Strengths: Hockey IQ, Detailed efficiency
Development Opportunities: Size and strength, Scoring aggression

There are players that I lovingly refer to as “Captain B+” which means that while they might not have one standout ability that they lean on for success, they work hard to be a well-rounded and smart player who should continue to get better with added size and strength. I feel like Cole’s game reminds me a lot of someone like Ryker Evans who took a bit of extra time to really break through the noise and show that his attention to details can shine in the long term. Cole is a detailed defender, stays on his edges, anticipates play very effectively, and cycles the puck well from D to D to breakout transitions. I think as he adds that extra bit of size and strength I’d like to see him rush the puck a bit more and attempt to break through some layers by himself.

I don’t always get to talking about someone like Cole Krebs since the depth of their Dcore is so strong but Cole Krebs had a really strong event for NAX. This tournament was a great assessment for sizing up the potential second and third round picks in my mind and Cole was able to gap up and match speeds defensively with each of them honestly. I thought he battled hard along the boards well, held the neutral zone defensively in key moments, and when was able to step into offensive situations he can drag and shoot off the rush into the interior of the ice. He’s so smooth on his edges and can push into the zone as a trailer too; adapting to the situation and complimenting as that second wave of offense if needed. His skating allowed him to cut away from pressure down low a number of times and make those punch turns with power. I can certainly see him evolving into a top-4 WHL defender down the road.