The thing I’m learning about Jaxon’s game is that he’s very steady with his outputs. It seems like in every game I watch him, he’s trying to use his skating fluidity and reach to close lanes quickly, pin players down low if he can, and move pucks effectively before he’s too far under pressure. He makes the game seemingly slow down and simplify at times. He can pinch to keep the zone when appropriate, get solid wrist shots through when appropriate, and move pucks in the flow of play to either spring his forwards to set up his defense partner to active on the far side. At this point, I’m waiting to see the little flashes of what else he could be capable of if he made different choices. Is his game simplistic in a good way or is he stifling a bit of his potential as a player who can skate the puck through a few layers and pinch down low a little more often. It is more about understanding the height of his upside. Regardless, I’m not sure I’ve had a view of him this season where I didn’t think he was smart, solid, and effective.

The powerhouse of St. Albert is once again in effect this season as the backend of their squad is particularly deep. Jaxon is a rangy, long-legged defender who has the ability to close gaps quickly, finish checks while pinching into the zone, and his active stick has shown well in the games I’ve viewed. His effectiveness comes from his clean and well-balanced skating stride to drag pucks laterally in the offensive zone, move pucks side to side consistently or work off his wingers to find smart shot timing. That squad works very well as a unit and Jaxon’s ability to adjust and cover ground gives permission for others to take a few more chances too. I’d like to see a bit more aggression and determination out of him as he builds more power and strength to test the boundaries offensively, but as it stands today, his skating and passing efficiency will absolutely already translate up levels of hockey.