Getting to the end of the top names for Fox Motors at the Tier 1 MAHA Showcase, Mitchell Mars was up there with Dane Fink as the top player for his team. He brought an element of dynamic paly driving to the lineup, weaving through crowds with speed, making quick cuts and turns thanks to strong edges and agility. The lateral power with the puck as he built speed with crossovers, worked around opponents, and made some quick moves around defenders to eek closer to the slot really helped add a jolt of energy, and pace to his team’s attack. He appeared to be the trigger man on a lot of plays despite his playmaking prowess, with quick passing schemes, jumping into ice; he managed to whip a couple high-quality shots at the net, catching the iron a couple times throughout the showcase. When high-danger opportunities arose for himself and his team, he was one of the players who was consistently able to make the most of them and execute. On 2-on-1’s and similar odd-man rushes he was able to thread passes cross-ice to teammates, setting up good looks, whilst remaining deceptive and freezing defenders in the process with some crafty fake shots and pump moves. As a whole, Mitchell Mars, and the Fox Motor team as a whole put a competitive series of games that were high in effort and energy.

Mitchell has the ability to knock pucks out of the air, power his way into the slot and really challenge defenders ide and to the inside due to his strength. He moves very athletically with power and balance and it can lead to heavy snapshots on net while he dips and flexes into his releases. Throw in some really nice backhanded shots and his ability to be patient in scoring areas and he’s a curious one moving forward. I liked the mixture of his game but wanted to see a bit more involvement in all of the plays in these games. Still a great player to continue to keep an eye on.

I didn’t see too much on Fox Motors to warrant multiple standouts, although there were a few players on my shortlist; Mitchell Mars is the lone standout for his squad and was able to be one of the best playmakers, along with scoring threats simultaneously for his team. In Fox Motors games I found they elected to play a simple systematic offensive game of dump the puck, forecheck, and hope to create off of turnovers, which does work, but Mars was able to create offense off the rush with great speed and dynamism. Unafraid to challenge defenders head-on, he created partial breaks and odd man rushes for his team stringing together impressive moves at speeds whilst changing direction and having all things click at once. He could single handily prolong offensive possessions for his team by spinning off checks deep in the offensive zone, slipping passes from low-to-high, and creating space for his defenders to work with high in the zone. On top of his offensive flare, I was a big fan of the physical tenacity and aggressiveness he played with. Not the largest player, but he finished his checks, forced turnovers as a result, and didn’t take it easy on anyone.

While he did find himself in the box for a roughing minor, he was able to show his athleticism to powerfully stride up ice and pressure defenders quickly. With that balance and power comes the ability to dip lower in stride and adjust the power and angle of his releases. He can also drive into the tougher areas of the ice along the boards or into the slot. He batted a puck in the slot and got rewarded for that effort with a goal.