Shattuck St. Mary’s defenseman Dominic Pajkic is a defenseman that I am interested to see where he goes. His 14U season was a great offensive showing as he was the head attacking threat from the point, but playing up this season with the 16U squad he took a backseat in that regard and took on a more defensive role. His strengths remain his excellent mobility and effective puck moving ability, using his feet to quickly accelerate away from pressure and into space to enable him to find an open passing lane to funnel the puck into. He keeps the puck well and will sometimes go on a rush up the ice himself and look to weave his way into the attacking end, which he is certainly capable of doing. He isn’t the largest defender but he can play a physical brand of hockey, he is quick to step to players along the outside and pin them up against the board where he demonstrates great strength to come away from battles with possession. He’s calm under pressure with the puck in his own end and can start a breakout with his legs or a sharp pass up the ice.

Breaking News: Shattuck-St. Mary’s still has talented players. Dominic Pajkic was fun to watch on a team that was fun to watch all around. His two-way game across the weekend was really solid, getting involved in the offense while keeping things locked down on defense. His strength to run guys off the puck was one of his best weapons, and he made sure to let the opposition know that. Once he won possession of the puck he would pick his head up and look to lead a rush up the ice himself if the circumstances allowed it. He showed great confidence in his own end by performing a few dekes in precarious situations, and while they may have been risky they were also successful and led to good attacking opportunities. He showed great vision from the blue line and was able to ping passes around the zone to keep the defense moving around.

In a strong performance in a difficult game for Team White, Dominic Pajkic played well out of the back and was able to link the defense to offense a number of times. He showed immense composure in his own end on the puck, and perhaps a little recklessness, when he deked out two forecheckers back to back just to the side of his goal before carrying the puck up and out of his zone. His skill on the puck was clear and he did a great job carrying the puck up the ice as a member of the rush and displayed good vision throughout. He was a strong puck battler in his own end, using his size as one of the larger players on the ice to muscle the opposition off the puck and claim it for himself. He looked quite assured in his play and was able to put together a solid outing.