It wasn't the best week for the Marlies, not advancing past the group stage after only winning one and tying two of their four games. Regardless of their team struggles, I still thought Cannon was stellar and the primary driver for the Marlies team. Transitions flowed through him, using his quickness to play an up-tempo game and push play up ice into the offensive third. Shift after shift, Thibodeau secured a puck in his defensive zone, exploded up ice, went untouched between the bluelines and guaranteed a clean, controlled zone entry. Within the offensive zone, he had some flashes of combining his quickness and handling to deceive defenders and win lanes to the net, registering one goal in my viewings with a nice move to his backhand to tuck around the goalie. Thibodeau was just buzzing all over the ice and was the energizer bunny for this Marlies squad, who had trouble generating offensive zone time.

Thibodeau was arguably the most dynamic player on Team Gray. Every time he had the puck in the offensive zone, you knew Gray was going to get a great scoring chance. In every game, only a handful of defensemen could match his exceptional skating. His sharp cuts combined with quick strides created a formidable and lethal combination. Whenever Team Gray scored a goal, there was a strong likelihood that Thibodeau played a key role in the play. Thibodeau’s main attribute in my opinion was his pure skill. His skill in the offensive zone was the best on his team allowing him to keep the puck at times when he would have two guys on him. He always managed to reach the center of the ice, whether through his physical presence or skillful maneuvers. His stick handling also helped in tight situations as when he was one on one with another player he very rarely lost the puck battle. I really liked that Thibodeau utilized his skill as well, he played to his strengths. Thibodeau is fully aware of his skills and typically chooses to challenge defenders directly rather than skating around them. This approach keeps opposing defensemen constantly guessing about his next move. His aggressive play often draws a second defender toward him, creating opportunities for his teammates by leaving them open in front of the net. Thibodeau ended up having five points in total, four of those being goals which lead his team.

Like many of the top players on these GTHL squads, I came away with a ton of notes on Cannon and could write a lengthy blurb on how he played. Cannon brought a non-stop, relentless motor that he leveraged to drive play up and down the ice and persistently pursue the puck. Thibodeau was flying through the neutral zone, gaining separation with his feet and sparking plenty of scoring chances all through his quickness. His handling and lateral mobility made it difficult for defenders to contain him in open ice, and Cannon constantly navigated his way around defenders, winning zone entries and advancing play into the dangerous areas. There were so many impressive moments where he blazed by defenders, winning lanes to the exterior and cutting in for grade-A chances that showcased Cannon's high-end ability. He connected on countless dangerous passes, always looking to create and scanning for passing lanes to slip pucks through to teammates on the interior. Evidently, it was a fantastic opening tournament for the Marlboros captain, and his performance was a key piece in why he debuted on my first list so high.

Thibodeau played with his usual pace and crafty handling to spark scoring chances all game long. He seemed to be able to create something out of nothing on a few occasions, beat a defender with a quick move, and get to the interior for quality shots. The playmaking layer in his game shined through, moving pucks to teammates in scoring positions countless times, making for just a well-rounded offensive performance showcasing his dual-threat passing and attack-the-scoring areas game.

Cannon processes the game at a high level. He usually was one step ahead of the play, adjusting his direction a second early to open himself up to receive transitional exit passes to generate a rush opportunity. Mixed with his exceptional speed, this meant he would blow past defenders unless they respected his speed. Otherwise, he would utilize lanes well, completing dangerous passes, either to transition through neutral or to set up linemates to create odd-man rushes. Cannon directed the play for his team, drew defenders onto himself, and then dished the puck to whoever was left open, or exploded up the middle to produce high-quality opportunities for himself, making himself the life force of his team's offense in this game.

A pair of goals from Cannon Thibodeau in the second half helped ensure their lead would not be squandered. He showed a little bit of everything in this one, crashing the net and winning races to loose pucks for good second chance opportunities. He used his speed and size very well to do what he pleased, getting to the inside by gaining a step and then pushing through the contact, he was able to get very good shooting chances from the slot using this method. If brute force didn’t work he was able to stick handle his way through traffic to get in tight on the goalie and fire quick shots from out front. He displayed excellent patience on one of his goals as the puck was fed out front to him all alone and he allowed the goalie to fly across the crease to cover the back post before simply pulling the puck back across the goal and passing it into the net. His composure, ability to create his own scoring chances, and variety of ways he was able to beat players was very impressive.

Thibodeau was the primary engine behind so much of what the Marlboros were creating. I really appreciated how he controlled the puck, as Cannon was incredibly assertive, constantly looking to use quick puck touches to maneuver around defenders and attack the middle of the ice. Thibodeau is a quick and agile skater who constantly used his feet and mobility to fly up and down the ice and gain separation from defenders. He scored a highlight-reel-worthy goal, showcasing this speed to take the puck wide, executing a toe drag to beat the defender to get to the middle and beat the netminder. These sequences happened all game long, showing that Thibodeau could combine his mobility and puck skills to create tons of space for himself and scoring chances. As with many of these players, it was evidently a terrific first impression, but I came away thinking Cannon was my favourite of the bunch and among my early favourites of the '09 class, but time will certainly tell as I up my sample of his game.

Thibodeau was the best player in this game for a plethora of reasons. His biggest positive in this game was his ability to create space for himself through his speed and stick-handling. It seemed like every time he had the puck he was going on the offensive creating chances for himself and teammates. His speed caught defenders off guard multiple times in this game. Thibodeau also had a beautiful assist in this game. He was on a three on one and acting like he was about to shoot the puck he swiftly passed it to his teammate who had an empty net because of Thibodeau’s deceptive playmaking. Thibodeau’s stick handling was excellent in this as well as it seemed like no defenseman on the opposing team could strip him of the puck. Thibodeau would end with a goal and an assist in this one in what was a great performance.

One half of a two-headed monster for Team Gray in this game alongside Caden Zasada, Thibodeau was able to flash some serious offensive skill in this one that set him apart from most players. His hands and size combination allowed him to consistently get off the half wall in the offensive zone, even demonstrating the ability to get pucks through multiple defenders and either attack to the net or dish off to a teammate. Where Thibodeau was really able to thrive was attacking defenders in one on one situations and leveraging his skill to make quick dekes at high speeds to get around defenders. There were multiple teams where he was able to tap a puck through a defender and break in alone for a chance. He would also use defenders as a screen at times, showing off a really strong pull and drag technique which allowed him to open up a shooting lane at the last second and get pucks through bodies while in motion. He scored the game’s second goal of the game by driving the net on a two on one and depositing a rebound into the open net.