I thought Eli’s game was very consistent with what I have seen from him throughout the year in the championships. Eli makes his mark as a shoot-first winger on the PP off the left side and has the patience and vision to make sure his shot selection is high-quality while adjusting to defenders in shooting lanes. His ability to sense that pressure and counteract it helps in PP situations as well as navigating pressure through the neutral zone while players close on him. He’s able to fake a pass, circle back, and reset the transition with his defensemen. When he’s attacking off the rush, he can beat you outside in or inside out depending on how he feels he can get the defender to move. Tactically he’s trying to find a quick touch pass to teammates or to create a shooting lane on his forehand. His ability to drag the puck full length and accelerate past pressure helps to maintain possession and drive through the zone. Physically, he’s strong on his skates through his powerful pivots and positional adjustments. He is rarely out of position or behind the flow of play at the U18 level. He’s also not a player to engage physically more often than he needs to and only really leans into physical contact to wrestle himself into inside position to separate off the puck. Moving up levels at this point will not be an issue for him since he can escape pressure and assert himself in appropriate moments.

Projection: Top Line Scoring Winger
Projectable Skills: Shot release, Small ice puck touch
Development Opportunities: Defer less as a puck carrier, Dominate more often through the NZ

The goal scoring power forward playing for Shawnigan in the CSSHL's U18 Prep division this season has been fantastic. He thrives when he’s able to cut hard towards the net, slip into medium range shot releases off curls on the PP, or pick his shooting spots off the rush. He’s got a powerful burst to his skating stride, can use a quick reaction time to poke pucks loose, and can find a passing lane to reset under pressure. He’s not the type of player to want to dominate all aspects of the game and live in the middle of the ice. Instead, he chooses his spots, recalibrates with and without the puck, and makes sure to punish the opposition as a heavy release goal scorer instead of an end to end rush distributor or playmaker extraordinaire. He has that type of potential in his game too and I think his game will continue to unfold and bloom as he transitions to the next levels. Either way, the baseline and strength as a game breaking scoring forward is easily translatable.

Eli possesses the ability to build power and speed very quickly while also having the strength and whip to fire off catch-and-release shots off feeds in the slot or by carving into space off the wing. With him, you’ll find smart touch passes, bursting into dangerous areas without the puck, and the ability to attack one on one off the rush when the situation calls for it. A well-rounded and powerful player.

Eli comes alive when he finds himself in shooting areas. He loves to shoot in motion back across the grain or curl into shots off the half wall on the powerplay. I think the best and most natural part of his game is how he chooses his shot opportunities well and is that blend of power and determination. With how much power, snap, and follow through he has on the release, it comes across aesthetically very well. Eli scored a combined 27 goals in 31 U18 Prep regular season and playoff games.

The 6’1, 175lbs power forward shooter has been excellent in the CSSHL U18 Prep division this season for Shawnigan. He thrives when he’s able to cut hard towards the net, slip into medium range shot releases off curls on the PP, or pick his shooting spots off the rush. He’s got a powerful burst to his skating stride, can use a quick reaction time to poke pucks loose, and can find a passing lane to reset under pressure. He’s not the type of player to want to dominate all aspects of the game and live in the middle of the ice. Instead, he chooses his spots, recalibrates with and without the puck, and makes sure to punish the opposition as a heavy release goal scorer instead of an end to end rush distributor or playmaker extraordinaire. He has that type of potential in his game too and I think his game will continue to unfold and bloom as he transitions to the WHL.

McKamey was fantastic in this tournament and really solidified himself as the second-best prospect for the WHL Draft this year after Landon DuPont. What stands out with McKamey is how developed he is as a player and how mature his game is already. My thoughts when watching him mirrored a lot of the thoughts I had when watching Brayden Yager in this same tournament a few years ago. He is so tidy positionally and always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He is a major asset in small areas, showing the stick skill and body angling to win battles and the explosiveness to burst out of traffic and gain separation. His defensive awareness and commitment to play behind the puck is innate and really serves as the base for his offensive skills to flourish. He is never cheating for points and it is hard to keep him from gaining possession because he starts so many forays from deep inside his own zone. To put up 14 points in six games as a 14-year-old in a predominantly 18-year-old tournament and still impress me more for his play without the puck than with it is a testament to his game.

The 2009-born forward had himself a game, picking up three goals and one assist, registering a point on every one of Boston's goals. McKamey has a powerful stride which he relied on all game. He beat defenders to the exterior with just a few explosive steps to gain separation. Using his skating, Eli was one of the main transition impacts for Boston, controlling the play through the center of the ice and creating off the rush. Upon entering the zone, McKamey was a "shoot first" player registering plenty of shots off the rush. He has a really powerful shot that he can get tremendous whip off the littlest of drag and releases. Given his shooting ability, naturally, Eli will lean toward being more of a shooter, but he could have scanned for passing options at moments. A little scan is all it takes to see if he has a teammate open before committing to the shot. Eli scored the highlight of the game by baiting a defender to lunge at him, then quickly pulling the puck by the defender, putting him alone one-on-one against the goalie. Eli made no mistake from that position and used a forehand backhand move to finish the job.