It was more of the same from Kunopaski over the Silver Stick. Once again, I thought he was aggressive in applying pressure to puck carriers and never shied away from an opportunity to engage physically. I never felt he was chasing hits, as there was usually a layer of practicality to it, separating the man from the puck to win back possession or deny a zone entry. Kunopaski had some moments of activating to join in the play and sparking offence, namely finding the back of the net in their game against Whitby when he intercepted a puck in the neutral zone, walked into the offensive end, and ripped one far side past the netminder.

I wanted to pay a bit closer attention to Carter over these November views to have a firm assessment of his game entering the Silver Stick. Across the two Titans games I caught, I just came away thinking Carter was asserting himself more with his feet. Carrying pucks through the neutral zone, rotating around the offensive zone, and just always being involved in the play thanks to his ability to maneuver around the ice so effortlessly. There were a handful of moments in each game where Kunopaski just took over, controlling the game and being difficult to contain while he was playing with the puck on his stick. Similarly, he did a solid job at being aggressive defensively, relying on the same footwork to apply pressure and take away time and space. I didn't think his passing game was an "issue" in my first few views of him but I just felt like he was much more impactful as a puck mover, hitting his outlet passes and scanning for teammates in the slot when he had the puck at the point. Carter is virtually a lock to be added to my next rankings when I expand to 40, and I will be watching him closely over the Silver Stick to see precisely where he slots in.

Kunopaski was solid in this one, applying pressure on entries, and showing his physical side to engage to shut down rushes. He won possession many times, using his mobility to get in Wild attackers' space and being a suffocating presence on the Titans' blueline. Kunopaski tallied the Titans' first goal, stepping into a one-timer and blasting it off the inside cross-bar, leaving everyone in the rink unsure if it even went in with how quick it was in and out.

Kunopaski was easily the most involved defender on the Titans' blueline. All game long, he was looking to activate to creep in for passes, pinch down the wall, and just overall involve himself in the offensive flow of things. He was never looking to be passive at the point but looking for ways to involve himself in the sequence, which was great to see. He recorded two points in this game, the first being a point shot that he fired home off a pass from Tyler Cameron. His assist was a beautiful cross-ice seam pass on the powerplay, hitting an open Carter Scott backdoor for an easy tap-in. In a similar theme to his offensive involvement, Carter was aggressive and confident in transition, never hesitating to rush the puck if the conditions were right. Kunopaski had many sequences where he calmly carried the puck up ice through the neutral zone, relying on his powerful skating to transition the puck with control and secure a zone entry. While there were many unique elements to his game, this combination of offensive and transition impact were the two big ones that made him jump off the page and earn the first star. I noticed Carter plenty back at the OHF Championships, but not quite at this level, so he certainly exceeded my expectations of him, which is always a great sign in the early days of the season.