A player who continues to raise his stock among the 2009-class, Pape became the most noticeable forward on the ice for this Penguins squad with his consistent 200-foot performance throughout this year’s Silver Stick tournament. I was really impressed with Pape’s effort in his own end and on the backcheck, showcasing a strong defensive stick with good instincts to jump in front of plays and quickly transition pucks up the ice afterwards. It seems like he’s always staying on top of his opponents with strong spatial awareness to occupy open space both in transition and inside the offensive zone to be able to garner quality chances in the most dangerous areas of the ice while displaying a shooter’s mentality by letting shots fly from all angles to challenge netminders and create second chance looks for his team. He does a good job at remaining unpredictable with the puck by using a combination of agile footwork, smooth stick work and a quick, snappy release to challenge opposing defenders and netminders all over the offensive zone, even executing highlight reel plays as a puck carrier. Pape has continued to build on a strong start to the season and is embracing his amplified role on this Pens team.

When watching this tournament there was always one number that was around the puck and that was Mark Pape. His presence was impossible to ignore, as he consistently drove play and made an impact in all areas of the ice. His passing was a highlight of his game, especially his creative no-look passes from behind the net that frequently left opposing defenders confused. Quick, precise, and purposeful, his passing elevated his team’s offensive play, ensuring every pass counted. He also showcased his lethal wrist shot, which was both quick and powerful. At times, he took matters into his own hands, ripping shots from the wing or skillfully navigating past defenders to create high-danger scoring opportunities from inside. Outside of the offensive zone, he excelled in the transition game. His speed and determination to help clear the puck from his zone were impressive, particularly in board battles, where he rarely lost a stick battle. Overall, Pape’s dynamic play and hockey IQ made him a standout throughout the tournament.

Pape had himself a really strong showing at this year’s Fall Classic, finishing atop the scoring lead for his team with 14 points in 5 games. He was able to combine his quick processing ability, plus-level puck skills and determined off-puck play to make a consistent impact every time he stepped over the ice and tilt the ice in the Penguins favour. He did a great job of reading and reacting to plays as they unfolded, which allowed him to jump passing lanes, intercept passes and initiate quick counterattacks for dangerous chances. His playmaking off the rush was an element that really stood out to me consistently, as he was able to execute difficult cross-ice feeds through traffic that lead to a plethora of dangerous opportunities in the transition game. Pape used deception and angular blade changes to open up new passing lanes for himself, either by getting a defender to shift with a subtle head fake or contorting his body position just a tad to open himself up and expand his options. The skating isn’t exactly a strength for him, but he was able to operate along the perimeter by using his puck skills to rid himself of pressure, create space for himself and feed pucks to the middle of the ice for dangerous slot chances. His shot was a consistent and dangerous weapon throughout as well, most notably from the top of the circle where he would hammer one timer shots that could beat goaltenders from distance. He also showed some good touch and patience around the net with the puck by outwaiting sliding goaltenders and using his hands to score goals from in tight.

The first thing about Mark Pape’s game that stood out to me was his defensive awareness and ability to limit offensive chances. He read the intentions of puck carriers well and was able to anticipate their passes and quickly step up to cut them out and turn up ice with speed. He was a very effective player in transition who played with pace and his quick passing interchanges and darts into space helped open up the defense and lead to high quality chances materializing. He did well to identify passing windows and hit them with his precise passing, perfectly weighing them and leading his teammates as they latched onto the puck in space. He was quick on the puck and moved the puck efficiently, not allowing the defense to step up but instead bringing the game to them and breaking them down with his playmaking skills. His high work rate and passing ability helped establish him as a big threat offensively for Team Kelly Green and that was reflected as he finished tied for second place in assists on his team.

Mark Pape was a very noticeable forward for this Pittsburgh squad throughout the tournament because of the creativity he displayed with the puck on his stick whether it was using his quick set of hands to keep the puck away from opposing defenseman, his quick changes of direction to create separation or sending crafty passes onto the tape of his teammates through unsuspecting opponents. He controlled the puck well in the offensive zone, attacking the open space, drawing the eyes of the defenders and trying to find his teammates in high-danger areas or create chances by firing the puck at the net from all kinds of angles. As the tournament went on, I thought he was able to execute his plays a lot smoother and he eventually became a very relied upon forward for his team, playing some of his best games in the knockout stages of the tournament especially in his team’s semi-final loss where he created a lot of scoring chances in their comeback attempt.

It seemed as if Pape was constantly making things happen with the puck on his stick whether that was using his legs to patrol the perimeter of the offensive zone and threading pucks into the middle or attacking the slot himself using his incredibly quick stick work to make his way past defenders and into open space. I thought his playmaking ability was on full display in this one as he consistently dissected defenders with calculated passes through seams to set up scoring chances for his teammates and doing so with great timing and pace. Although he didn’t make it onto the scoresheet in this one, he was a great driver of offence for his team.

One of the top offensive threats in this one, Mark Pape was a very strong puck carrying force, demonstrating excellent speed and power through the middle of the ice, changing direction in a pinch and executing some sippery moves in stride. He was able to generate chances of his own time-and-time again despite the Shattuck defense playing a strong system, his dynanism and pace managed to pull opponents out of positioning and his quick hands and puck handling dexterity gave him room to get some good looks at the net off the rush. His momentum gave him leverage to drop the shoulder along with stay strong on the puck on his forehand as he made moves towards the middle, making him even more a threat. Pape sent a strong chance to the middle to a streaking teammate for another great chance late in the game for the Pens that nearly put them ahead. As a whole he was the heartbeat of the offensive transition for his team, the electric acceleration and pace to move between bluelines and gain the zone with some flash and flare made him difficult to slow down.

It took Pape a bit to find his rhythm, but by the end of the game, he was making an impact all over the ice. His smooth stride and agility helped him execute several impressive zone entries, creating space for himself and his teammates. In the offensive zone, his passing was a standout feature.He was especially dangerous from the half-circle, where, if he didn’t have a shooting lane, he’d thread crisp passes through the slot, searching for sticks. His deception with the puck made his passing even more effective, as opponents struggled to anticipate his next move, allowing him to create high-quality scoring chances.

It still surprises me that Mark Pape came away without a point in this game as he was probably one of the top five players on the ice. A force to be reckoned with off the rush, he started plays well in his own end and quickly carried the puck up ice and with some swift passing exchanges he often found himself in space bearing down on goal with a chance of his own or looking to clean up someone else’s shot. He fought his way through traffic very well and was able to get in tight and get high quality scoring opportunities off. His movement was the most important part of his game, constantly moving and finding space as a passing outlet for his teammates; he was always involved when he was on the ice. His movement created openings for others to dart into and he did well to recognize this and feed the puck into those pockets of space. He showed strong defensive awareness as well and was able to cut out passes in the defensive and neutral zone that he quickly transitioned into offense.

Pape was an excellent playmaker and had a couple shifts where he really stood out in the offensive zone by using his quick hands and a good combination of shoulder and head fakes to freeze defenseman and create separation. He was really good at getting passes over and under sticks in this game especially in transition where he created some chances on odd man rushes by sliding the puck through defenders and later in the game, he sent a backhand saucer pass to Snyder across the ice that was extremely impressive to watch. He provided his team with a lot of momentum at the start of the third period when he roofed a puck over the goalie`s shoulder from close quarters to cut the Shattuck lead to 4-2 and give his team the opportunity to get back into the game.

Rounding things out with Mark Pape of the standouts from this quarter final matchup, Pape was able to be an effective scoring forward for his team, getting on the scoreboard once, scoring the 3-1 goal on a pass from Nolan Snyder. Throughout the game he played with some good speed and pace, making quick decisions, changing directions and keeping up with the demands of play easily, both on-and-off puck. His goal came from slipping into open ice in the slot, blowing away his nearest checker with speed, catching and releasing a pass in stride and beating the goalie clean. He had some other good chances in the game, making dekes around opponents in the slot with speed, pushing pucks to the forehand while using powerful crossovers to go wide, he opened some lanes to the net for himself a result. One last play he was involved in that I felt may go under the radar was before the 2-1 goal by Alexander Sargo, he was responsible for the backcheck on the Jr. Eagles puck carrier, and then flung the puck up ice, giving the Pens Elite a rush with numbers. Overall, a solid game from Mark Pape at both ends of the ice.

Pape was aggressive with the puck on his stick, always looking to create chances by attacking the dangerous areas and getting the puck to the net; either by shooting from sharp angles near the goal line, firing quick shots low to the net or sending cross ice passes. He was very elusive and used quick cuts and turns to create separation for himself and looked to create offense in all kinds of ways.