Projection: Top-4 Defender
Projectable Skills: Skills:Skating stride, wrist shot
Development Opportunities: Defensive detail, wider vision for playmaking consideration off the rush

Eddy is a player with a deep toolkit. He can beat goaltenders multiple ways strategically off breakaways or two on ones, and isn’t afraid to hold onto the puck for extra time along the boards to spin off coverage and maintain an attack. He comes at you with hesitation moves, controls the tempo of play with his head up, and understands how to find optimal shooting lanes and situate himself in proper one-timer positioning on the PP. His best attribute is his ability to shoot quickly and decisively which means there are stretches of time where he maybe isn’t the prime puck carrier or finding lots of puck touches. With that one-timer and grip-and-rip release tactic, you always have to keep in mind how dangerous he can be. I think Eddy might be a little bit of a slower burn in the WHL to start but really builds steam as the years roll along. He’s smart, determined, strong, and a quality team player.

The thing I keep circling back on for Eddy is that his quick strike ability with one-timers and grip-and-rip style shooting is a bit rare for this class. His ability to shoot quickly and accurately was on display again. He’s a player with a deep toolkit too. He can slice through traffic, beat goaltenders multiple ways off breakaways, and isn’t afraid to spin back against pressure along the wall when he doesn’t like his options. The little hesitation moves and controlling the tempo with his head up does help to open shooting lanes as well. I thought his play was solid overall.

I’ve gotten to see multiple views of Eddy over the last number of months already and I’ve never had a view of Eddy that wasn’t solid. On a talented St George’s squad, Eddy has consistently been one of the more dangerous shot generators by ability to cut and carve off the half wall on the PP or 5on5. He forechecks well, finishes checks when appropriate, and certainly hustles when given more responsibility as the C. In most of my views, I keep focusing on his skating stride and how with some little adjustments he could maximize his power in each individual stride in order to build separation speed off the rush or close gaps quicker. He’s another player who projects well up levels based upon his well-rounded play, good IQ, and ability to play multiple forward roles. He’s currently in my second round projection.

Spytz was in the face of the opposition all night and was really effective as a nuisance on the forecheck while also showing the skill to take advantage of the mistakes he forced. He’s far from the biggest player on the ice but he finishes every hit and drives his legs through contact with little fear. He seems to relish the battle and became more engaged throughout this contest as things got chippy. On the offensive end, Spytz uses his speed and proactivity to great effect. His first couple of steps are explosive and he wins races with his ability to get off the line quicker than his opponent. He pre-scans effectively as he approaches the puck which helps both to evade pressure and to find teammates for quick-strike opportunities. He finished with a goal and two assists in this game.

Eddy Spytz was neck-and-neck with Drayden Uhrina in this game, but I felt edged him out slightly towards the end of the game with his constant rush-offense chances. Starting with play away from the puck, there were very few instances where whilst Spytz was on the ice I didn’t see him engaged on the backcheck, hassling the puck carrier with stick checks, and ultimately forcing turnovers and turning up ice with great agility and velocity, started in only a few quick crossovers. He cut up the neutral zone very well, changing directions on a dime, weaving through traffic with great linear speed along with lateral as he strung crossovers and quick hands together to become a dynamic puck carrier as he crossed the blueline. He was a handful to contain and check once he got moving like this, backing off defenders, movements like this led to his goal late in the second half as he put the defender nearest to him on his heels and wired a shot on net that beat the goalie clean. He had a few quality scoring chances during the game, but this one in particular was likely the best display of his shooting talent as once the speed, hands, and shot all clicked together at once it was undeniable. His speed off the rush helped free up teammates as well, connecting on plenty of passes to teammates crashing the crease, along with those trailing high in the zone, he saw the whole ice and took it all in before making a play – yet was still quick to act and didn’t allow himself to get cornered.