There is always a risk when thinking about smaller defensemen. Personally, the risk of missing out can absolutely outweigh the risk of taking too early. He is currently listed at 5’7 and 135 lbs but he, in no way, plays like he is that size. Calder will step up into gaps to deliver big shoulder to shoulder body checks, time his poke checks beautifully off the rush, and has enough detail in his game to fill your notepad. He delays, passes controlled in motion, matches speeds and gaps on entry defenses, and for safe measure I got to see him score a beautiful short handed rush goal. While his ranking may fluctuate up or down as the season rolls along, that will most likely be mostly based on a physical projection of sorts. This draft has quite a few high-end defenders who offer an assortment of offensive giftings and physical play. I haven’t watched a game yet of Calder’s where I didn’t think he was among the most effective players on the ice.

Projection: Top Pair Offensive Defender
Projectable Skills: Stickhandling in tight, Passing IQ, Skating fluidity
Development Opportunities: Strength, Defensive battle during cycle play

Calder is constantly staying well balanced and mobile on his edges and joins/spurs the rush without hesitation, which his team has to expect and sometimes rotate to cover for him defensively. He constantly plays with his head up, has outstanding puck control in motion, and has the capacity to stickhandle in super tight areas or deliver backhanded touch passes across zones. If you let him attack off the rush, he will be as successful or more at creating high danger chances as your top forwards. He racked up points in the Saskatchewan league by using his skating mobility to punish stationary players. His defensive approach is to pinpoint moments to attack and separate puck carriers. He looks to intercept passes early or step up physically to catch someone with an unexpected shoulder to shoulder check. That physicality is going to serve him well as his defensive game grows. He possesses a heavier slapshot, an accurate wrist shot, and knows how to sneak into better opportunities or leave himself enough time and space to get off a shot before sticks close. He’s the type of player that you must be ok with potentially altering your system for as his value decreases if he isn’t allowed to create off the rush. His upside is very high and he’s certainly further away than some other prospects. If you’re willing to wait, it could pay off huge in his 18-20 year old seasons.

The undersized, aggressive, high end IQ defender had a mixture of an event in my mind. How much do you expect a 5’7 defender is going to be able to do in offensive creation? Calder essentially pushes the limit of it when he’s active. He’s constantly calculating when he should be aggressive through the neutral zone as a puck carrier or when he should make those well weighted lead passes to his streaking wingers up ice. Over the event, he blasted a slapshot off the post, rushed the puck and led the rush more times than I can count, stepped up to attempt shoulder to shoulder open ice hits, matched pace defensively and killed entries early. His ability to sense pressure and counter it is only limited by his size at this point. When you watch Calder, the limitations which exist because of his size are obviously there, but his shot accuracy, situational awareness, creativity in transition, one on one attack, defensive gaping, timed pokes, and everything else is there. I’m a fan. He was the only defender at the event who essentially shadowed the leading forward. Whoever was the furthest up ice, he was laying in wait to either anticipate and intercept the pass, or break it up as it arrived. He’s sneaky. I think he’s going to shine at the Top-80 event. He has a bonkers amount of league play points for a reason.

I certainly think he was one of the players who continued to impress me more and more seemingly shift by shift. Physically, Calder is still growing and thus folks will have to wait a little on the size and strength components but as far as intellect, game management, and that slapshot of his, wow. He was making curl passes back to the point, using his wingers well, and was constantly adjusting based on the defensive efforts in front of him. His ability to adapt to pressure while also pushing the pace is an exciting element. He stepped into a big hit at one point, tied the final game with a eye popping slapshot in motion from the left side off the rush, and has those ex factor qualities which make you feel like he’s always in control of things.

Calder is going to be an interesting study this next season because he already plays much bigger than his size. I think he must have easily had the most open ice shoulder to shoulder body checks in the three games of anyone. He has no issue stepping up into the gap if he feels that physicality will bring about the separation in tighter spots. It certainly caught a lot of players off guard. Offensively, he had one of the highest transitional IQs by starting/jumping into the rush and navigating through pressure in the neutral zone. He was probably one of the single most catalysts of offense from the backend in these games and his future will most likely be determined by his natural maturation. Calder already has that fearless swagger in all situations.

There were a couple plays Calder made which have been rare in this event. Since Calder isn’t the biggest or strongest player, he finds those moments to make sure he is leveraging his inside positioning to either protect and make a play or win a puck battle before it has begun. He did that in the neutral zone today after making a lead pass into the middle of the ice. When the play turned around, he was already establishing that positioning and was able to gain possession immediately again. All of this to say, he’s going to be a very good hockey player regardless of how much physical growth is left. He was jumping into the rush, starting the breakouts, solving the pressure, and making backhanded saucer passes under control as well as anyone at this event. Throw in some feathered passes onto sticks and quality shoulder to shoulder hits at his blueline and he met my expectations and then some for this event with a projection.

Hamilton is such a fun player to watch as he plays such a unique style of hockey that flies in the face of expectations. He’s usually one of the smaller and lighter defenceman on the ice in any given game yet he is routinely on the giving end of some of the most vicious bodychecks. This game was no different particularly one reverse hit that sent a significantly bigger opponent flying. Beyond his surprising physicality, Hamilton uses his smooth skating stride and head-up vision to be a leader in transition. He dices through traffic on the rush with ease and really excels at gaining the next zone. He also shows nice balance in using his feet to attack while also maintaining awareness of his teammates when the opposition collapses heavily on him.

I think Calder has a chance to be a special kind of player, honestly. I love the way his hockey mind reads plays and uses momentum against others. It means that he doesn’t have to be the biggest or strongest player on the ice at all times to be most effective. That being said, his game is filled with early poke checks in the neutral zone, timely shoulder to shoulder hits, and a boatload of offensive tools to jump into the rush on the backside or as the primary carrier. The one goal was created after his zone entry and a terrific drop pass as he curled the puck around his body.