Playing on Caesars top line we have Austin Baker, not as dynamic as teammate John McNelis, but certainly effective in his style of play which is just as important. Baker is an intelligent player who likes to carry the puck up the ice at a steady pace instead of rushing into the zone and trying to beat the opposition with blazing speed. He controls the tempo and uses that to his advantage by putting on a passing clinic when the defense drops back to prepare for the fast paced play that some of the other players have displayed. His chemistry with McNelis is very apparent and they seem to have a telepathic link that allows them to communicate without the other team hearing. When Baker has time on the puck he can pick out a key pass to unlock the defense. Off the puck he makes smart cuts through the slot that either forces the defense to take their eyes off the puck, allow him to get in behind them without contesting him, or they react and get dragged out of position allowing one of Baker’s teammates to exploit that now vacant space. His ability on the defensive side of the puck is another trait of his that helps drive his team’s success. He hustles well in his own end and shows some attention to detail when handling the puck, he makes sure not to give the puck away carelessly and works hard in front of the net.

As one third of Little Caesars top line Austin Baker was one of the best players for them over the course of their five games. He was skating well and handling the puck confidently and did a great job to generate chances for fellow linemate McNelis. He did a great job at identifying passing lanes and threading crisp passes through the lanes to his open teammate. He forced quite a few turnovers with his aggressive forechecking and his speed as he closed down the opposition forced them to panic and led to errors and stray passes.