Everything Chase does is calculated and accurate. He might slip a little down into the draft due to size and a shorter skating stride than others but his ability to work off a top two-way player like Maddox Schultz in Regina is a sight to behold. He’s smart, detailed, puck controlled, and shoots with a gross accuracy. Whether it is a quick touch on the far side, a well weighted shot above a pad or in the top corner, you’ll come away really impressed at how easy the game seems to be for Chase sometimes. He led the Saskatchewan U15 league in scoring with 73 goals in 27 games.

The one-two punch of Maddox Schultz and Chase Surkan this season has been borderline unstoppable which speaks to how Chase works well with puck movement and team play. He was controlling rebounded pucks, making smart passes into the slot, scoring off quick one-touch motions, and finding timing to tuck goals in on wrap around spots. His superpower is his understanding of his spacing without the puck and his high-end effectiveness to control pass reception and turn his puck touches into high dangerous chances. As a puck carrier, he isn’t bursting through layers or making end to end puck rushes. He builds power on his edges along the boards though and can protect the puck while surveying passing options. He’s a smart, high-possession, high-efficient scorer.

I think the way Chase and 2010-born forward Maddox Schultz play is one of the best examples of line chemistry that I saw today. It certainly won’t be a secret as the year plays on as I saw this from them in a regular season game a few weeks ago too. Chase understands spacing, momentum, does not give away his intentions, and saw either attack on the off wing or live in the weeds, so to speak. There aren’t too many wasted possession moments when Chase is on the ice as he controls the puck consistently as he curls around pass receptions in order to release in great shooting motion. The details exist in spades with this player already as he spots linemates moving in layers and tries to find them in positive motion.

Surkan is another player who did his best work on the powerplay and while he didn’t factor in on the scoresheet his work was undeniably responsible for his team’s success. He played the bumper spot on the man advantage as well as anyone I’ve seen at this age group. He had fantastic feel for spacing, forcing defenders to drift out of position to respect him as a threat, while creating additional passing lanes to other teammates as a result. He was also lightning quick to react to bounces, rebounds, and loose pucks, serving as the primary retrieval threat to re-engage the attack. He is an asset with the puck as well, showing nice edgework to spin away from pressure, change angles to find passing lanes, and execute effectively with both sides of his stick. I’ll be looking for him to add an extra step to more effectively separate and create his own opportunity in future viewings. I know he has a world class release in his back pocket, but he hasn’t had many opportunities to flaunt that yet in this tournament.