I've liked Pahanich's game almost anytime I've watched this YSE team, and I thought he was once again solid in the games I watched over the Silver Stick. There were a few moments of combining fluid skating and handling to evade a forechecker for some impressive sequences that jumped off the page, but really, it was the high volume of little plays that he executed that added up. Evan was constantly looking to get in his opponent's space in the neutral zone, take away their options, and shut down their transitions. Pahanich always occupied space well in the neutral zone, often applying pressure early and forcing them to dump the puck in. With the puck on his stick, he was able to detect the right option to move pucks up ice with control and just reliably hit on his passes to get the Express moving up ice. None of this was flashy, but during every shift, he added value and helped the Express stay out of their end and play in the offensive zone. The physical tools, mobility, and this aspect of a "simple" but projectable game all started to come together in my evaluation of Evan over the Silver Stick and painted the picture of a player who should earn a spot on my rankings in the near future.

I mainly noted Pahanich's ability to shut down plays and turn pucks around. There were many occasions where he disrupted a transition by jumping into a passing lane or applying pressure to a puck carrier and winning back possession of the puck. Once he broke up a play, Evan was typically able to connect on passes up ice to his forwards, and just all around was impactful at helping his team stay in the offensive zone. Similar in his own zone, I thought he did a stellar job at finding ways to spark controlled zone exits and, more often than not, was the primary catalyst who helped his team break out cleanly.

Pahanich had a simple yet effective game, mainly for his passing out of the back. Evan was always calm, cool, and collected with the puck on his stick, taking his time to process options and hit his forwards up ice. Breakouts were just so easy with Evan involved, as he always took that extra second to scan for options and spot the right path up ice. Pahanich had some flashes where his mobility jumped off the page, getting up with the play or rushing a puck up ice, but the key element was his consistent passing.

Evan impressed me with his vision, he always seemed to have his head up when the puck was on his stick, scanning the ice, and making smart plays. He made multiple passes through tight seams to initiate transitional breakouts and although he wasn’t running plays he monitored the offensive blueline well with good pinches and through puck movement. A nice snipe from just inside the line secured the first goal for the Express, as he picked a small lane through multiple bodies. I would like to see him play more physically but he possesses a good foundation as a two-way defender.