Against NAX, you could see him using that vision, long stick, and his deceptive speed to push into space against the quality defenders. He has that ability to know when to delay along the wall for players to drive the net so that he defensemen have to choose, and the ability to adjust once he adapts to their decisions. He can dip low when wide open on a centering pass and he hit the mask or the crossbar or something really heavy. Honestly, I think it was a really good showing for him. He did not play the full event though due to injury.

Olivero had a huge tournament for the Northstars, finishing second in the tournament with eight goals in six games. He’s already so developed both physically and in his understanding of how best to attack a defensive structure. His play is dynamic and creative, with his head always up and scanning for openings, constantly probing defensive structures, identifying weaknesses. He is really tough to push off the puck, using his sturdy frame to buy time, let the play develop, and wear down defences. He consistently attracts attention when he has possession, drawing eyes before working against the grain, threading passes under sticks to find open teammates. He has really enhanced touch and feel for the puck, maintaining control and precision at high speed. I think it’s clear that Oliverio is one of the more developed forwards in this age group and I am curious about how much more runway is available in his game. I want to continue to see him round out his play in all three zones and take over games on a more consistent basis.

Ben was a strong player for Edge Hockey School last season and has now decided to play in the AEHL for the Calgary Northstars. The powerful forward has 8 points in 4 games to begin the year. In my couple viewings so far, Ben builds a lot of power through his motions which means that his strides come with a lower center of gravity and he retains that power as a puck handler along the edges when circling, gliding, and protecting wide. He’s often focused on looking to give himself extra time before feeding the slot. His points in the games I saw came from crashing the net, making sure he beat defenders on the backside to the open lanes, and doing little things to win puck races and battles off entries down low. He’s listed at 5’9 and 165 lbs so you can understand why his strength and aggression would be a strong quality for him at this point. It is that combination of intellect, protection, and pacing which leads him to succeed. Honestly, I thought he was effortlessly winning puck battles down low early in the game against Sherwood Park. The thing I like about him is that his processing, puck control, and creativity is all strong when he’s accelerating or being aggressive. I love that.

Ben was a strong player for Edge Hockey School last season and has now decided to play in the AEHL for the Calgary Northstars. The powerful forward has 8 points in 4 games to begin the year. In my couple viewings so far, Ben builds a lot of power through his motions which means that his strides come with a lower center of gravity and he retains that power as a puck handler along the edges when circling, gliding, and protecting wide. He’s often focused on looking to give himself extra time before feeding the slot. His points in the games I saw came from crashing the net, making sure he beat defenders on the backside to the open lanes, and doing little things to win puck races and battles off entries down low. He’s listed at 5’9 and 165 lbs so you can understand why his strength and aggression would be a strong quality for him at this point. It is that combination of intellect, protection, and pacing which leads him to succeed. Honestly, I thought he was effortlessly winning puck battles down low early in the game against Sherwood Park. The thing I like about him is that his processing, puck control, and creativity is all strong when he’s accelerating or being aggressive. I love that.