England was one of the standout stars at this tournament, finishing as the top scorer in the tournament with four goals and nine points in five games and landing a spot on the tournament all star team. I thought he was the most electric and dynamic player at the tournament, generating chance after chance. His stat line likely undersells how dominant he was as I’d argue he was inefficient in burying the chances he created. His warts in finishing the play and propensity to miss the net are the only real weaknesses in what is otherwise an explosive offensive arsenal. He has so much power in his stride and gets up to top speed faster than any of his peers. He is in constant acceleration with linear crossovers and blows past defenders often. His raw speed is a great base to build from but it’s his skill level and ability to make plays while driving that separates him from others. He can be a bit selfish off the rush but it’s not due to lack of awareness or because his head is buried. There were numerous moments of outstanding vision at high pace in this tournament however his confidence level is so high that he tends to favour creating his own chance. England is not only productive off the rush, but he also shows deceptive strength in board battles, is physical on entry, mucks it up with the best of them, and has an edge that can throw the opposition off their game. I expect we’ll hear England’s name called early in the draft.

Projection: Top Line Forward
Projectable Skills: Speed, Shot power
Development Opportunities: Forechecking, Changing pace, Use more manipulation tactics

It doesn’t take a genius to see how fast Brock England can be in transition. He has the ability to accelerate and put even the best defenders on their heels very quickly. His four directional balance and fluidity of stride is excellent and leads him to attempt all sorts of variations of attack off carried entries. He can bring a puck back behind his hip pocket and shoot off balance across his body off his front foot. When he is confident, he can break a game open and shoot accurately just above the pad far side on netminders. With those long strides and turns he can live through the power of his motions instead of his agility and adaptability. Due to this being true, the results of Brock’s puck rushing are varied at this moment. He can garner way more opportunities on his own than the average player but needs to find a way to finish off those plays with more consistency to truly tap into his elite potential. On the forecheck, he has a tendency to sweep through and apply little pressure on defenders instead of outthinking their approach and countering. I thought Brock was making adjustments throughout the year and his stint with U18 gave him confidence to use his speed without hesitation. He’s one of the most improved players this season overall and unlocking more of that potential will be the goal.

To anyone who has seen Brock play, you’ll quickly come to understand how much he loves shooting in motion. As his skating stride has build more explosive power and he has been able to find separating space off the rush more and more, he shoots with heavy whip and unabashed confidence. At this point it isn’t a question of if he can garner shooting opportunities for himself. That is supremely evident. Now it is about adding more deception to his release and a bit of diversity in attack to try and capitalize with consistency on the chances. The upside with him is massive since he can outskate almost anyone in the draft class off the rush.

England was the catalyst to finally end the lengthy streak without a goal, serving up a gross, no look, backhand dime to the back door after attracting the opposition’s collective eyes with blistering speed into the slot. This came mere moments after unleashing a little stutter step ankle breaker to gain separation in the neutral zone and enter the offensive zone. Sometimes it takes a special play from a special player to break the dam and that’s exactly what Alberta got from England in the game. He added two goals to his initial assist and was another player that Alberta leaned on for pushback when the wheels could have fallen off early.

I can probably pencil England in as a standout in every contest as I think there has been no player more effective at generating chances. The explosiveness in his skating stride is so far ahead of his peers that there’s really no correct way to approach him defensively. If a tight gap is kept, he finds a way to blow past the defender on an odd man opportunity, if the defender sags off, England uses the extra space to find teammates or get into smart shooting areas. The only main complaint I have ever had with England is that his finish can let him down and again in this game despite chance after chance he couldn’t crack the code. The execution and precision seen elsewhere on the ice can fail him at the last second as he looks to bury. If he can dial in his focus and hit the net more consistently, I think he could be an exceptional offensive weapon.

From a physical tool perspective, I’m convinced England could step into a junior roster right now. He is such an impressive athlete with explosiveness and a picture-perfect stride. He always seems to have an extra gear and routinely makes otherwise competent defenders look like “AP’s” as he blows past them. His assist on the first goal was a classic case of him overwhelming the defender with pace before finding his teammate for a back door tap-in. The fact that his hands and mind can keep up with his feet make him ever more dangerous. Nobody creates more chances in a consistent basis than England and if he can lock in some execution warts, particularly missing the net too frequently when shooting, I think the sky is the limit. He collected three assists in a dominant performance today.