Blyth has impressed most games I've watched the Express, but I felt he played a bit better over the Silver Stick. I thought he used his physical tools well, mainly his reach, to protect the puck to the outside and create from exterior positions. Whether it was off the rush or the cycle, Brayden had many sequences of maintaining possession on the outside of the offensive zone and finding ways to create passing lanes to move pucks to teammates in the center lane. He had some scoring chances of his own, including one impressive goal where he picked the short side top corner, but this theme of using his frame to protect the puck to then create as a passer was my key takeaway.

I thought Blyth used his physical tools to his advantage well over my viewings of YSE throughout the Toronto Titans Tournament. He used his frame and reach to protect the puck from defenders, and he frequently attacked the net relying on these tools. Blyth showed to be an explosive skater who could drive and penetrate for high-quality chances, relying on this combination of powerful skating and puck protection style. There were some nice sequences where he controlled play down low, still relying on these same tools to spin off pressure and then move pucks to teammates in the scoring areas. I've seen Blyth a handful of times in U15, but it was nice to see him shine now that the OHL Draft season is officially underway.

Being my first viewing of Brayden I was unsure if we would live up to what I had heard. Well, he did. Brayden displayed an ability to maintain puck possession, by utilizing his reach to orbit around defenders, keeping his body between the puck and anyone looking to strip him of it. He also excelled with his pivots to quickly change direction when defenders were able to close in on him, which allowed him to adjust his positioning to open up passing lanes when he was pinned down. Add in some deception, solid skating, and a powerful shot, Brayden was impactful at leading the Express’ offensive possession against a Huron-Perth team that can be difficult to keep constrained in their zone.