Admittedly, Luke Sinclair has been one of the more difficult players to evaluate this season. Considering his size, and mobility, it's easy to have high expectations for him, and in watching him you'd often find that he's a high paced player who can make a strong impact in transition. In spite of his nearly point-per-game rookie season, I still feel like there's more to come with Luke's game, especially at even strength. His success in transition is largely the product of his lengthy stride and valuable reach, but there are times when I crave a slightly quicker activation of both elements. He does a good job of remaining fluid in his positioning without the puck such that he can quickly engage and disengage as the conditions change. Especially at the Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown, I began to appreciate a lot of his effort in the defensive zone, which seemed to be an expansion of his game from earlier in the season. Really what it comes down to with Luke is that there are an assortment of really good elements to his game that, when they come together, can help him to be a real difference maker. I find if he can get the support of a chippy linemate, that continuity is often present, but otherwise there are just sequences of really good plays separated by lulls where the opposition can take over.

Luke Sinclair moved the puck quickly, accurately, and intelligently through and around the offensive zone for Team Nova Scotia, tallying an assist in the process. Thanks to his nifty hands and work in close, he’s able to fish pucks out of bodies and feet, this allowed him to direct a puck to the middle on a 5-on-3 powerplay, leading to Team Nova Scotia’s first goal. One of his prettier plays of the game was connecting on a perfectly timed backdoor pass to a dipping forward that created a glorious scoring chance. His edges, explosive step, and overall evasiveness were also of note, giving himself a bit of extra time and space to make plays through his shifty nature.

The leading scorer from the NS U15 Major AAA League last season has been off to a productive start in his rookie U18 season. With a generous reach and decent speed when he finds his crossovers in transition, Sinclair has the potential to really impact the transition game well. For a player like him who evidently loves to carry the puck, it will be critical that he continues to add strength so that he can resist the forcible defenders within the U18 circuit and above. It seems that he’s finding the value of his reach in an offensive sense, but I still find there are more opportunities for him to use it, and use it more effectively to drive to the middle of the ice. While playing without the puck I thought Sinclair did quite well to “breathe” with his team’s formation, staying available as an outlet regularly. Getting to the middle of the ice should be where he can deliver another level of offense, but he’ll need to work on that strength to do so.

I really began to appreciate Luke Sinclair’s transition game at this event. He’s a long skater with the ability to utilize the ends of his reach quickly and smoothly. I did find that at times his zone-entries could become a bit predictable, but when he decided to attack the middle he often found, and perhaps surprised himself, that he was entirely capable of finding good lanes and getting through. I think continuing to play with his head up and consider other options that he can utilize with his size will really benefit his game. At times I found that his stride wasn’t as long and powerful as it should’ve been. For such a big guy who moves well with the puck, I found that when given a lot of open ice, such as in instances to race for the puck, he shortened his stride and lost speed. I think he has much higher potential than what was shown in this particular event – his U15 production of 73 points in 33 games is perhaps an indication of what is still percolating.