The volume of high quality scoring chances that came off LoSauro’s stick are what I thought put him in a tier above the rest at this event. He was able to singlehandedly control and extend possessions in the offensive zone whether it was with his legs around the perimeter, picking up speed quickly and having the footwork to change directions on a dime while maintaining his speed and puck control to create separation or maneuvering his way through traffic to attack the slot where he was showed on several occasions, his ability to effectively get through crowds with finesse and quick stick work. To complement his puck possession skills, he was also a strong playmaker who seemed to be consistently creating dangerous chances from around the net with impressive cross-slot or cross-crease feeds to open teammates even if it meant having to change his angle of attack to fit pucks through sticks and bodies. When everything was clicking for LoSauro, he was able to shift the momentum of play his team’s way almost every time he stepped onto the ice and touched the puck.

LoSauro was a dominant puck possession player for the Americans in this contest. There were multiple shifts where he held on to the puck on the perimeter of the offensive zone and continued to circle around and avoid stick checks until he saw an option that he liked which led to some of the best sequences of extended offensive zone pressure and quality scoring chances for his team. He was able to set up some dangerous chances around the net with cross-seam passes from below the circles along with confident puck handling and sharp footwork that allowed him to weave through crowds so fluidly en route to the middle of the ice. I found he was just as efficient in transition, setting up a breakaway with an accurate stretch from his own zone and using a combination of sharp cuts and turns to avoid pressure while keeping his speed up the ice as a puck carrier.

William Losauro’s bread-and-butter in this game consisted of strong skating with the puck, using a long series of strides, he was difficult to slow down and really created separation from back checkers on a few rushes. He was consistently able to step off the wall as he trekked down the wing off the rush, into the slot, and even was able to pull pucks across his body and slip in close to the net. He had one effort that was nearly a highlight-reel goal, where with excellent speed got wide on his man and pulled the puck across his body and nearly wrapped it far-side on the goaltender. Although denied here, he did score the 4-0 goal by settling a bouncing puck, flipping to his forehand, and firing it past the goaltender. The large frame mixed with the quick feet and great puck handling dexterity made him a dangerous force once he got close to the net.

All you need to know about LoSauro in this game is that after his first two puck touches, he had already picked up his first two assists of the evening. He was in a league of his own in terms of skill and dynamism, executing difficult plays every time he stepped on the ice and tilting the ice in the Americans favour in the process. He’s an incredibly slippery player along the perimeter, using quick moves with his hands or his feet to escape pressure to extend his puck touches and make cross-ice passes for dangerous chances. LoSauro was equally dangerous off the rush, using a series of pull throughs or toe drags to make fools of defenders in one on one situations to consistently get himself into dangerous areas of the ice where he could get shots off from in tight or draw pressure towards him and dish to an open teammate.