Christian Semetsis is a dazzling blueliner with plenty of pace, jump, and skill to his game that really compliments other high-end offensive forwards, giving them extra options to work with who will continue to play at a high level and generate chances. He activated plenty in offensive transitions, even receiving a few passes in the neutral zone, he showed no quarrels when rushing the offensive blueline, making slight moves to the middle lane, and pushing defenders on their heels and forcing them to collapse as a result. For a defender he has excellent explosiveness when moving in a straight line, and forces other defenders to collapse and retreat much like a highly skilled forward would. He displayed some great reads when trailing the rush, slipping into space, knowing where to go and what to do, he caught a few passes from the high slot and wired a few shots on net, one of which resulting in a goal. During offensive zone sequences he’d go on plenty of walks around the ice with the puck, pinching from the line, rotating between himself and his forwards, there were moments where he solely drove play and generated chances for his team through his dynamic movement and strong passing between his teammates, ultimately forcing defensive breakdowns from his opponents. He was a daring defenseman who wasn’t afraid to take chances, exuding plenty of skill, and in the event of a turnover had the power and speed to get on his horse and hustle back to contribute defensively. Although, for the most part, there were very little defensive gaffs from Semetsis, something that can often be a concern for uber-talented skilled blueliners.

I was thoroughly impressed with Christian Semetsis’s game and thought he showed a very well rounded set of skills throughout the four contests. His defensive involvements were solid and he used his exceptional skating ability to make it very difficult for puck carriers to get by him. He was able to match players stride for stride along the outside and utilize good edgework to stop and transition towards the middle as they looked to cut in and get dangerous looks from the slot. His active stick kept players at bay and he was able to force low danger shot attempts from the outside as a result. He used his skating ability to quickly close down the opposition and limit their time to make decisions and force them into making mistakes that led to turnovers. That same mobility was very useful on the offensive side of the puck as he was able to keep plays in at the point by seemingly being everywhere, and he quickly got ahold of the puck and dished it off to an open man to keep their foot on the gas. His vision and distribution impressed me, he saw the ice very well and his passes ranged from stretch passes out of the defensive zone to quick layoffs in the attacking end, he was capable of making every kind of play and that led to some very good opportunities. He was a very good puck carrier and was able to glide effortlessly through the neutral zone with pace, using quick passing exchanges to break down the defense and get in behind. He moved well off the puck and found pockets of space around the net to dart into and earn shooting chances in tight. His ability to handle difficult passes well was something that really stood out to me, he settled bouncing pucks and inaccurate passes effectively and quickly set himself up for his next play without having put himself in a position to lose the puck. He was the clear standout blueliner for me on this one and his impact was felt all over the ice.

It doesn’t take long for Christian Semetsis to make his mark on any given game as he’s a defenseman who likes to involve himself across all 200 feet of the rink. With Semetsis on the ice, it seems as if his team was icing four forwards with how often he would use his blazing speed to jump up in the play and create odd man rushes or transport the puck from his zone, evading opponents in the neutral zone and leading the way on entries into the offensive zone. This is not to take away from his defensive game as he defended very well with his stick during one-on-one and rush scenarios by jamming puck carriers early and getting his stick on shot attempts to deflect them away from the net. He looked to play a step ahead of his opponents as well, often anticipating plays in the neutral zone, stepping in front of passes to intercept the puck or pressure his opponents as soon as they received a pass and used that same level of awareness in the offensive zone where he was a great distributor of the puck, especially when on the man advantage with a lot of time and space with smart reads and some really nice footwork to be able to escape from or freeze opponents at the blue line.

This was my first time watching Semetsis, who was recently named to the USNTDP, and while I don’t think it was his most effective game in terms of execution the overall toolkit is one of the best I’ve seen from any defender all season long. He’s a tall and slender defenseman who was able to cover plenty of ground using his long and powerful stride in conjunction with his reach, which he used to smother puck-carriers and break up rush plays at a high rate. I noted a couple of high-level plays on retrievals where he was able to utilize his edgework to escape primary forecheck pressure with relative ease, skate the puck up ice and connect on outlet that lead to a controlled exit from the defensive zone. He was able to generate a few looks for himself working off his teammates with shrewd activations both in-zone and off the rush although he wasn’t able to capitalize on them in this one.

The incredibly quick and fluid skating stride of Semetsis allowed him be an impactful skater all over the ice. He had impressive rushes up the ice where he was able to effortlessly carry pucks out of his own end and then through the neutral zone at a speed that couldn’t be matched by his opponents. He was able to generate a couple of dangerous chances for his teammates by slipping pucks into the middle of the ice off controlled zone entries as he demanded the full attention of the defence when he carried the puck over the blue line thus drawing defenders out of their positions. I thought he was just as electric at the offensive blue line, using great edgework and lightning quick stop-and-starts to freeze forecheckers and keep possessions alive at the point. His skating ability allowed him to cover so much ice making him an efficient defender and puck mover in transition.

A leading offensive weapon amongst the blueliners in this class, Christian Semetsis was his usual self with high-end speed, skill, and puck carrying ability. Early in the game he was taking chances, carrying the puck with speed across both bluelines and leading the charge on the offensive side of things. Using his defensive end as a scaffolding to build speed, by the time he hit the offensive blueline he was flying and forced opponents either flatfooted, or onto their heels. All his movements were so smooth and controlled as well, giving him plenty of opportunities to change direction, stop up, or make an accurate play with the puck. His offensive involvement was a theme throughout the game, whether leading the rush himself, or joining as a trailing man. He was one of the top transitional players for the Jr. Mounties as a whole in this one and gave the Gulls some of the most trouble when trying to slow down. He had a solid look later in the game where he jumped into the slot and caught a pass and fired a shot on net, unfortunately the shot had gotten slightly deflected and didn’t go where it was supposed to. Despite the game not going the way the Jr. Mounties had hoped, Semetsis was arguably the top blueliner in the game.

It was another really solid game from Semetsis, who has shown to be one of the top defenders over the event. Christian was impressive at defending, shutting down plenty of zone entries, and winning back possession of the puck. There were some remarkable flashes of using his feet to dodge pressure, spinning off checks, and carrying pucks forward, showcasing his mobility and confidence.

Semetsis was MSC's top defender. He showed an impressive blend of confidence and patience with the puck, never fretting under pressure and making a play with control. Almost every time Christian had possession in his zone, he hit on his outlet passes, sparking clean, controlled exits, making him the primary puck-mover on the MSC's blueline. He showed some flashes of pushing play forward and trying to spark offence, but the puck-moving was the central theme of my notes.

This was a very strong game from Christian Semetsis, the defenseman was extremely involved at both ends of the rink and made his presence known. His defensive work was sound, keeping his stick active and timing his steps well to keep plays alive at the blue line. His four-way mobility made it extremely difficult for puck carriers to get around him, he kept up with them and forced plays to the outside and limited the shots to sharp angled attempts. He uses that same mobility to close gaps with the opposition well and gets his stick on the puck utilizing his reach effectively. He showed great hands to receive difficult passes and settle plays down, and he took those passes in stride and was able to lead rushes up the ice with some excellent skating ability. He navigated the neutral zone with ease, gained entry to the offensive zone, distributed the puck very well and continued with his strong movements off the puck and found his way into open spaces for return passes. His distribution led to good chances for his team and he saw the ice very well, he was constantly popping up and his passes led to the offense generating plenty of chances.

This wasn’t a great game for the whole of the Purple squad, but even still it became pretty clear to me that Christian Semetsis was going to be a factor in the games I watched going forward. An excellent skater, he did very well getting up and down the ice and looking to find ways to help his team out. He was quick to close down opposition by wrapping them up with his stick and pinning them up against the boards. His positioning was good and his stick was actively looking to intercept the puck and get up ice. He was an effective puck mover and took several chances leading rushes up the ice and trying to spark the offense. He didn’t have too much of an opportunity to command the offensive zone, but with his mobility and distribution that he was able to show in spurts he was very effective in facilitating the play.

Even though it may not have been his most effective game I’ve seen him play, it was tough to ignore Christian Semetsis in this one, as when you’d see #6 burst up ice with the puck, activate from his own end, and outskate the majority of forwards in the neutral zone, it was evident Semetsis was still of note. Incredibly mobile in all senses, he can change directions, pivot, slow-down, and speed-up with ease, all with the puck on his stick as he plays with his head up. In regards to volume of strong, agile, sequences around the ice, there wasn’t many, but when there was, it was an excellent display of 4-way mobility, poise with the puck, and transitional play upon exiting his zone, and spearheading puck up the ice.