It was a bit of a letdown for Mount St. Charles to go out in the group stages, but Luke Schairer flashed some ability of what sort of potential he possesses as a defenseman. With his great skating ability he navigated the ice very effectively and was able to get up ice in transition and lead the puck up into the attacking zone with his confident puck carrying ability. He held the offensive blue line well and was able to prolong attacks by pinching and preventing the puck from escaping the zone. His size and mobility make him formidable on the defensive side of things, quickly closing down puck carriers and engaging with the body when he could. These weren’t his best string of games, but he did show some enticing abilities that should allow him to develop into a very solid defenseman.

He was missing from the Florida Exposure Cup after his Youth Olympic Games triumph, but Luke Schairer was back on the Mount blue line and was once again an important part of their team’s success. The big bodied defenseman showed why he is effective at both ends of the ice during his team’s run to the finals. He stands tall at 6’3” but moves very well and opposing puck carriers continued to be caught off guard as he quickly closed them down with the combination of his long reach and quick footwork. He got his stick in passing lanes and was able to knock the puck off the sticks of opposing players and prevent passes from getting into high danger scoring areas. He was a physical presence that engaged well along the boards and prevented breakouts from beginning as he pinched and was able to get down low and turn his head towards the offense. He got a couple of strong shooting opportunities as he crept down low, but kept an eye out for any openings in the defense to be exploited by a key pass.

The first thing you notice about this 6’3 and 174 lbs defender is, well, he’s big. What makes Schairer so impressive is his ability to move around the ice as efficiently as he does for such a big and young player. He was pretty active in transition right from the opening draw, carrying the puck up ice with immense confidence and activating whenever he could. His impressive skating stride allowed him to gain separation from opposing defenders in the neutral zone and gain the blue line. He showed good offensive instincts off the rush as well, driving the middle of the ice so that the two defenders would converge on him before dropping a pass to a teammate who had plenty of space to operate in. He was quite aggressive at the offensive blueline as well, often gluing himself to the boards to thwart off the glass dump outs or pinching down low to neutralize any opposing breakout attempts along the half wall. Despite his tools being prevalent, I though the execution was a bit off today. He was forcing some of his outlet passes into traffic and sometimes over relied on his physical tools to get him out of danger in his own zone.

In my opinion, Luke was the most effective defender for my money throughout the game. He had a gorgeous assist early on as he drove the puck in deep and wide before passing behind his back into the slot area. He’s smart, big, mobile, and was using that lank and athletic stride to pass across his body in transition and make tougher outlets seem very easy. At the offensive line, he kept pucks in the zone and possession alive a few times along the boards too. While his game wasn’t completely filled with flash and flair, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t very effective with each interaction.

Schairer was my favorite defensemen throughout the duration of the game. The 6’2 170 lbs defender was a force in the neutral zone, breaking up plays from the opposition before they could materialize and transitioning pucks back towards the offensive zone. Schairer demonstrated great poise in his teams regroups in the neutral zone, exhibiting patience with the puck and dishing it to open areas where his teammates could easily retrieve it. I also really enjoyed Schairer’s breakout passes, although I thought there were times where he forced a few passes into traffic, most passes seemed to be connecting and really aided in kickstarting the offence for his club. His in-zone offensive abilities really shone in the third period, where he demonstrated good vision from the top of the blueline, making short area passes that created space for teammates on the man advantage.

A few nice attacking involvements from Luke Schairer were sprinkled in over a mostly underwhelming offensive performance from Purple. He got forward a few times and handled the puck well as he got into the slot and found himself some good shooting chances. He activated well from the point and was able to quickly sidestep players rushing to close him down, and he was quick to pass the puck when the pressure was going to smother him. I’ve liked what I have seen in my first few viewings of Schairer and I look forward to getting to watch more of him.

Luke Schairer stood out the most for me on Carolina in this one, and it started with the way he defended someone looking to drive at him along the outside. The way he swiveled his hips with ease to ensure the play stayed in front of him no matter which side of his body was being attacked was impressive. He jumped into the rush a few times and demonstrated his straight line speed as he quickly got into supporting positions. He manned the point on the powerplay and made some nice passes and intelligent decisions without giving the defense anything to pounce on. He timed his steps well from the back end and ensured he got the body when he went for it and did not allow his man to get in behind him with ease.