When we are talking about vision and poise from the backend, Julian’s name is right up there with the top of the class for defenders. His dependability on outlets, to circle away from pressure, and from delivering tape to tape passes with positive momentum to teammates is such a calming element. I have not seen too many puck rushes or moments where he’s bullying moments and stepping into heavy shot spots in the offensive zone, Julian is one of the most consistent players with positioning, anticipation reads, and quality passing up ice. I did like that they used Tash at the point and allowed Revel to curl off the left wing into shooting space on the PP. I am comfortable with how Julian manages situations; now I’m looking to see how aggressive he can be and step into offensive moments. Either way, Julian has IQ and poise in spades, which will serve him well moving forward.

I think it would be easy for a coaching staff to always feel safe when Julian is on the ice defensively. I’ve come away from early views of him just marveling at the consistency of his decision making to understand risk assessment at the offensive blueline, to pinch when appropriate, and to use his stick effectively early to separate players from the puck. At 5’10 and 132 lbs, Julian has the skating balance, stride explosion, and growth potential to be excited about. While the views throughout the season will be about determining the upside, I think it is clear to see the baseline of his two-way play is extremely effective like a warm hug. He’s the kind of player who could alter his play style to fit multiple systems and different defense partners; I’m sure of it.

He was able to burst past layers of coverage seemingly with one forward stride. He gets so much push from each extension. He continued to navigate through coverage and step into heavier releases in motion. There was the occasional snapshot far side top corner as well. I was impressed with a lot of the simplicity of the details too; shoulder checking on retrievals, passing with his head up, calming down the play after a zone entry and settling into their cycle offense, etc. Even his effort to get back and challenge defenders when he maybe lost a step on them was admirable. It is certainly a way he can thrive by using those powerful strides. I certainly see him in the mix in the top-3 rounds and came away quite impressed with his game management.

This was a tough game all around for BWC but I thought that Revel was one of the players who managed to generally standout in a positive light despite the lopsided scoreline. Revel is an extremely toolsy player showing a projectable frame and possessing really smooth four-way mobility. He is strong through his crossovers and powerful through transitions. He also flashes some of his puck moving ability in this game including a great stretch pass from behind his own net to spring a teammate on a breakaway. I think that Revel if chock full of translatable tools however my only gripe with his game at this point is that a player of his ability should put his mark on the game more consistently. While Revel has the ability to be a suffocating defensive player and an offensive catalyst up ice, he doesn’t always seem ready to attack the game in that manner. There is value in steady and simple but at times it can be frustrating coming from a package with the potential of Revel.

He’s a defender who often patrols the zone and makes controlled outlets and well timed poke checks with ease to kill plays early. He can step up into gaps when anticipating outlet passes, has great puck control in weighted passes into the middle, and can circle the zone to play keep away while surveying his options. Julian comes across as a very composed and calculated defender who focuses on moving pucks positively.