The tall and lanky left-shot defenceman, Declan McNally was a horse in this game, logging plenty of important minutes for Don Mills. He provided a lot of two-way value, making defensive plays with his stick, using his long wingspan to take up space and kill opposing offensive momentum. He was stealing pucks and intercepting them multiple times, showing off his high intelligence and play reading skill. He did well on some other key areas, retrieving the puck and breaking it out well. On the offensive end, he was moving the puck, racking up two points for his efforts and contributing on the cycle. He also showed a willingness to move up with the play at times, knowing how and when to do it. All-in-all, he looked like the highly touted defensive prospect that he is with his blend of size and 200ft skill to provide value on the backend.

McNally caught my eye for two main reasons, the first was his aggressiveness in the neutral zone to shut plays down. He was always looking to suffocate space, give the attackers no options, and force turnovers. Declan used his reach well, getting his stick in the right spots to make attackers' lives difficult and neutralize transitions. The second element was his patience and composure within the offensive zone. He was walking the line with confidence, taking his time to find lanes, and get pucks through. Of course with McNally the physical tools are at the forefront, but I thought he did a better job in this game at applying his tools to impact the game more consistently throughout.

McNally’s physical tools were the core of my assessment. Of course, at 6’4 the first thing you notice is his size, and that in his big frame, he is a strong, powerful skater. He maneuvers around the ice effortlessly, can move in all directions, and can cover tons of ice with a few strong strides. He was constantly looking to jump passes, apply pressure, and win pucks, relying on his physical tools to take back possession and bring a strong defensive presence to the Flyers’ blueline. While I thought there was room to improve in some of his on-puck decisions, there were a handful of sequences where he asserted himself in the offensive zone, evaded a check with a slick move, and penetrated for a quality shot that were really impressive. Even if the execution wasn’t always perfect, there are tons of promising tools to his game and he will be a fun player to see develop.

In terms of physical tools and potential, McNally was the defender who most impressed me on these teams. The baseline tools in his 6'3 frame and solid mobility jumped right off the page in the very first shift. Declan moved around the ice effortlessly in his frame, relying on his long, powerful stride to cover tons of ice and having the four-way mobility to maneuver in any direction. While the physical tools were impressive in and of themselves, I thought he leveraged them well to shut plays down, take away time and space, and be a suffocating presence defensively. McNally was aggressive on the defensive side of the puck, breaking up numerous plays and winning back possession for his team. While he didn't have many "wow" moments, I saw glimpses of what he's capable of, and he's definitely earned his way onto my watchlist to keep a close eye on come the regular season.