Fresh off a semi-final appearance in the OHL Cup, Timmerman was once again able to play a crucial role in his team’s performance en route to a semi-final appearance at this year’s 15O National Championship. His mobility, puck moving and defensive acumen allowed him to make an impact in all facets of the game. He uses his fluid and powerful skating stride to tighten gaps on opposing puck carriers and eliminate any time and space to make a play making him an effective rush defender. His intelligence and awareness out on the ice allows him to be just as efficient while defending away from the puck as he gets into passing lanes with his stick and effectively deters plays from the middle of the defensive zone. Not only does he provide a lot of value to the defensive side of the puck, his puck moving ability allows him to facilitate breakouts and zone entries for his team as he consistently showcased his excellent footwork and stick handling ability in unison to make his way around pressure and give himself time-and-space to assess his options up the ice. Despite only compiling 3 points in the 5 games, his smart decision-making, consistent execution with the puck and solid defensive zone play made him the most impactful defender at his tournament in our eyes.

The smooth skating and puck handling skills were once again put on display by Timmerman at this event, acting as a driver of zone exits and zone entries for his team when picking his moments to carry the puck up the ice. In his own end, I thought he proved to be a positionally sound defenseman with a solid defensive stick that allows him to keep plays to the perimeter and eliminate any high-danger looks for the other team. Another strength of his was his decision making as I found he was consistently able to make quick heads up plays under pressure whether that be evading pressure at the offensive blue line or making his way past forecheckers on the breakout. His well-rounded two-way game and strong puck moving skills make him a defenseman that can be relied upon in all situations.

Tony Timmerman is another defender in the class who leans more so towards the offensive side of things, willing to take risks to generate chances, flaunting high-end talent and ability in the process. An immediate element I notice with Timmerman’s game that I come back to time-and-time again is his shooting ability. He can absolutely rip the puck from all situations, making him a constant threat when working off the rush or in the offensive zone. He enjoys activating as the fourth man high on the rush, finding that quiet place high in the zone as he trails the play to catch a pass and wire a shot on goal. His release is lighting quick, and has some great adaptability to it, capable of pulling pucks around sticks and bodies to change the angle last second before picking his spot on the net. His reads working off teammates when moving the puck in the offensive zone create lots of ice for himself as he creates give-and-go plays, challenges the middle of the ice by jumping into coverage and beating opponents to space in the slot, giving him some great looks at times. Occasionally, Timmerman will fly too close to the sun and these give-and-go efforts may get picked off and the puck will go back the other way. At this level, he’s fast enough to turn around and dart back up ice to make up for it, but it is a habit of his that will have to be refined at the next level to assure these miscalculations don’t get the best of him. When playing 1-on-1 defense he is quick enough and strong on his feet to play a suffocating brand of coverage, primarily using his stick to poke away pucks and knock away pass attempts, I’d say his defensive game when he is in position is underrated, playing with a high degree of intensity and effort, badgering the puck carrier, and giving very little time and space for them to make a play. His playstyle and high-end talent make him another piece I think the NTDP could be very interested in considering the offensive production he may bring to the table. Through both his own shooting ability, along with the secondary chances he will generate as a result of the shot volumes he puts on net; he will certainly be in the discussion to be one of the leading offensive defenseman candidates come the spring.

Another highly talented Little Caesars blueline, and one of many to be of note in this piece, Tony Timmerman was an integral part of his teams’ offensive production. He did an excellent job at moving the puck and creating time and space for his teammates passing the puck around, making quick decisions, and pulling in checkers with evasive maneuvers, only to shoot off a pass last second to a teammate in a scoring area. When carrying the puck in transition he did a great job at building speed, attacking in a straight line, putting defenders on their heels and giving himself room to work with upon gaining the line with control. He showed off some wicked shooting ability both with zone play and off the rush, one of which he managed to wire a shot top corner after gaining the zone, curling and dragging the puck, and picking the corner, showing a tremendous release. In tight areas he did a great job adapting to pressure, making quick pivots and turns under pressure, slipping passes over to teammates after pulling in defenders, and overall playing a highly deceptive game with the puck. Putting all his skills together, he had a few instances of lethal end-to-end rushes, showing dynamic moves 1-on-1, pulling pucks through and around opponents and stringing together some excellent series of moves. Similar to teammate Kage Flory, there wasn’t many instances where whilst Timmerman was on the ice that Little Caesars was hemmed in defensively, not necessarily giving him the most reps to flash his defensive acumen, but in instances where he was responsible for denying play, he quickly got on puck carriers and was disciplined in his stick checks, knocking the puck away with relative ease and stifling play. As a whole, Timmerman was one of the top players on his team, and was a massive part in how Little Caesars was able to dominate offensively.

Continuing the trend of strong puck movers on the Navy Blue blue line, Timmerman was another strong two-way defenseman who’s smart heads up plays from the back end and anticipation in the defensive zone made him a large presence on the ice shift-after-shift. His reliability as a defender stood out early on in this camp whether it came from making high-percentage plays time-and time again to effectively get plays moving up the ice or consistently being the last man back on odd-man rushes coming back his way even when it meant having to hustle back. His strong puck moving ability came from a combination of good vision and mobility that allowed him to quickly change directions to get around pressure and make smart passes to open teammates where he often had to change the angle or contort his body to connect on plays. In his own end, he had a knack for anticipating opponent’s plays whether it was off the rush or during established possessions by the opposing team where he used an active defensive stick to block passes coming through the middle of the zone and his quickness to close out on opposing puck carriers. He played an integral role for his team on both sides of the rink and managed to come out of this camp with an impressive 5 points in four games.

Rounding things out, Tony Timmerman is another Minnesota-born defenseman who left the state to play hockey elsewhere. When watching the Little Caesars team, even on his quietest of games, Tony Timmerman usually finds a way to catch my eye via some crafty work in the offensive zone, ultimately resulting in a hard shot on net from the line, causing chaos in front, or on occasion, leading directly to a goal. I’ve said it before, Timmerman is one of the best shooting threats from the blueline within the class, and not simply low-kept wristers from the line; he can pick corners, read off his teammates well to creep into the high slot, and take genuine looks at the net with the intent to score. When joining the rush as a trailing piece, he plays with great straight-line speed, and isn’t afraid to get aggressive and drive the net assuming it’s the right time to do so. Even when he plays this bullish offensive brand of hockey, he has the speed and mobility to quickly backtrack and get back to where he needs to be in the event of a turnover. Sometimes, there are lapses in judgement, resulting in odd-man rushes, but for players of this ilk that is to be expected. His puck movement coupled with his skating, ability to change direction in a pinch, along with the vision he possesses makes him an excellent powerplay quarterback. Puck pursuers struggle to remain square to him as he walks the line as he shifts laterally so well, using backward crossovers and pivots to get around pressure. With more physical growth to become a sturdier defensive force in battles and in his own end, and doubling down on his power and separation speed, Timmerman may find himself climbing these ranks greatly over the course of next season.

The clear standout for Team Navy Blue in this goal fest was Tony Timmerman. Despite the constant pressure they were under I thought he had some solid defensive contributions, breaking up passes effectively with quick steps and reading their intentions. He continued to cut out passes effectively and read the intentions of Team Purple’s forwards well, turning play up ice quickly to attack on the counter. He pressured the puck quickly and used his stick well to wrap players up along the boards and either come away with the puck or delay things long enough for support to arrive. He was a smooth carrier of the puck and used agility well to spin away from pressure, carrying the puck up the ice and gaining entry to the offensive zone. He earned good shooting opportunities through his strong skating, bearing down quickly on the defense and taking space. He made a defensive play with a nice stick check, gathered the puck, and took it coast to coast beating his man along the boards before finishing with a short side snipe; an excellent display of individual skill.

The game in which Tony Timmerman played in this one is the exact type of game I feel like he needs to play going forward to find success and lean into his own unique playstyle. He showed an excellent ability at transporting the puck, not necessarily with just straight-line, breakneck speed, but some controlled strides up the ice, subtle changes to his pace and direction, all while handling the puck quickly, getting around bodies, and scanning the ice with his head up as he shot off a few passes to open teammates in motion. He scored the first goal of the game with a dominant end-to-end rush, dangling through a crowd of bodies with good speed at the neutral zone, and then splitting the defense, he walked in alone on the goalie and snapped one past the netminder. In the event he didn’t choose to carry the puck, he made a great first pass, often in the face of pressure, his calm demeanor and agile footwork allowed him to escape trying forecheckers and shoot off a firm pass up ice. In the offensive zone he continued to put together all his tools that make him so effective. Walking the line with confidence, going on a few skates around the perimeter, seeking out passing lanes, he activated appropriately, and did a nice job timing his moments of aggression. On the powerplay he arguably controlled the pace of play, challenging those dangerous areas himself as he danced around the man atop the zone, or quick give-and-go plays with his wingers; he was not afraid to push play and apply offensive pressure. An element of his game that I really appreciated, and ultimately had me assert him as one of, if not the best player in this game, was the deployment of strong physical tools. Landing the body, rubbing out puck carriers, angling off puck carriers in defensive transitions, ending plays with strong connections of the body. The combination of his mobility synced with this physical play made him great at shutting down play and squeezing off opponents.