The Hill defence group was the key standouts in this game, and Jaravata was a big part of that reason. As always, I really liked the mobility from Brayden. He’s incredibly strong through his turns, generating tons of power and moving around the ice effortlessly. Jaravata can cover turns of ice with a few powerful strides, can shift direction so easily, and his footwork is always at the core of his success. It helped play an aggressive and assertive style, escaping forecheckers  and enabled him to be aggressive defensively, shadowing attackers coming his way. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Brayden since the get go of my 2010 views, and he’s well established himself as a player on my radar, earning an HM on my initial OHL Draft list.

In a game where his squad struggled to break out of their end at times, Brayden was one of the primary catalysts out of the back-end for this Hill squad. He showed flashes of that confidence and mobility combination that I’ve raved about in earlier evaluations of him, having all the tools necessary to evade forecheckers and keep play flowing up ice. It was just a few sequences throughout the game, but it reminded me of what he’s capable of, using slick puck touches and shifty lateral footwork to create space.

Jaravata was one of the more active defenders on the ice, constantly playing that rover style in all three zones. Whether it was covering gaps defensively, jumping passes, pushing play forward, or creeping in from the point, Brayden was always in motion. His mobility was the core of his success, giving him all the tools to evade pressure and play that confident style of defender. I thought he displayed a bit more offensive ambition in this game relative to past viewings, creeping in more and just looking to assert himself a bit more, which was great to see.

Jaravata was one of two defenders I was really impressed with on the SCTA side, and I mainly noticed him for his confidence and desire to play with the puck and make plays. He never seemed to panic under pressure, and whenever he had the puck was always looking to make a play under control, even if he had to escape an oncoming forechecker. Through his mobility and his puck skills, Jaravata successfully navigated his way out of danger and found a way to keep play flowing up ice with control. There was just a combination of confidence, skating, and a puck-possession mindset that all blended together to make for a solid performance.

Like Janeiro, I noticed the activity and confidence in Brayden's game. Especially in the offensive zone, Jaravata was constantly looking to involve himself in the attack, rotating around the zone and trying to make something happen offensively. His mobility was the focal point of all of this, as he could easily cover tons of ice with his skating, allowing him to always be at the center of the play.