Projection: First Line Forward

Projectable Skills: Skating, Deceptive Playmaking, Motor

Development Opportunities: Puck Control

Lygitsakos’ meteoric rise up our rankings was the story of the second half the season. Once he figured out the ins and outs of the M18 circuit and was able to leverage his elite offensive toolkit, there weren’t many teams who could stop him. Production plays a miniscule part in what we do here, but to put the second half of his season into context Lygitsakos scored 18 points in the final 8 games of the regular season to go along with 24 in 15 playoff games. The turning point in his development, at least to me, was his ability to incorporate deceptive and manipulative maneuvers into his offensive arsenal which helped him become a more diverse attacker. There were shades of it early on, but when Lygitsakos started executing no-look passes and mixing up his attacking routes off the rush he became an entirely different and more dangerous player. In turn, this allowed him to use his offensive tools (high-end agility, foot speed and shooting ability) in a more consistent basis and create time and space on his own. Combine all that skill with his high-end motor, compete level and relentless forechecking ability and you the most dynamic talent in this year’s class. He was a center throughout the majority of the year but given his size I wonder if a junior team would want to try him at wing to start of his career. Either way, I think his projection in on a first line whether it be down the middle or on the flank.

You’d expect a 5’7 and 157 lbs centerman to need to continue to add strength, and while obviously this is the case for all 15-year-old hockey players, I think Lygitsakos is deceptively strong for a player his size. He demonstrated at the end of the year an ability to withstand contact from larger defenders and was quite difficult to knock off balance while in full stride. One area I’d like to see him focus on is his puck control ability. Not that he has bad hands by any means, but he does have a tendency to hold onto the puck for too long and perform one too many maneuvers which sometimes to lead to a loss of possession.

On a team full of very talented draft-eligible prospects, I thought Lygitsakos was the best player every time he stepped out on the ice. The way he’s able to attack in a myriad of ways makes him such an unpredictable offensive threat and keeps opposing defenders on their toes in perpetuity. He can play quickly off the rush by driving back defenders with his quickness and driving wide to turn them around and create space up top, or he can hit a quick delay upon entry, slow things down and play a smart puck management game. In the offensive zone he constantly keeps his feet moving, whether it be to win races to loose pucks and extend zone time or while he was working off-puck trying to get himself into a prime area for a scoring chance. You could make a case he’s undersized at 5’7 and 157 lbs, but throughout this tournament I didn’t see him get knocked down a single time. He invites contact in on battles for loose pucks, often delivering reverse hits to opponents before using his low center of gravity to win inside position and the puck. He’s highly elusive as a puck carrier in the neutral zone and quite difficult to knock off stride, using quick cuts and changes of direction to shake forecheckers while maintain his speed. On top of his offensive ability, I thought he was equally relentless on the forecheck and the penalty kill, using his motor to provide pressure all over the ice and steal pucks to gain back possession.

Although the production didn’t really come for Lygitsakos at this event, I still thought he was able to showcase his dynamic offensive ability more often than not and create sustained offensive zone time for his team. His quick crossover ability allowed him to gain speed rapidly through the neutral zone, forcing defenders to respect his speed which allowed him to gain the offensive blueline quite consistently. Once he gained the line he showed patience with the puck by either skating to the flank to draw defenders towards him to open up space in the middle or delaying and waiting for help to arrive. He was quite deceptive in his attacking approach as well, often using a series of look-offs and head fakes to hide his intentions and open up some room for his intended target. I thought he showed some good strength along the perimeter as well despite his diminutive stature, as he was often able to shrug off cross checks from bigger defenders and maintain possession of the puck.

Lygitsakos is a player you can put anywhere in your lineup and he finds a way to be effective. The diminutive yet highly skilled forward is a very good skater who uses his feet in the offensive zone to beat coverage and jump into space. As a playmaker, he’s consistently able to put pucks into high-danger areas and create scoring chances for his team. He’s able to make these plays at high speeds as well, using quick crossovers to turn defenders around off the rush and create more space up high. There’s a hint of deception in his playmaking as well, using a series of look-offs and head fakes to hide his intentions.

I had really high expectations for Lygitsakos coming into this season after he set the Bantam AAA circuit on fire with 62 points in 29 games. My early viewings of him weren’t as promising as I had hoped and the jump to Midget AAA hockey seemed a bit overwhelming for the 5’7 and 148 lbs forward. There were far too many times in my early viewings where he would overhandle a puck or skate right into congested areas of the ice where he would easily be stripped of the puck, and with just two points in his first eight games the production was indicative of this as well. In the last month however Lygitsakos has really turned a corner, both in his play and on the scoresheet. In his last 13 games he has registered 11 points and looks every bit the player most expected him to be coming into this season. His skating ability is really high-end and allows him to create space for himself in the offensive by using quick cuts and pivots to shake defenders. His scanning habits in the offensive zone show really well for his projectability in junior hockey as he has minimized the number of blind passes he makes to areas around the ice and is now converting his high danger passes at a more frequent rate. His compete level really stands out too, as he always keeps his feet moving in all three zones and loves to hound opposing puck carriers. If his upwards trajectory continues at this rate, Lygitsakos could make a steady climb on our rankings as the season progresses.

It didn’t take long for Lygitsakos to put his stamp on this game when in the first minute of the game he took a pass at the top of the circle, skated downhill then wired a perfect shot over the goaltender’s shoulder. The deception was on full display as well, often looking off his intended target to shift the defender’s attention away before slipping a pass to a teammate. He had a monster shift in the second period where he used his foot speed to win a battle to a loose puck, embrace and withstand contact from a larger defender along the perimeter, using his skill to beat two defenders with one move to get to the inside and execute a pass to a teammate in a dangerous area who couldn’t capitalize. Lygitsakos’ non-stop motor really set him apart from most of the other forwards in this game, which in conjunction with his dynamic skillset, made him the most effective player in this game in my opinion.

While he may not have dominated the scoresheet, Lygitsakos’ dynamic offensive toolkit makes him standout whenever the puck is on his stick, which is quite frequent. He made a great play in the second period off a give-and-go with Boyer where he attacked the middle of the ice, drew pressure towards him before making a quick pass to the outside where Boyer buried it. Throughout the rest of the game Lygitsakos was demonstrating great spatial awareness with the puck on his stick, always attacking into areas with space rather than putting himself in unfavourable situations or congested areas. The puck control in this game was very high-end as he showed he was able to corral bobbling pucks and bad passes while maintaining his speed through some awkward motions. The quick processing ability he possesses adds another layer to his offensive game, as he showed throughout this game the capability to scan quickly before his puck touches and move pucks off the wall quickly and onto the tape of a teammate in a dangerous area in the offensive zone.

Despite being held off the scoresheet, I thought Lygitsakos was once again one of the more dangerous and dynamic forwards throughout the entire game. Once again it took him a little while to get going, but once he did and the skill level started to pop, he was able to tilt the ice in favour of Team Bourque every time he stepped out on the ice. Despite his diminutive stature, he showed some strength as a puck carrier with the ability to shrug off opposing players trying to hit him off the puck. What impressed me the most about his game today was the ability to make passes coming out of turns, often putting it through sticks and feet and catching opposing defenders off guard. Off the rush he was blending patience and deception to make himself unpredictable in his attack, often looking off his intended target in order to open up passing lanes. In the offensive zone he showed the ability to maintain his speed out of his cuts, which allowed him to gain separation from defenders and create time and space for himself.

It took Lygitsakos a while to get going in this one, but when he did, I don’t think there was a more effective and talented player on the ice. He’s the type of player who demands the puck and is often looking to drive the play for his line, which was the case for the majority of this game. He did a great job delaying on his zone entries and waiting for help to arrive, demonstrating patience and not forcing the puck into any congested areas. He keeps his feet moving upon reception, which allows him to maintain stride with the puck and attack with speed. This attribute was on full display in the second period, where he caught a puck in motion off the rush and simultaneously get off a wrist shot that he deposited into the top right corner. Deception has become a bigger part of his game over the course of the year and this game was exemplary of that. Off the rush he uses an array of fake shots and look-offs in order to get defenders to bite and open up passing lanes that weren’t there initially. In conjunction with how quick he processes the game, all these skills made Lygitsakos nearly impossible to contain throughout this game.

The duo of Lottin and Lygitsakos made the lives of Riverains’ defenders miserable throughout the evening. Lygitsakos is just an absolute spark plug out there, constantly keeping his feet moving in all three zones and applying pressure wherever he can. He’s able to get to top speed in just a few strides with his hands working in unison to create a dangerous off the rush player. He was creating a lot of positive transition plays from his own zone, making accurate small area passes to teammates in open space. He scored the tying goal in the third period by firing an absolute laser over the glove to send the game to overtime.