With 12 points in 6 games, Cruz was a massive part of the offensive creation from the backend. He’s so decisive; recollecting himself in real time and constantly trying to get an advantage by little stick lifts, instant possession control, and usually beating almost anyone to loose pucks. Even defensively he’s able to check sticks and pester players in net front moments too. Even at 5’8, he’s such a smooth skater and a calculated aggressor. It led to him toe dragging players on the outside to get to better shot spots, bursting along the exterior with his head up, and quickly firing shots when the lanes opened up. He’s quick, detailed, and operates with such a high IQ. Obviously he still needs to grow but he’s already excelling. I still think he’s the best defenseman available in this year’s draft.

His best offensive moment came when he scored a gorgeous goal in the high slot. It was truly a heads up, well-timed, shot selection that I pick his shot angle wisely. The story with his skating stride continues to be evident as he can turn play around quickly, close gaps to end plays early with active sticks, or really fire long stretch passes from the defensive zone. When he’s active, moving, and playing with his head up, he’s just so effective in transition. At this point, any size and strength gross is just going to give him more avenues to explore offensively.

Cruz Jim was an immediate standout in every NAX game. The first thing I noticed about Jim was his tremendous skating and edge work. He was quick, deceptive, and super agile with and without the puck, effortlessly shaking off forecheckers while retrieving pucks or creating open shooting lanes at the blue line. On the defensive side, Jim closed gaps quickly with an active stick and didn’t shy away from throwing his body around to separate players from the puck. Offensively, he made the most impact for his team this tournament, always seeming to have a plan of attack before getting the puck. Jim consistently took passes or pounced on loose pucks at the point, making quick decisions, whether moving the puck with crisp, tape-to-tape passes or attacking open ice with a couple of hard strides before letting go a powerful and accurate wrist shot. His ability to initiate plays came from starting his movement and building momentum even before receiving the puck. He'd turn his feet and body in the direction he wanted to go before he received the puck and build power off of that. All in all, Jim played at a pace most players couldn’t replicate, which kept him a step ahead of the competition.

The fluidity of stride was extremely evident early on in the views I’ve had of Cruz. A defenseman’s skating ability in U15 Prep is often a key factor to their successes at this level and the dominant performances from NAX thus far have spurred from their defense’s ability to turn play around in the neutral zone so quickly. Cruz Jim is currently listed at 5’8 and 150 lbs on the CSSHL website and while he isn’t that towering defender that some teams covet, his ability to pounce on loose pucks, lead the rush from the right side, and control the play with smart puck movement looks almost effortless. My biggest takeaway from Cruz has simply been how effectively he is moving pucks and his timing on when and how to set up his forwards in motion to spur the offense. How high he will go in the draft might come down to simply a projection of the rest of his physical growth at this point. Either way, he’s a smart and talented player who I’m sure I’ll continue to enjoy watching this year.

As the camp went on, I felt Cruz Jim became more comfortable and found his footing a little more, giving him the confidence to take a bit more risk and make the most of his flashy puck skills when working around the offensive zone as a blueliner. 1-on-1 he shown capable of pulling off exciting moves around puck pursuing opponents, pulling pucks tight to his body, shielding them with some good upper body strength, whilst moving his feet appropriately to build speed in sync with the move. These quick moves under pressure gave himself some more space to work with when exiting the defensive zone, along with walking the line. His passes were quick and accurate, when he made the most of his agility and hands, he was able to create and open up lanes to send pucks to higher danger areas of the offensive zone. A disciplined stick checker away from the puck as well, I saw Jim tie up a few sticks upon threatening centering passes coming nearby to the net, ultimately stifling any scoring chance attempts against.

Cruz Jim had moments of some good 200-foot play along with brief instances of high-end puck skills used to create some time and space in the offensive zone. When pressured whilst walking the line in possession of the puck he was able to pull off a flashy move around a man with good control and explosiveness, keeping play alive. When on defensive transitions he did a nice job at keeping puck carriers wide, matching their pace, and keeping the majority of play to the outside, with the occasional aggressive, well-timed, move to knock the puck off the stick of his opponent. Around his own net he showed a high degree of compete and awareness to cover lanes, trying his best to get in the way of them, and denied a few dangerous looks around his crease as a result.