When I watch Adam Halat play, I don’t necessarily see the most uber-talented puck handling offensive threat – yet he manages to drive results and that’s all that really matters. Great vision and patience with the puck, he set up so many scoring opportunities for teammates through the middle off the rush. Aware of the trailing man and those backdoor, he pulled in opponents, waited the extra second to let everything slide into place, and snapped pucks off to teammates in open ice often. Early in the game when Team Canada 1 was getting smothered by Team USA 3, and down big on the scoresheet, Halat was one of few who kept his feet moving, kept his energy up, and it ultimately helped get his team back in the game. In transition he was arguably one of a handful of skaters who managed to get through traffic, with great speed, footwork, and hands, he could slide around checkers and quickly transition from crossovers to linear skating and vice-versa, making him shifty, unpredictable, and explosive. I’m not entirely sure how many points he eclipsed, but I know he tallied an assist on his team’s fifth goal, sending a perfectly timed pass to Lincoln Edwards nearby to the net.

Adam Halat is our final standout from this one, creating plenty of different chances via different offensive opportunities. He had a partial breakaway early in the game, slipping between two defenders with great speed, he saw a lane and took it and was able to get between the two defensemen before they were able to converge. His strong forward stride and crossover ability really allowed him to generate a few chances like this in different situations thanks to a strong first step and explosive nature to it all. In transition he was able to go wide on opposition, getting deep into the offensive zone and funnel pucks to the middle or along the perimeter to begin the offensive cycle, nothing particularly flashy, but consistent in gaining the zone and establishing offensive pressure. One of his better plays came as a result of a no-look centering pass around the goal crease, creating all sorts of chaos in front for a beautiful scoring chance that didn’t convert.