I've always known Zurawski to be a lethal shooter, but in this game, I saw more and more playmaking from him. Especially off the rush, he was scanning for options, frequently spotting teammates right after a controlled zone entry. In the offensive zone, he connected on a handful of passes across ice through traffic, gifting scoring chances for those around him. In past viewings, I've certainly felt Cole could explore options at times, scanning for passing opportunities before committing to a low-danger shot, so this strong playmaking viewing was excellent to see. Cole created two rebound goals for the Rebels, one off a powerplay shot from the exterior and the other a slick move under a defender's stick that won him the lane to the net that he attacked, sparking a scramble that McGuckin potted home.

Zurawski was the finisher and triggerman on the dominant line with Mbuyi and Valentini. He was always looking to find open space for passes, and when he caught passes in dangerous areas, he quickly fired it on net. Cole notched two goals through these sequences, scoring from considerable distances off quick catch and release sequences off passes from Mbuyi. Zurawski had a few impressive passes, spotting open teammates in scoring positions, but it was his ability to find open space combined with his shooting talent that was the key element throughout the game.

Zurawski was the leading force on the Rebels, sparking so much of their offence. He did a great job controlling the play through the neutral zone and attacking off the rush. On almost every sequence, Cole looked to enter the offensive zone with control, cut to the middle, and fire from a prime shooting lane. His hands enable him in these moments, allowing him to evade defenders' sticks and quickly drag and release in the blink of an eye. His shooting ability is also noteworthy, as he generates tremendous power off these drag-and-release chances. Outside of these rush sequences, I noted Cole breaking up a handful of plays in the neutral zone and winning back possession for the Rebels.

Zurawski is the one player who really "surprised" me over the Silver Stick and other views in November. He was on my radar exiting the Toronto Titans Tournament, but I never would have thought he was a first-round challenger, but that's what he proved over my more recent viewings. With Cole, what stood out was his crafty and slick puck touches. He constantly found a way to escape pressure with a quick, calculated puck touch and navigate to safety. With these on-puck skills, Zurawski advanced play and accessed the dangerous parts of the ice all weekend long. Cole is a quick and explosive skater, with his puck skills being quite the handful for opposing defenders. He beat defenders wide on a handful of sequences by using his speed to gain separation. Zurawski scored one of my favourite goals of the weekend, entering the zone with a full head of steam, dragging to the middle, and ripping a shot to beat the Eastern Ontario Wild netminder with time expiring and earning the Rebels the win.

Zurawski was the most impressive performer on the Rebels' side. He handles the puck so cleanly, quick manipulations and drags with the puck to open up space and evade defenders. These on-puck abilities make him so effective in small areas, dominating play within the offensive zone, and escaping any problem the defence imposes on him. Cole is a powerful straigtht line skater, but also equally mobile laterally, adding another layer to his on-puck domination. With the puck, he was patient and used delays to buy time and space, and all in all just was very impressive with the puck on his stick. Like McGuckin, he was impactful on the forecheck, applying relentless pressure and helping their line maintain significant offensive zone time. Cole showcased his ability to quickly drag and release shots with tremendous power and beat the netminder using his shot, impressively launching a shot from a stand-still. It was a great performance from Cole and certainly one that put him high on my watch list for future viewings and rankings expansion.