Flory quickly established himself as one of the more dynamic skaters on this Little Caesars roster with his assertive play style and excellent puck carrying skills that saw him make an impact in all three zones. His impressive skating abilities are what lead to a lot of his success on the ice, using quick bursts of speed to drive around defenders, swift footwork to escape tight spaces and smooth lateral movements to effectively defend the rush. He’s able to track opponents quite well on the defensive side of things, keeping a tight gap on his opponents but he also does a good job at getting his sticks into passing lanes and then activating up into the play in transition opportunities. His determination to funnel plays to the dangerous areas of the OZ with the puck on his stick generate a lot of chances for his team whether it be threading passes to teammates in the slot or using his snappy release to create second-chance opportunities near the blue paint. Flory’s overall skillset and performance at this year’s Silver Stick make him a player I’m excited to continue to watch throughout the season.

Making the jump from the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program to join this years’ bolstered Little Caesars 15O AAA team, Kage Flory is another defender who likes to push the pace of play, try some adventurous maneuvers, and will pull you out of your seat on occasion with some dazzling moves that help forward the puck up ice and into the back of the net. I’d wager he’s one of the most thoughtful and intelligent puck handling blueliners in the class, and despite having that offensive instinct to go, go, go – he doesn’t always let that get the best of him and he will slow things down, recalibrate, and readjust to what he sees in front of him. He has no issues with cycling the puck amongst his teammates for prolonged periods of time, snapping off quick passes to open teammates, slipping into ice deeper into the offensive zone to make himself an option in a scoring area, only to rotate back up high with another teammate if the look isn’t quite there. He’s very patient in his offensive endeavours and helps his team hem in opponents for prolonged periods of time in the offensive zone as a result. I think where he truly separates himself from others in the class is through his skating ability in transition. He’s one of the top blueline-to-blueline puck carrying threats out of the defenders in the class, has some great senses and reads, and can adapt to play and make decisions at high speeds. He puts defenders on their heels as he gains the zone with speed, makes moves towards the middle of the ice with quick and powerful crossovers, pulling the puck out of reach of defenders in the process, and hooking or slipping passes towards the goalmouth to darting teammates. When his feet are moving and he’s making reads at a high level, it doesn’t take much for Flory to make a team pay for a slight hiccup in coverage through the neutral zone, as he builds speed so fast, can change direction in a pinch, and is overwhelming quick in his decisions once he sees an option. Away from the puck I’ve seen Flory get a bit overwhelmed physically, somewhat slight in his frame, it’s something he’ll have to work on as he looks to make a jump to the major-junior level next season. Regardless, Flory is another one of the more offensively inclined blueliners that USA Hockey should take a good look at when selecting the NTDP for next season.

Another new addition to this Little Caesars squad, blueliner Kage Flory is another key piece that will help this program contend for a national championship later in the spring of 2025. Regarding how Flory played in the showcase, I would have it described as all gas, no brakes. He was one of the leading catalysts on his team, not just the blueline, at skating with the puck, making plays with speed in transition, along with generating offence off the rush upon gaining the zone. High-end creativity saw him threading passes through crowds, executing flashy dekes in step, and creating plenty of time and space with evasive maneuvers, possible due to some terrific 4-way agility along with edge work. In the offensive zone he read the play very well to pinch from the line to keep play alive, and or sift into open ice into a shooting lane, giving him the opportunity to show off some of his shooting talents, mostly in the form of a quick wrister that has some nice zip to it from range. He wasn’t afraid to go on some skates with the puck himself around the zone, threatening the middle of the ice with speed, along with some centering efforts that managed to connect on a few attempts. There weren’t too many examples regarding defensive involvement I saw from Flory, more so due to the fact the puck was seemingly always possessed by Caesars when he was on the ice, but due to his speed he was able to take away ice quickly, gap-up on puck carriers as he transitioned back on defense, eventually landing a few quick stick checks to neutralize the situation.

Flory was a force in the offensive zone as he led all Gray defenseman in points with four in four games. While Flory was a little quiet in the first game he seemed to get better with each passing game. One thing I noticed right away with Flory was his great skating, which allowed for clean exits and great counter attacks, an area where he really excelled. His strong skating also allowed him to get the puck out easily and gain the offensive zone. Once he was in the ozone he was great at the blue line holding his ground and shooting for sticks in front of the net. He is on the smaller side but he is not afraid to go to the corners and battle it out in his own zone. Overall I liked what I saw from Flory in this tournament, his offensive flash and skating were on full display.

Kage Flory was one of the best players in this event from what I can tell, debuting at 32 on our 2009-born American rankings as a result – his offensive gifts, hockey IQ, and skating ability enabled him to drive play from the blueline time-and-time again. He read the game so well handling the puck in the offensive zone, bouncing passes off teammates with give-and-go plays from the perimeter in an effort to attack the middle, quick reaction and decision making allowed him to process the game at a high level while simultaneously showing off impressive edgework and agility to evade sticks. From the backend he was more than willing to activate, join the rush, and even carry the puck, with great speed, puck handling, and pace he was able to form plenty of counters after denying zone entries and had the gall to attack defenders 1-on-1 to create some space. The majority of his impressive performance revolved around his work with the puck, delays, pauses, quick dekes synced in with some fancy footwork, made him very hard to contain and get a hold of across all 3 zones, allowing his team to be dominant in possession whilst he was on the ice.

Flory was up to his usual tactics in this game using his exceptional puck skills and mobility to spearhead plays in transition whether that was breaking cleanly out of his own end or gaining the offensive blue line to set up possessions for his team. His individual rushes up the ice seem so effortless as he’s able to change his angle of attack without missing a beat allowing him to weave through opponents in the neutral zone and challenge opposing defenders with pace. He managed to get some quality shot attempts off the rush but there were a few instances where I hoped that he would have held onto the puck a bit longer and use his legs to extend plays inside the offensive zone like I had seen out of him in some of my previous viewings.

While I don’t think this was Flory’s most efficient game, having it be my first time watching him the tools he possesses definitely stood out to me on a shift-to-shift basis. Flory was flashing some strong puck-carrying skills as a defender, demonstrating the ability to skate the puck out of danger and work his way through the neutral zone. In the offensive zone he was constantly looking to keep the puck in down low, using his quick footwork to beat wingers to the puck and extend possession time for his team. This hyperactive pinching along the boards did lead to some odd man rushes for the other team, but overall, I thought it was a positive impact from Flory in this one.