It’s still very early in the scouting process but Leduc already looks to be like one of the more projectable players in this entire draft class. All of his puck touches are so calculated and effective, never forcing pucks to crowded areas but rather making quick reads and distributing the puck to areas only his linemates can get them which helps to extend cycle sequences. He’s a burden to deal with below the goal line, using his frame to box out defenders in order to win battles and shield the puck from them to buy himself time before connecting on low to high passes towards the middle of the ice. He’s not necessarily a burner, but he generates enough power in his stride that he’s tough to contain when attacking down the wing, often catching a step on a defender and using a shoulder dip to attack the front of the net and create a chance from in tight.

Leduc’s effectiveness boils down to an on-ice awareness and intelligence that is rare for a player his age. He was one of the best cycle players in the entre tournament, combining strong puck protection ability with shrewd puck distribution which he used to establish give and go’s to create chances inside for himself and his linemates. He was quite effective at disrupting breakouts as well, getting his stick into lanes and using his quick processing ability to turn these turnovers into counterattack chances. He has a knack for catching off target passes as well, often kicking passes up to his blade with his feet and firing a shot off in a singular motion which helped create scoring chances out of broken plays.

A player can really raise an eyebrow when they flash those skill moments that Damien does at times. He can saucer a backhanded pass with control or attempt a little toe drag into a shot release too. Throw in stick lifts, lateral passes in smart moments, and the ability to sneak into shot lanes without the puck and Damien gives you a bit of the elements to really perk the interest. I thought more of those little plays could have turned into higher danger moments with a strong shot release while driving the outside or maybe a bit more thought to where he’s handling the puck to protect it more. Overall though, he’s an interesting one to keep following and with every bit of added strength should help those elements pop.

Leduc’s effectiveness in this game centered around his intelligent and tactical approach to his puck touches. I found him to be an impressive facilitator in transition, keeping his head up through receptions in the neutral zone and using agile lateral side steps to create space for himself to extend his touches before connecting on passes to streaking linemate which lead to controlled entries into the offensive zone. He brought some physicality to the forecheck a the F1, often leaning on defenders to force them into the boards and crate loose puck opportunities below the goal line. He had a high-end moment early on in the game when he picked off an outlet pass in the neutral zone and attacked a defender head on off the counterattack before pulling the puck around him to break in down low but just missed on his backhand centering feed.

With four points in the game including the game-winning goal in the final 5 minutes, Leduc was able to come up big in the important moments of this game. He first caught my eye with his smart passes in transition where he would start drifting when entering the zone and slip passes to teammates streaking down his wings to allow them to gain a step on the defenders but down the stretch of this game, he showed off his versatility with his finishing ability along with his physical play. I thought he was able to track down pucks well which was a big contributor to his first two points of this game when he came out with a loose puck along the boards and sprung his teammates for the 1-1 tying goal and scooped up a turnover before rifling the puck over the goaltender’s shoulder on the shorthanded breakaway. His second goal of the game was converted in the same fashion as he received a pass in the slot and wired home the game-winning goal over into the top of the net with a powerful shot. To round out his performance, he capped it off with a hat-trick goal in the dying seconds of the game after capitalizing on an odd-man rush.