With Bennett, I've always been impressed with his sheer technical ability, his handling and maneuverability to weave in and out of defenders, and that was again the case in my views of the Titans over the Silver Stick. Brayden can change direction seamlessly, all while moving at top speed and handling the puck effectively. He was constantly relying on his elite puck skills to dodge defenders, protect the puck, and create scoring chances, constantly attacking toward the middle lane for quality shots on target. Bennett showed a nice passing layer to his game over the Silver Stick, which was nice to see more of to go along with the raw skill and shooting ability I've talked about previously. He only found the back of the net once in my views, pulling the puck off the faceoff and rifling one from a bad angle past the netminder. While he may not get the limelight that the top line trio gets at times, I've always been impressed with Brayden's game and remain optimistic of what he can develop into.

Beyond the top line of forwards on the Titans, there were quite a few standouts on this very strong team, but Bennett rose above them all. I was really impressed with Bennett's physical tools. His ability to handle the puck in motion, quickly change direction, and be deceptive all within his frame is especially noteworthy. It just always seemed like no matter what problem he needed to solve his way out of, he had all the tools at his disposal to maneuver in any direction required. Similarly, his ability to unleash powerful shots off with a quick release, even while in motion, was another impressive tool in his toolbox. Brayden had no shortage of chances and connected on many impressive passes, but I was most impressed with the "how" behind it all in how he used his physical tools. I just came away thinking he's someone I can see getting better and better over the next few seasons, so I'll be really curious to see how he looks come year-end.

Brayden Bennett appears to be another forward within these 2009-born North American crop of skaters who early on has demonstrated some sound power forward skills that provides great value to himself and his teammates. He plays good straight-line hockey with speed, can dart up the ice with great power, get the step on opponents, and create brief moments of partial odd-man breaks, in which defenders struggle to slow down thanks to his long reach, stride, and soft pucks handles used to navigate sticks and bodies when necessary. On many occasions I saw him force defenders to collapse and give up the line, and then followed that up with aggressive moves to the middle of the ice, dropping the shoulder, and attempts to pull the puck across the crease with speed around the goaltender in tight. On top of this wicked power and speed, his ability to control it, stop up quickly, pivot and maneuver, made him quite evasive using his inside and outside edges, shifting his weight with speed, and adding an element of mulitdirectional play to his game. With all this space created via his size and speed, he was able to set teammates up consistently around the high slot, along with fed some pucks low around the crease, and got plenty of good looks himself, really leaning into his shot to pop heavy wristers on goal.

Bennett didn't create much offence in this one, but I just noted him repeatedly exploding up ice and carrying pucks through the neutral zone without any risk of being contained. He could weave in and out checks effortlessly, transitioning pucks with control and securely getting his line into the offensive zone. The skating package has always been a key part of my assessment of Brayden's tools, and it was just nice to see him apply those abilities well in this one to dominate down the middle of the ice.

I thought Brayden was the Titans' best player in this game. His technical skills were on full display, weaving in and out of checks, combining evasive lateral skating and swift puck touches. He had a few notable sequences, carrying pucks end to end, dodging everything in his path to enter the zone with control and then sparking a scoring chance. He didn't find the scoresheet, but in a game that was tightly checked, he consistently used his tools to create advantages, making him the first star.

I was vaguely familiar with Brayden's game, having seen him play up with the U16 JRC squad earlier this season, and I was impressed with what I saw, so I was curious to see how he'd perform against his peers. Over the Silver Stick, I was impressed with Brayden's combination of patience and puck skills, which he merged to drive positive results for the Canadiens. Brayden was incredibly calm with the puck on his stick, never panicked under pressure, and could always find a way out of a tricky situation. He mainly escaped a defender through his quick hands, using slick dekes to deceive defenders and keep seamless control. His ability to execute these high-end puck skills while moving at top speeds and while shifting laterally made it all even more difficult to contain him and impressive from an evaluation standout. Brayden used all of these tools to control the play successfully, advance the puck toward the net, and create plenty of dangerous chances, making for a solid showing over the weekend.