Costello was one of the more reliable players on the blue line, consistently performing well in all situations he was placed in. Costello was a steady defenseman who played with good pace in all four games. He was fun to watch in the offensive zone as he is a great passer. His passing in the offensive zone was great; he never tried to do too much but always focused on making the right play. Costello recorded one assist in the tournament with a perfect backhand pass that landed right on his teammate's tape in stride. Overall, I was impressed with Costello's solid performances. Despite his team's challenging tournament, he stood out as one of the more reliable defensemen, showcasing several great moments on the ice.

I thought Costello was an extremely steady and reliable defender for this Jr. Mounties team. On the defensive side of the ice, he was able to quickly shut down plays off the rush whether that angling opposing puck carriers towards the boards and using his body to close out the play, using his quick defensive stick to thwart passes coming into the middle of the ice or dispossess opposing puck carriers in one-on-one situations. I found his puck touches in breakout and regroups to be very efficient which facilitated plays up the ice and it was actually one of his defensive stops that eventually lead to the game’s opening goal after he stepped up at his own blue line to break up a pass attempt and sent his team on an odd-man rush the other way.

Cody Costello did a nice job leaning into his strength to carve out his role for the Jr. Mounties as they head home with the championship. He used his size to lean on opponents, ultimately forcing the puck free as he shoved them off the puck, along with lined up some decent bodychecks at times. His long reach and defensive positioning kept play out of the dangerous areas of the ice for the most part, using his stick to deflect shots away and or take away a shooting lane entirely. He was consistent during the game at making defensive stops, showing his ability to cover a good degree of time and space with his long stride and wingspan. A key contributor for the Jr. Mounties on the defensive side of the puck all tournament.

Cody Costello was effective in stopping the bleeding for the Jr. Mounties and assuring the game stayed close and competitive whilst play going on in his defensive end. Any centering efforts or play low in the zone Costello was able to handle tidily and effectively. Some good footspeed and a long reach allowed him to quickly gap up on opponents, along with pivot and change direction to quickly turn with the direction of play deep in his zone, giving him the positioning to deflect and block centering attempts to opponents in the slot or around the goalmouth. To complement his defensive play, Costello showed some quick puck movements high in the offensive zone between himself and his defensive partner, opening up some shooting lanes as a result.

Cody Costello was another defender who offered great size with some good skating ability, navigating the ice, closing off gaps, managing the defensive blueline, and knocking pucks off sticks and forcing play back up ice the other way. His lateral mobility allowed him to stay square to puck carriers, and then as a result could smother them physically, pin players to the boards, and dig the puck out of scrums to then begin transitioning out of his own end. The feet and hands were smooth, he could make a decent first pass under pressure, accurate on his passes, and capable of skating himself out of trouble if need be.

Listed at 6’0 and 154lbs, it is no surprise after hearing that information that Cody Costello was an extremely effective defender at getting his stick in lanes, forcing opponents wide, and taking away shooting and passing lanes. Of course, being tall and lengthy isn’t all that is takes to be an effective defender, his movements, particularly when pivoting from backward to forward skating in an effort to jump up and intercept passes along with get aggressive on puck carriers when defending the zone, made him very valuable and prominent for Mount St. Charles. I felt in the defensive end he had also shown off a nice ability to make quick puck handles to evade forecheckers, make strong passes on both his forehand and backhand, along with get defensive zone clears when his team was under pressure to diffuse situations.

He began with hard D to D passes to avoid pressure and approach breakouts, but he used that strength to muscle players off zone entries and fire pucks around the back of his own net, using pull moves to evade pressure on the offensive blueline along the left wall, and showing his ability to weave side to side while showing determination to go end to end on rushes. That extra bit of power he has lets him step in front of players consistently to take away their skating lanes.