Duclos-Claude has all the makings of a really strong complimentary player at the next level. He has a great understanding of timing on his routes, particularly off the rush, where he was consistently able to drift into open space to make himself a passing option for teammates. He processes the playa round him very quickly, which allows him to make quick plays with the puck and play with pace even if his skating ability doesn’t allow it. He’s a strong playmaker off the rush as well, with the ability to slip passes through sticks and bodies to streaking teammates. He possesses sneaky skill in tight quarters as well, using his stickhandling ability to get pucks around defenders quickly to create space for himself along the perimeter. The skating ability may hold him back, but if he’s able to improve this aspect of his game I think he can be a really solid offensive threat.

I’ve really come to appreciate Duclos-Claude’s tactical and intelligent approach to attacking off the rush. He was doing a great job connecting plays in the neutral zone, making quick one touch passes to teammates which allowed his team to play with pace and attack the zone with speed. He also flashed some serious skill as a puck carrier in transition in one instance early in the game when he was able to cut through a defender to get inside and draw a penalty after he was hauled down. His best work came in the first period when he demonstrated a great understanding of route taking and timing off the rush, drifting up high to make himself a passing option before quickly executing a cross-ice feed downhill to a teammate who just needed to tap it in to the open net. He also scored a goal in the second period by driving the net off the rush and deflecting in a puck past the goaltender.

He did a good job pressuring the opposition in all three zones and was a complete nuisance to play against. He was very engaged in board battles in the offensive zone and was responsible for gaining back possession after it was lost. He showed off some skill in tight as well, using an impressive set of hands to get around defenders and bowl his way to the crease area. He had a nice assist in the second period when he made a quick read before receiving the puck then made a quick pass to Nolette-Robidoux in front of the net that the defense didn’t have time to react to. Overall, I thought he was an important part of his line and played his role really well.