An undersized offensive defenseman from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Brayden Thompson is picking up right where he left off at the end of last season with 13 points in his first 15 games. Thompson is a very good skater who uses sharp edgework to rapidly change directions and shake off his man to allow for a relatively easy breakout from the defensive zone. His agility enables him to hang onto the puck and evade pressure while keeping his head up to scan for passing outlets. He skates backwards well and keeps the play in front of him, using his stick well in motion to keep puck carriers honest. He is a good distributor from the back end and looks to launch attacks from his own zone if the pass is there. He is the leading defensive scorer already despite playing fewer games than everyone else, and that is a trend that I expect to continue.

I was really impressed with his decision making, his ability to adjust on his inside edges, and the fluidity to his motions defending the rush. I think Brayden’s game took a natural progression this season for Sioux Falls and it will be the natural progression of his physical growth which allows his decision making and pace of play to be ramped up. I thought he gave little moments in the games I watched to showcase how he can evade with his feet to open up passing lanes into the middle as well. When he did accelerate to a top speed through the neutral zone it was certainly eye catching.

Most of the defensemen on Rink Winnipeg last year had that ample size going for them and Brayden certainly came in a bit smaller than that. His skating stride makes up for a lot of that though since he’s active, agile, shows strength to his edges and a depth to his outside edges especially. The way he fluidly builds power is terrific. Defensively, he already understands how to attack angles and force players to adjust their angles since he can adjust to them with his back crossovers. He had the kind of skating stride that kept pace with near anyone in the league already and that will serve him very well. It looks like he’s moved on to playing 15U hockey in South Dakota so that will be something to monitor.

Thompson was the best player on the ice in this game. Every shift, he contributed positively to the play, making a noticeable impact on the ice. His impressive skating made it nearly impossible for opposing players to get a hold of him, as he maneuvered effortlessly around them. The standout aspect of Thompson’s game was his relentless activity in the offensive zone; he never stood still, always finding ways to get open and enhance the play. This alertness and constant moving created a ton of opportunities for him but also his teammates. He activated off a faceoff and snuck through the defense, receiving a nice pass he went backhand bar down. He also scored in what was a beautiful shot coming down the ice going post and in. He really impressed overall and was a key play driver for his team in what was a great game for the young defender.

Tiny defenders are fascinating to me, and Brayden Thompson looks like a good one to keep track of over the next few seasons. One of the 2008-born players participating in this tournament, Thompson brings all the ups and downs that small, high end skill defenders bring. The skating and creativity is electric. Thompson skates and flows with the best of them in transition both on and off the puck, monitoring the neutral zone strongly and walking the offensive blueline even better. He lacks a certain level of strength skating backwards and was put on his heels by Chicago’s rush offense at times, but he makes up for it with his offensive output. He was a prime powerplay quarterback, shifting and undulating off the offensive blueline with pucks flowing through him from wing to wing while showing the ability to pinch up a bit and take some dangerous chances for himself. Today was definitely a more impressive appearance for Thompson than the first game I saw, and you can definitely see a player here that scouts will probably argue over.

Thompson always found a way to join up in the rush and trail the play enough to find some soft ice which in turn led to a few nice scoring chances from the dman. He was good in his own end as well, on a couple of his retrievals, he used some excellent body positioning when he was under heavy pressure. This allowed him to kick or poke the puck up the wall.

Thompson was a standout yet again in this contest and his footwork and ability to create space with his feet really served as a pressure release valve for a Manitoba. There were moments, especially in the third period, where if felt like BC was starting to get sustained pressure but then Thompson would get the puck on his stick, and everything would dissipate. He is a true difference maker and his ability to feel pressure on the forecheck and maneuver himself away unscathed kept Manitoba from being caved in from a possession standpoint. He also scored a goal in the game with a patented shimmy and shake at the offensive blueline to open up a lane for a seeing-eye shot.

He’s really such a mobile defender due to the strength in his edges and his back crossovers combined with good balance. It allows him to walk the blueline, C-cut with anticipation, and cut on skating pathways very quickly. His skating also allows him to keep a close gap around his net defensively. He closes out on players and pins them to the boards effectively if he can. He kind of flubbed a shot in this one but it eventually made its way through a lane and ended up in the back of the net. He knows how to get pucks through lanes.