Joey Cullen was one of the more impressive players I was able to view at this event, he was the heartbeat of the Minnesota offense and was completely in command of the run of play when he was on the ice. He was extremely sharp on his edges and easily dodged aggressive defenders looking to take the puck off his stick by making a swift move to the inside or outside and maintain control. He read the defense extremely well and was able to pick apart the opposition in a methodical manner, using the threat of a shot to open up passing lanes or eagerly taking the space they were giving to him and driving hard to the net. He was very fluid in his play and took whatever was given to him, he didn’t force plays and circled around the zone with the puck on his stick looking for openings to exploit. He made quick one-touch passes when he felt pressure around him and then quickly moved into space as he looked to get shooting opportunities. He earned a number of good shooting chances through his off the puck movement as well as his ability to wind his way through the defense, and he did well to convert on those chances as he tallied six goals. Defensively he was very effective as well, he applied great pressure to the puck carrier and engaged physically in puck battles where he dislodged the puck and either came away with it or slowed up the offense enough to allow his team to settle into their defensive positions. He seemed to contribute to his team’s success in every facet of the game and gave you the feeling that something was going to happen every time he stepped on the ice, Joey Cullen was a true catalyst out there.