Mah was North Shore’s most consistent catalyst on both the defensive and offensive side of the puck. His engagement level and size cause mismatches all over the ice. He uses his strength to bully opponents and his presence alone is enough to cause hesitation. The fervour with which he protects both bluelines is particularly imposing as he is always ready to jump up and lay the hurt with head on collisions. He’s far from a mindless physical presence however as his aggressiveness is always purposeful and puck focused. If he can strip possession cleanly and ensure the puck works back up ice on the counterattack he will always choose that route over making the big hit. In the defensive zone, he reads the play very well and is especially adept around the net front. He had a clutch goal line save in this tournament and has a knack for tying up opponents sticks at the perfect moment. On the offensive end, Mah is a bit wild with his puck touches, overhandling himself into trouble at times, but his engagement and ability to cause chaos to a defensive structure graded out as a net positive over the course of the tournament. When North Shore really needed offence and things were stagnating, it was usually Mah to break the doldrums and create chances.

Ethan Mah led the team in scoring as a defenseman. He was very composed in his own zone, especially when under pressure with the puck, using the net and quick curls below the goal line to buy time and space. He remained patient and made smart passes to exit the zone. Ethan consistently won his board battles by being physical and gaining inside position on opponents. In the offensive zone, I liked his decisiveness when pinching and keeping plays alive. In game 3, on back-to-back shifts in the second period, he raced onto two loose pucks heading toward the blue line without hesitation, beating his man both times and getting the puck down low to his forwards for two goals, picking up secondary assists on both. Later in the same game, he held the blue line, kept the puck in, and fired a half slapshot that was deflected in for his third assist. His dominance in game 3 and throughout the tournament showed why he led the team in scoring.