Honeybaked vs. Chicago Mission

Hilton found the scoresheet on the powerplay near the end of the second period when he fooled the mission goalie with an ice-level shot on the wide side to go up 3-2. The position of this shot already seemed to be planned in the moment, but it became clearer as the game went on that Honeybaked was targeting Max Weilandt’s blocker side, making the accuracy of Hilton’s shot all the more impressive. Hilton’s excessive reach paired with his excellent technical skating ability make him a very dangerous player if given any open ice. He can quickly build the speed required to blow defensemen over and earn himself and his teammates favourable 1-on-1 battles or odd-man rushes. He showed a good example of this at the end of the second period, in which his pass to Aiden Connell could’ve put Honeybaked up 5-2, however, Connell’s pass attempt back to Hilton was intercepted by the last Mission defender.

Honeybaked vs. Chicago Young Americans

Although Hilton became known for his transition play and offensive cycle momentum earlier in the tournament, in this game he showed an additional layer to his game, playing consistently hard in the defensive zone in an attempt to shut down the Young Americans forwards along the boards. He had a couple of opportunities to end the game in overtime, but unfortunately seemed to lack the necessary quickness to get to the puck and shoot it in the yawning net.

Hilton is a smooth skating, cerebral puck distributor with an elite first 3 strides. He is the type of player that makes everyone around him better and can change a game at any point when he chooses to.  When it comes to Hilton there is plenty to like, particularly the way in which he competes on a nightly basis. He brings his work boots every game, gives an honest effort and plays a well rounded 200 foot game. Hilton is a good skater and is able to generate offense with relative ease thanks to his high-end skill. He has spent his last few seasons with Belle Tire but will be moving over to play with Honeybaked this coming season.

I was pleasantly surprised by the increased athleticism and conditioning that Brandon Hilton seems to have built into his game since my last viewing a few months ago. His evasiveness and puck skill on the powerplay were greatly supported by an apparently increased range of motion and confidence to go along with it. His assist at the end of the first period was another example of his increased confidence as well as creativity and presence of mind. While he could’ve taken his one-on-one opportunity to out-deke his opponent, by coming in so quick he was able to open so much ice for his trailing line-mate Hunter Anderson. His spin-o-rama pass to Anderson was right on target, allowing him to unleash a powerful snap shot past the goaltender.