Carter was fantastic for Team Grey, earning a nod on the tournament all star team while captaining his team to the championship game. I thought Carter was better in each successive game and the bigger the moment the more he rose to the occasion. He plays such a mature and professional game and his ability to meld composure with compete is rare at this level. The backbone of his game is an incredibly high hockey IQ as he always seems to place himself in the right spots to be effective at both ends of the ice. He leans on his mobility and play reading talent to stay extremely tight to the play, disrupting the opposition breakout and serving as a constant outlet option for his teammates. He has a great barometer of when to jump up offensively as an additional layer of attack and with a plus shot, is a major goal scoring threat from the back end. His mobility is also leaned on in the defensive end where his explosive lateral stride makes his area of coverage much greater than his small stature would suggest. He’s a menace in small areas as it feels like he can effectively cover multiple attackers at once. It is honestly difficult to poke holes in Carter’s game as I find him so tidy, intelligent, competitive, and confident in all areas of the game. His measurables may be the only knock on him but he is sturdy on his feet, deceptively physical in board battles, and I think has a host of tools for him to remain a game changer at higher levels.

I think this tournament was a good challenge for Colt. He’s someone who gathers points by being active and aggressive into space in the offensive zone instead of staying back at the line and trying to score from distance all the time. Even against the toughest competition, he was attempting to pinch and keep the puck in deeper, joining the rush numerous times, staying in motion with D to D plays, and showing off the potential of his stride balance to adjust and counter attack very quickly in the neutral zone. While his shot power and explosiveness are continuing to improve, I love the little habits he’s learning like changing the shot angle after little kick fakes and using net front traffic to pick shot lanes far side.

The 5’7, 135 lbs defender is another huge upside wildcard for this draft. His agility, edgework, and quick reaction timing allow him to be flexible and turn play around at such a high rate. Loose pucks get swallowed around him which leads to stronger possession minutes and the ability for him to roam deeper in the zones for backdoor rebounds and convert secondary chances. It doesn’t take long to notice how smooth he skates when drifting wide off D to D passes with Jaxon Pisani. That familiarity and chemistry means Colt can take a few more chances and set himself up for shots slightly in from the point when needed too. Defensively, his rush gaps and anticipation are exactly what I’d like to see as he can push on those inside edges to match when players try to stop and delay in the zone as well. Agility and a high-IQ can take a player a long way.

Carter has long been a favourite of mine and while I thought he’d see a bit more offensive production at this tournament he is still a major player in why the Alberta attack feels like a relentless wave. He gapping is picture perfect as he follows so closely to the play, always ready to provide help defence or quickly counter up ice as a passing option. His lateral movement is dynamic with the ability to cover so much ground in the blink of an eye. He uses his skating ability to great effect at the offensive blueline where he protects it as well as anyone, using his hands and feet to pluck the puck off the wall and into the middle of the ice so quickly. He fights against his small stature by taking engagements super early to slow any opposition momentum and force rushed decisions. With the puck he has excellent vision, seeing seams others wouldn’t and filtering pucks to the back post.