Cygan is a player who relied heavily on his skating ability to not only overcome his below-average frame but to consistently impact the game in a positive manner. He was winning tons of races to loose pucks thanks in large part to his quick acceleration and foot speed which helped him generate plenty of puck touches for himself throughout the tournament. He utilized this explosiveness quite effectively below the goal line as well, using a series of quick cuts and changes of direction to rid himself of pressure, extend his touches and create space for himself to execute passes to the middle of the ice. He was one of the more effective Reapers forwards in transition as well, combining his quickness with solid puck-handling ability that allowed him to handle the puck at his top speed as he navigated through the neutral zone, attack the middle of the ice and utilize hints of manipulation to open up lanes to thread pucks through while in motion. He earned himself a few good looks off-puck in transition as well by driving open space to make himself a passing option, catching a pass in stride without losing his speed and gaining a step on a defender before making a hard dash in tight.

A very agile forward who displays excellent maneuverability as a puck handler, using his edgework to slice his way through tight areas and quickly escape from heavy pressure situations. The diminutive forward uses his smaller stature and fluid skating stride to be an exceptionally slippery player in the offensive zone, creating almost instant separation from opponents while also proving to have the creative passing ability to find ways to deliver passes through traffic to set up teammates for quality scoring chances. Although I find that the off-puck play could use some refining to round out his game a bit more, there’s no denying the dynamism he brings to the table with the puck on his stick.

Another player with a high motor for Team Orange, combining a high level of skill to go with it; Jonathan Cygan. Cygan was one of the better playmakers his team saw in action, making great plays from the outside via pulling in defenders, utilizing quick hands and feet to corral pucks and get around his nearby man before sending passes through feet and sticks to set up teammates in the slot, and or across the ice. If needed, he showed the ability to defer to the simple play, but his willingness to threaten the slot, and patience when pressured as he lured defenders from their assignments showed a high level of creativity and offensive awareness. His quickness coming from a standstill made him effective working from below the goal line, retrieving pucks from battles, he could quickly walk out from behind the net and before defenders could get back to their post Cygan was able to thread centering passes through-and-to the low slot. There were a few instances where he showed off his shooting ability to go with his passing skills, he can fire a quick shot off his stick coming out of a series of delicate puck handles, owning a deceptive release, with a bit greater accuracy, along with deferral to shooting, he could’ve found the net a couple of times without a doubt.

Jonathan Cygan played a full 200-foot game and brought the intensity and effort needed to make things happen every shift in a championship game like this one. He was of greatest note to me when I saw him on strong backchecking efforts, hustling around bodies in pursuit of catching the puck carrier. Upon getting in striking distance, he was able to land some strong stick lifts from behind and quickly turn back up ice on the counterattack. There were a handful of excellent backchecking efforts from Cygan, his speed away from the puck matched his speed when his team had the puck, showing no change in demeanour of effort – a consistent competitor regardless of the score or circumstance. His work away from the puck ultimately put him in position to succeed on the offensive side of things. He had some good shooting looks, displaying a quick release through crowds. His best look came on the forecheck, as a teammate won a puck high in the zone, Cygan was making his way back up ice until he got a pass near the goalmouth and make a steep move across the paint that nearly found it’s way past the goaltender. An admirable game from Cygan for certain in this final tilt.

Early in the game it was clear Jonathan Cygan came to play, setting up great chances between himself and Alexander Milojevic on the opening few shifts, once again showing off his high-end vision and flash required to get pucks to the slot. Working out of the corners with great speed and acceleration, he got the jump on standstill defenders caught puck-watching. He tallied an assist on the 1-1 goal, chipping a puck to Alexander Milojevic. Although not a perfect pass, it was an indicator of his ability to make-do despite it not being a perfect play. As the game wore on, he continued to show off excellent evasiveness, he did an incredible job at pulling pucks around bodies, working on his backhand, spinning, cutting, and turning, he created so much space for others, along with was able to keep plays alive much longer than he should’ve been able to thanks to the agility he owns. An element of his game I appreciated very much was the daringness to attempt passes through tight spaces that many players would look off, connecting on a few, it was a testament to his playmaking ability. Cygan almost found the back of the net to add to his point total, ringing a shot off the post.

Jonathan Cygan was one of the top players on this Team Orange roster, playing with great speed, skills, and creativity, he was the primary play driver, and when things got tough for Team Orange, he continually played with a high degree of effort, and continued to make things happen. He was very effective along the perimeter with the puck, zipping around the ice, dancing around opponents with fluid footwork, he opened some solid passing lanes through the slot, connecting on passes made with his head up. Early in the game it was evident he’s a quick player, getting the better of defenders on a few rush chances stringing together some quick crossovers towards the middle, he had generated some nice-looking lanes for himself through pure speed and some nice hands. He got a breakaway chance for himself via pressuring a defender high in the zone who bobbled the puck, pulled away from his man and made a quick move in tight attempting to go high on the goalie. 1-on-1 he made some great moves on defenders, slipping pucks through them to create partial odd-man rushes, he did a nice job at beating his man and being quick to send a pass across the ice to a teammate in scoring area.