He started off winning a little puck race into the neutral zone and showing off his bigger and mobile frame. He finished a punishing hit through that space too and I thought when he was purposeful on closing and being physical he was at his best. There were also moments where he gave a touch too much room on the outside and ended up taking a penalty. A lot of his puck decisions in this game involved dumping pucks simply back deeper in the zone or shooting into a defenders feet. He was more often than not able to extend possessions and drive plays deeper but I was looking for a bit more creativity in finding shot lanes or showing off a softer touch to teammates instead of putting it deep into space to force one on one battles. He’s such an easy player to project up to higher levels but now it's still about discovering how much offensive/potential is to be unlocked. He’s also a December birthday, which has it’s perks.

Holden Wouters stood out for his physical dominance and scoring ability as a defenseman. At 6'2", he used his large frame effectively in the defensive zone, easily separating players from the puck along the boards. He rarely got beat on the rush, using his long reach and quick feet to keep attackers in check. Offensively, Holden loved jumping into the rush or rushing the puck himself, using long, powerful strides to protect the puck. I was especially impressed by his ability to find open ice in the high slot, quickly receiving passes and snapping quality shots on net.

The best parts of Holden’s game came by battling defensively in the corners and using his strength to his advantage. When he was aggressive and stepped up off faceoffs too he could build up a few longer possessions with his decent pivots and reaction time. He can fire a puck with power on a low snapshot as well. The biggest area of improvement for me would just be to try and lengthen his strides a bit more and make sure he isn’t getting caught flat footed. The more agile and well-balanced he can be, the more it is going to continue his positive progression as a defensive first player.

As one of the bigger defenders at a listed 6’1, Holden can use his strength in the corners down low to make life tough on the cycle or can step into shots from the point with a little more power when he has the time to do so. While he might not be as naturally agile on his edges as other defenders, he proved today he can jump up into the gaps, drive the net, and stay up in the possession if needed at times.