The powerhouse of St. Albert is once again in effect this season as the backend of their squad is particularly deep. Jaxon is a rangy, long-legged defender who has the ability to close gaps quickly, finish checks while pinching into the zone, and his active stick has shown well in the games I’ve viewed. His effectiveness comes from his clean and well-balanced skating stride to drag pucks laterally in the offensive zone, move pucks side to side consistently or work off his wingers to find smart shot timing. That squad works very well as a unit and Jaxon’s ability to adjust and cover ground gives permission for others to take a few more chances too. I’d like to see a bit more aggression and determination out of him as he builds more power and strength to test the boundaries offensively, but as it stands today, his skating and passing efficiency will absolutely already translate up levels of hockey.

Colt Carter’s running mate both on this team and in St Albert. Pisani doesn’t collect the same production or accolades as his defensive partner, but he is right up there alongside him when looking at projection upwards in my eyes. I thought he was fantastic in this tournament and is one of my personal favourites out of this 2009 born class. He is such a tidy and intelligent two-way defender who already has a great sense of how to utilize his skillset to make the maximum impact on the ice. I think he is a perfect foil for a more aggressive or high-risk defensive partner and really breeds confidence in his teammates that they can roam, and he’ll be there to mop up mistakes. He is always attentive to the defensive end first but remains engaged and able to be involved offensively, making crisp accurate passes to exit and enter zones with possession while also having great instincts on when to defer to his teammates. From the point he really excels at getting the puck through traffic with a low hard shot for tips and rebounds. Pisani still has some room to fill out, but his size and mobility should track well to higher levels. He shows excellent athleticism with pristine balance as he moves laterally and nice burst out of transitions. He also leverages an active and controlled stick while maintaining a sound gap to really make it difficult for the opposition attack to get going. It’s rare for an attacker to get inside positioning against him as he causes so many bobbles and turnovers before they can get up to speed. I think potential is sky-high for Pisani as a player with a high-end mind and raw but burgeoning physical tools, I’ll be watching him closely as he develops.

The thing I’m learning about Jaxon’s game is that he’s very steady with his outputs. It seems like in every game I watch him, he’s trying to use his skating fluidity and reach to close lanes quickly, pin players down low if he can, and move pucks effectively before he’s too far under pressure. He makes the game seemingly slow down and simplify at times. He can pinch to keep the zone when appropriate, get solid wrist shots through when appropriate, and move pucks in the flow of play to either spring his forwards to set up his defense partner to active on the far side. At this point, I’m waiting to see the little flashes of what else he could be capable of if he made different choices. Is his game simplistic in a good way or is he stifling a bit of his potential as a player who can skate the puck through a few layers and pinch down low a little more often. It is more about understanding the height of his upside. Regardless, I’m not sure I’ve had a view of him this season where I didn’t think he was smart, solid, and effective.

I have always been a huge fan of Pisani, and I thought he was at his best in this game. As his teammates continued to take bigger risks in the search for a goal, Pisani was the perfect clean up crew member to handle any potential counter attacks the other way. He is cool as a cucumber in dealing with the rush and stops numerous counters before they have a chance to get going by maintaining calm even when outnumbered, using his athleticism to jump routes, engaging early with his stick, and quickly getting the puck back in his team’s hands. He has an airy and light stride allowing him to handle quick direction changes and maintain a tight gap up and down the ice. I think Pisani’s playstyle will only gain appreciation at higher levels and I’m excited to see his career progression.

I have always been a huge fan of Pisani, and I thought he was at his best in this game. As his teammates continued to take bigger risks in the search for a goal, Pisani was the perfect clean up crew member to handle any potential counter attacks the other way. He is cool as a cucumber in dealing with the rush and stops numerous counters before they have a chance to get going by maintaining calm even when outnumbered, using his athleticism to jump routes, engaging early with his stick, and quickly getting the puck back in his team’s hands. He has an airy and light stride allowing him to handle quick direction changes and maintain a tight gap up and down the ice. I think Pisani’s playstyle will only gain appreciation at higher levels and I’m excited to see his career progression.