He’s an interesting player to see the entire worldview of. He grabs loose pucks quickly, controls play in the offensive zone with a sense of calm, and is really able to adapt to protect the puck well on the exterior of the PP. He’s sneaky good in those moments to saucer pass into the slot or bank passes off the boards to cycle down low. He’s got softer playmaking hands but can miss a few opportunities to execute quickly. I think if he worked on some of the pacing both in rush plays and his first three steps to be elusive, escapable, and make defenders always have to check him in their peripheral, he could be able to dominate a bit more with his high hockey IQ. I think his control and smarts will certainly be such a positive attribute for him moving forward though regardless.

The smart centerman made the key moments matter in offensive situations by dragging a puck laterally, timing the fakes, and holding onto pucks longer in possessions to make sure he was extending plays or getting shots off in the moments he wanted to. Even with physical pressure absolutely swarming him, he seemed to hold onto the puck for extended time and found a way to at least direct the puck towards the net. There were other moments of second efforts on forechecks, keeping his feet moving in trap moments, and circling back towards secondary position with solid balance as a forward unit. While he wasn’t the fastest player up the ice or the biggest, the key moments to create and the smart positioning made the difference often enough.