Consistently performing end-to-end rushes, Jaden Licastro showed off his mobile, high end puck moving ability weaving in and around opposing players. He flashes some deception and creativity with the puck on his stick, drawing in opposing players to then side-step them and carry it up himself or throw a pass tape-to-tape. On top of his offensive abilities, he is good on the other side of the puck, using his vision to read plays and angle opponents along the boards where he is unafraid to physically engage.

Licastro’s skating was the focal point of what impressed me. He gets around the ice so effortlessly, strong straight-line skating, powerful pivots and turns, and just all around a really mobile defender. There were a few moments where he took over a play, evaded a handful of forecheckers and was able to transition the puck so cleanly all thanks to his footwork. In terms of impact in this game, I thought he brought a strong puck-winning game, securing possession in his end and keeping plays alive in the offensive zone. He was just doing a lot of the little plays that help get pucks in the offensive zone and keep them there to establish zone time. Without a doubt a top performance from one of the top 2010 defenders in the province.

In my views, Licastro was the best defender over the course of the Toronto Titans Tournament. He was incredibly assertive with the puck, always influencing the game, playing a strong, confident, and all-around involved style of play. All over the ice, in all three zones, Jaden was at the center of the play and making things happen. Whether it was winning pucks, activating to carry play through the neutral zone, or being eager to attack within the offensive third, Licastro showed to be more than capable in all facets of the game. There was this sense of every time he was on the ice, he wanted the puck, he wanted to control the flow of the play, and wanted to take over that was really fantastic to see the more and more I watched. I already knew he was a top player in this age group, debuting him quite high on our first roll-out of the Canadian 2010 rankings, but somehow he still exceeded my expectations with his play over the tournament.

I saw bits and pieces of Licastro at the OHL Cup, but this was my first real chance to evaluate him, and I saw some promising elements in his game. There was just an overall solid blend of mobility, puck-moving, and defensive habits that I noted all game long that made for a strong performance. I thought he did an excellent job at shadowing oncoming attackers, keeping them to the outside, not giving them much space to operate, and shutting down their rushes. Upon forcing turnovers, Jaden got his head up, scanning for options, and routinely hit on his exit passes, making for a strong performance as a defender who could quickly turn plays around. Licastro had some flashes in the offensive zone, using his feet to walk the line and evade checks, but I was mainly impressed with his play in his defensive third.