Projection: Middle Six Forward

Tools: Hockey Sense, Slick Handling, Compete

Development Opportunities: Continued Skating Development, Strength

In the early days of the season I was really drawn to the tools Gabriel was showing. The explosive skating, slick handling, and lateral agility all packaged together for a player that kept catching my eye. He was shifting his way out of pressure, navigating through small areas, and just showing tons of high-end flashes. Barakat was someone I liked from early on, but I wasn't sure on the projection to the OHL level, but the more I watched the more I saw the vision moving forward.

Beneath the flashy moments is a smart player who makes the right plays to link things together and manage the puck well. He makes the right decision with the puck, prioritizes possession, and really helps drive play through his decision making. Effort level is consistent, as Gabriel brings tons of energy in puck pursuit and routinely applies plenty of backpressure to help win back possession. While he plays with pace, I think a continued focus on getting quicker and more explosive will be key to continuing to play his style at the OHL level. There is a lot going for him to project for a middle of the lineup forward who can contribute offensively and bring a smart, energetic game to a lineup.

Barakat had a strong tournament and made an impact in a variety of ways. One of his biggest strengths was his creativity and confidence with the puck. Whenever he had possession, he was willing to try to make something happen, whether that meant attacking open ice or driving hard toward the net to generate offense. His ability to push the play forward helped create multiple scoring opportunities for his teammates, and he picked up several assists by drawing defenders toward him before moving the puck to an open player. He was also effective away from the offensive zone. In his own end, he competed hard for loose pucks and did a great job battling along the boards to regain possession. Those efforts often helped his team transition quickly up the ice and turn defense into offense. His work ethic and willingness to engage in puck battles made him a reliable presence in all three zones of the ice.

There was a visible confidence when Barakat carried the puck up the ice as he rarely shied away from using his speed and elusiveness to challenge defenders in a straight line and execute clean entries into the offensive zone for his team. He had an impressive solo effort in the early stages of this game where he managed to split the opposing defensemen on a counter-attacking sequence and then display the strength and skill to fend off the heavy backcheck from an opponent while also using a slick move to beat the Notre Dame goaltender from in tight to put his team up 3-0. He showed the ability to facilitate plays in transition, directing pucks out of the defensive half of the ice and into the areas where his team could do damage.

Barakat’s shifty skating and puck skills were the core of what I saw from him. He’s a quick skater, can easily change direction without losing any momentum, all enabling him to dodge and skirt his way around defenders with ease. There was a sense of confidence to his game, making moves to beat checks and maintain possession. Barakat found the back of the net on the powerplay, receiving a pass from Gray and firing it home from the wing spot of the umbrella.

Barakat was a wizard with the puck on his stick, constantly showing his uber-confidence to deceive and manipulate defenders with crafty dekes and puck touches. He was able to handle pucks so well, shift direction in the blink of an eye, enabling him to problem-solve his way out of danger shift after shift and be impossible to contain. Gabriel brought a blend of patience and confidence with the puck, which I typically like seeing. He never backed down from an opportunity to make a play when the puck touched his stick and always tried to assert himself. It didn’t translate to the scoresheet, but the skills with the puck that he displayed were still impressive, making him an easy standout on this HEO squad. He displayed some forechecking and peskiness to his game, but the raw talent in his puck skills was my primary takeaway.

Gabriel was ultra aggressive on opposing puck carriers all tournament and it led to him creating a plethora of turnovers. His perimeter play was excellent as he used his body positioning to protect the puck from pressure before quickly excelling up the wall or pivoting to avoid the defender. He was able to create chances off the rush by snapping quick passes on the tape while in motion.