Projection: Top Four Upside

Strengths: Skating, Passing Game, Puck Management

Development Opportunities: Strength, Physicality

Henry has been one of my favourite defenders to watch this year. The confidence with the puck, processing, and decision-making are all what I’m looking for in a defender. He manages the puck so well, prioritizes possession, and quarterbacks clean controlled transitions time and time again. Even when faced with pressure, Gavin can make plays quickly, escape with a slick lateral move, and off his team is the other way with a quick pass up ice. He doesn’t shy away from activating up ice, gets involved in the attack, and has more than shown that he can quarterback a power play.

The question mark is the physical side of things. At 5’10 165 lbs there is some room to develop in that department to be well equipped moving forward. There are moments where he gets pushed off pucks or outmuscled in corners, and at the OHL level that will be tested even more. It will probably take some adjusting to the junior level, but Henry is someone I think could be a real upside bet to develop into a quality roster piece down the line.

Gavin Henry looked like the best defender on the ice at points of this game and was definitely the best on his team. The first thing that always pops for Henry when I’ve watched him is his skating. He is a highly mobile defenceman capable of using his feet to move in all four directions. He was strong on puck retrievals and on breakouts either opting to move the puck himself or make a smart pass out of his end. At many times he showed his quick decision making and a strong propensity to make plays under pressure.

I liked how Henry used his feet and puck skills in this one. There were some nice plays on retrievals where he used his mobility with some slick puck touches to create space from oncoming forecheckers and find a way to create a lane to move a puck up ice. Breakouts were just calm and calculated with Gavin involved, never panicking and taking his time to find a play up ice. That same sense of confidence enabled Henry to carry pucks up ice in flashes but the primary impact was how cleanly he was at facilitating breakouts all from the patience to take a few extra seconds to process his options and find the right play.

Gavin was a suffocating presence in this game. He applied pressure constantly, shutting down plays, and serving as a strong defensive presence. Using both physical contact and his long reach, Henry consistently made oncoming attackers’ lives difficult and shut plays down. With the puck, he was confident, taking his time, and hitting on his outlet passes. He was reliable with the puck, resulting in a strong performance as a defender who did a lot of things right to keep play out of his zone. I noted the physical tools early in the year watching Credit River, but seeing him positively impact the game to this extent was a good second evaluation point.