Projection: Middle Six Winger

Tools: Puck Protection, Hockey Sense, Physical Tools

Development Opportunities: Lateral Agility, Small Area Handling

If you really watch Voortman closely, you can see some high-end details to his game. He's always in the right spots, supports the puck well, rotates in the offensive zone to cut off plays, and just does all the little things right. Jace protects pucks well with his frame and can make inside drives off the wall or from down low to attack the net for premium chances. He competes on the forecheck, wins pucks, and brings a lot of promising elements that make me think he will be a really effective junior player.

It all leads to a projection of a strong supporting winger who can play a bunch of different roles and find success. The physical tools, smart off-puck game, and more than commendable offensive instincts should make him a valuable piece to complement talented players around him. With a bit more lateral agility and handling in tight I can easily see him developing into a lethal down low and cycle force at the OHL level. At the very least a really solid middle six piece with plenty of runway to earn top six minutes down the road.

As always, I thought Voortman played a smart, detailed oriented play style. His rotations without the puck were always to the right spots, putting himself in the right pockets to receive a pass or support the play. He notched one of JRC’s goals through a clever route to the slot, being in the right spot at the right time to get his stick on a point shot and tip it home. With the puck, while it wasn’t that frequent, he did have some flashes of puck protection, shielding pucks  using his frame, and extending plays and trying to drive the net. This combination of “little” details and his physical tools to protect pucks has been a key theme of Voortman’s play this year and what has kept him moving up my board as of late.

Voortman was excellent protecting the puck and controlling play down low. He worked along the wall using his frame to shield pucks, making slot passes from low to set up chances for his teammates. Jace was constantly competing, winning pucks on the forecheck and bringing a second effort on the backcheck. He found the back of the net when he received a stretch pass, protected the puck well from the defender, and fired home a shot. The theme of puck protection, cycle game, and constant effort was the story of this performance.

Voortman’s powerful skating caught my eye early in my viewings of his squad, as he could propel himself effortlessly around the ice with a few strong, explosive strides. His skating helped him dictate play in transition, carrying pucks up ice and into the offensive third without any threat of being closed down. With the puck, I thought Jace was smart in his decision, using delays after entries, making smart passes to linemates, and just being a smart puck manager whenever he had his moments. He added a goal and an assist across the two games I watched, but his explosive skating and his decision-making were the two areas I noted most.

There were just a few moments where I noticed Voortman, but I still wanted to mention him. He is a bigger forward, and I thought he moved well in his frame. Whether he was in open ice or in small spaces, he could maneuver seamlessly in any direction required while handling the puck. In conjunction with the skating, I thought he used his frame and body positioning well to protect the puck and extend plays in the offensive zone. It didn’t amount to much in terms of chances, but I just came away with a few notes that spoke to some promising physical tools, which is always something worth mentioning in the early days of getting to know a class.