You don’t see Scott’s combination of size, skating ability and offensive instincts in too many players, especially at his age. Couple that with the immense confidence he possesses, and you get a highly effective defender with an extremely long runway in terms of potential. He was using his long stride to cover plenty of ground in all three zones, allowing him to close in on puck-carriers quickly and force quick decisions from the opposition. On retrievals he would consistently use his size to his advantage to either box out forecheckers or using reverse hits to knock them off course and execute a breakout pass. Where Scott was at his best was definitely carrying the puck in transition, flashing some serious puck skills to consistently beat the initial wave of pressure, weave his way through the neutral zone and gain the offensive blueline. He also flashed some serious one on one skill in transition as well by pulling pucks through and around defenders to break in alone on several occasions. The puck-moving and decision making are still a work in progress but the player archetype he possesses is extremely rare.

Carson Scott is a blueliner who has been in our rankings for quite some time now, and on occasion has maybe been passed over in viewings by other players resulting in limited consistent reports. Listed at 6’2 and 161lbs, Scott has great size for his age, and uses it very well, closing gaps, covering plenty of ice in short order with good speed and lateral movements, and reaching out with a long wingspan to interrupt puck carriers and make life difficult for opponents. He can do a little bit of everything and has a good head on his shoulders, making him an enticing piece. When defending the rush, he keeps his composure even against speedier, and talented puck handlers, surrenders very little to the middle of the ice, and times his moves well to either land an aggressive stick check, or connect physically, bumping his opponent off balance, and as a result, off the puck. He does a great job at managing gaps, keeping his momentum as he skates backwards, and picks his spots at just the right moments. Some good hand-eye coordination is an added bonus, allowing him to intercept cross-ice pass attempts and stimy traffic through the middle of the ice. Upon exiting the defensive zone, he maintains his composure under pressure with the puck on his stick. Some vision and speed lets him work in sync to skate away from forecheckers and fire a hard and accurate pass up ice to teammates with speed. On occasion, there has been a gaff-or-two when I’ve seen Scott play, sometimes sending a breakout pass up the middle of the ice and having it get picked off, but when it works, he is a great transitional piece for his team. On the offensive side of things, Scott can be trusted to quarterback a powerplay, slow the game down if needed, along with owns a strong shot from the line that can be used either as a direct scoring threat, or as a tool to generate rebounds and scrums in front of the net. I think there is a lot to work with regarding Scott and the now, and the future. I’d say the biggest thing regarding his game is consistent high-end performances. I’ve seen him utilize elite level skill to get himself out of stick situations, along with set up some crafty plays. Away from the puck he is a reliable defender, capable of killing penalties and playing a sound positional game, there is just at times a feeling of wanting more after seeing what he is capable of at his best. Scott will be a very interesting player to keep an eye on going forward into next season.

Our fifth ranked skater in the 2009-born American class continued his strong play at the USHL Fall Classic, Carson Scott was once more an extremely dominant on-puck defender who pushed the pace of play, created space, attacked lanes, and funneled pucks to dangerous areas on the ice. He owns a set of hands and fluidity to his movements many of his peer’s lack, extremely confident, and composed under pressure high in the offensive zone as he walks the blueline, he draws in so much attention from puck pursuers and manages to evade them with slick dangles, footwork, and pivots to box them out with his body whilst extending the puck out of reach from opposing sticks. With the space he creates he was able to consistently challenge the high slot with both shooting opportunities, along with sliding pucks from high-to-low near the goalmouth on a regular basis. His power and skating ability in transition made him a puck-magnet, effortlessly evading pressure as he bolted out from his own end, coupling together a series of strong crossovers to work his way around pressure in the neutral zone, and ultimately gain the offensive zone with control on occasion, putting defenders on their heels, and creating scoring chances off the rush as if he were a forward. The game-breaking potential Scott owns that enables him to make a difference on any given shift is what makes him such a deadly weapon from the blueline in this class.

The sheer size, physicality and skill Scott brings to the table was unmatched among defenders in this contest. There were a couple of times on his retrievals where he delivered a reverse hit on a forechecker, knocked him down then proceeded to initiate the breakout for his team. Even when defenders were able to get a step on him while attacking off the rush, he would use his long reach to swipe the puck away from behind and nullify any dangerous chances that would’ve come about. Where Scott was really able to thrive in this one was carrying the puck in transition, flashing some skill that is rare for a defender of his size and age. His hands allow him to beat the primary wave of forecheckers with ease, using deft dekes to pull pucks around while keeping his feet moving to attack up ice. There was one sequence where he was able to carry the puck across all three zones, pull a puck through a defender in a one on one and break in alone on a breakaway before being denied.

Scott was asserting himself in all facets of the game throughout this contest. He was using his long stride to cover plenty of ground in both the neutral zone and defensive zone, which allowed him to step up on attackers quickly, limit their time and space and force them to rush their decisions. He flashed some serious offensive skill in the first half of the game when he took the puck end to end, pulled the puck through the last defender to break in alone before losing the puck at the last second. He was an integral part of his team’s comeback in the second half as well, scoring the game-tying goal by activating down low in the offensive zone, receiving a pass and putting it upstairs above the goaltender. He made a great stretch pass from the defensive zone to Sung not too long after, allowing him to break into the offensive zone with alone and score the game-winning goal.