into seams to receive passes in stride and set up offensive zone sequences. Ipsen also demonstrated some physicality in his defensive play by closing off puck-carriers along the end boards with good angular defending and pinning them to the boards to remove them of the puck.

The next standout defender for Windy City, Emery Ipsen was a solid shutdown defender who consistently limited chances against, intercepted pucks, and protected the dangerous areas of the ice. He’s a hard-nosed defender who played an unforgiving 1-on-1 game in his own end, using all sorts of shoves, whacks, pokes, and such to pop the puck free and ultimately overpower his opponent. He skates very well when defending the rush. Manages the gap appropriately and picks his spots well to get aggressive. He allowed very little traffic to the middle of the ice, really forcing puck carriers to take a risk if they attempted to make a move to the middle-lane. It was also impressive how much ice he could cover in only a few strides, with only 2-3 powerful strides he could cover several feet of ice and be on top of a puck carrier, forcing urgency in their play, and often forcing them to discard the puck.

The efficiency that Ipsen displayed in all facets of the game was quite impressive. He was often stepping up in the neutral zone to singlehandedly break up or intercept his opponents plays and he was able to follow those plays with crisp puck movement to quickly kickstart the counter-attack. He was a powerful puck carrier who had a few moments where he was really able to showcased his strength on the puck whether that was shielding off forecheckers to initiate the breakout or power his way into the offensive zone to set up possession. His consistency in this game provided a steadying presence on the back end all throughout.

Emery Ipsen was a leading force for the Chicago Reapers on the blueline, demonstrating his ability to make plays at both ends of the ice, on the defensive side of things, along with on the offensive side of things. He was quick to change direction and angle off puck carriers, displaying a good degree of fluidity and power to his lateral movements that allowed him to keep pace with speedy puck carriers, forcing them into low danger areas and ultimately utilizing his stick to get an arm around his man and deflect a puck away. He was an effective puck carrier on the powerplay for his team, breaking into the zone with some good speed and control, taking some defenders by surprise. He made some nice passes to teammates around the offensive zone with short-and-long passes, quick in his decision making as well, he was tough to contain as he moved the puck high in the zone.

Ipsen was a steady presence on the backend for the Reapers, playing a key role in both transition and offensive zone play. He delivered several accurate outlet passes that helped his team efficiently move up the ice and establish possession. In the offensive zone, he showcased his vision with a few well-placed cross-ice passes that spread out the defense and created space for his teammates. His point shots were also highly effective, proving difficult for the opposition to block and defend against.

Ipsen was another Reapers defender who played a big role in his team’s transition game thanks to his ability to beat the primary weave of forechecking pressure and skate the puck up the ice. He was executing controlled exits from his own zone at a high rate throughout the game, usually by spinning away from contact on DZ retrievals to work his way into space before using his hands to work his way around the next wave of forecheckers. I noted a series of shrewd aggressive plays in the neutral zone as well where he was able to break up transition passes before making a quick pass to an open teammate to initiate the counterattack. He nearly scored late in the game off a smart activation off the rush that got him a look from the high slot that he couldn’t capitalize on.

Another strong defender in this one, Emery Ipsen really leaned into the shutdown role for his team, denying plenty of quality chances, smothering opportunities as they came, as well as providing value elsewhere through puck movement while displaying some nice athletic ability navigating the ice. He played a hard-nosed game around his crease, landing strong stick checks, poking pucks free, leaning on opposition, along with clearing opponents and rebounds from the vicinity. In control of the puck, he had a few instances where he was able to change direction in a pinch, flashing some nice edgework and poise, and then make a simple pass up ice to an open teammate. As a whole his game wouldn’t have been possible without the quickness to his step, balance in his stride and movements, as he could stay square to opponents, get in lanes, manage gaps and positioning, and anticipate play as a result. Perhaps not the flashiest of games, but a strong one from Ipsen.