McGregor has been on a tear in HEO action since getting fully up to speed after battling an early season illness and seeing him thrive against superior competition over the OHL Cup was what I needed to see to bump him up a few slots in my rankings. He brings many different elements, but my favourite has been his ability to play down-low & off the cycle, creating chances even when faced with pressure and finding ways to spark chances when play has been established deep in the offensive zone. Kaden can dominate in small spaces, spin off checks, and create something out of nothing with defenders all over him. He can create off the rush and is a lethal powerplay shooting threat, but this cycle game is something I've always noted that should translate well to the junior ranks. This top trio is really close for me, and I can see why Kaden is in the conversation for #1 overall, as there are a lot of tools here that should made for a top-end centerman at the OHL level.

Admittedly, I've been a little tepid on McGregor's game thus far this season, but given he was out for a long stretch at the beginning, I haven't been too critical and have been patient to give him time to get back up to speed. Things started to turn the corner over the Silver Stick, and in views of the Titans since, making me more confident in his placement on my rankings. I mainly felt he had a bit more of a jump in his step, accelerating by defenders and gaining separation from a few quick steps. His skating hasn't been a hindrance in my past assessments, I just came away from my views over the Silver Stick that it was more of a competitive advantage and an ability he was using more and more to spark offence. I've spoken about his tactical handling, passing, and shooting ability previously, and while I could rave more about those skills and how he created chances / found the back of the net off the back of those, it was acceleration to gain steps on defenders that I wanted to highlight from these views.

McGregor was the central factor in almost all of the Titans' offence. His slick puck skills were at the core of his impact, having every tool to dodge and evade pressure all through his quick hands. Whether it was to exit his zone with control or attack the middle of the ice for a scoring chance, Kaden's hands were the critical shining element. While the hands were an impressive skill in his game, there was also a tactical approach and puck management aspect to his game, as he typically made the right decision for the moment, which paired perfectly well with his puck skills. The second key aspect of McGregor's game was his shooting ability, and he never shied from an opportunity to unleash pucks on net. His ability to quickly drag and release pucks with tremendous power was so apparent, notching a few goals across my viewings through his shooting ability. As the weekend went on, I saw more and more of a playmaking layer come through in his game. He was scanning for passing options, spotting clever passing lanes, and creating chances as a distributor. Kaden was patient with the puck on his stick, could draw in pressure, and then move pucks to teammates in the scoring areas. All around, McGregor made a tremendous offensive impact, drove so much of the play for the Titans, and was one of the top performers at the provincial championship.

It was another terrific performance for McGregor, and he played a significant part in HEO's success over the weekend. Once again, his impact came from his combination of puck skills and confidence, managing the flow of the game whenever he was on the ice. While there were some flashy toe drags to his game, most of his success came from practical and tactical touches that he relied on to maneuver around defenders. All weekend long, he was nearly impossible to contain, as whenever defenders imposed pressure on him, he had the clever move to skirt the check and maintain the puck with complete control. While his crafty handling was the central element of his game, there was also an overwhelming display of high-end finishing talent. If Kaden had a premier scoring chance, he more often than not converted and found the back of the net. He was constantly putting himself in the right spots to be open for a pass or jump on a rebound, and his shooting ability did the rest, quickly firing pucks into the back of the net in the blink of an eye. McGregor has been a consistent top performer across my many views of him thus far, placing him high on my radar as we inch closer to the kickoff of the season and the eventual release of my initial top 20 for the 2025 OHL Draft.

Kaden was out of the lineup for a decent chunk of time due to an illness, and I wanted to give him time to get back up to speed before coming out to see him and the Titans play. Upon return, I thought he looked pretty good, all things considered. Especially down low and on the exterior of the offensive zone, he was controlling play for the Titans, being difficult to knock off the puck on the cycle and creating plenty as a playmaker. McGregor always seemed to have the right move to spin off a check, get out from the corner, and then slip a pass to a teammate in a scoring position. The shooting talent was still present in his game, scoring one off a powerful powerplay wrister, but this puck control and playmaking game was my main takeaway. I'll be watching him closely over the Silver Stick as that will be a good measuring stick against some of the top talent outside HEO to see how Kaden stacks up.

For long stretches of the game, the Wild did a solid job of not giving a ton of space for McGregor to be the dangerous offensive player he is, but he still had quite a few scoring chances and scored two of the Titans' five goals. Through the middle of the ice, Kaden was explosive, frequently crossing the blueline with a full head of steam and beating Wild defenders to the outside. As always, McGregor worked well down low and along the boards, finding ways to get off the wall, get pucks to the scoring areas, and make things happen. His first goal, Kaden batted a puck out of mid air onto his stick and swiftly finished net front, the second he was pesky on the forecheck, forcing a turnover in the slot and fired a shot home through a screen.

McGregor was the primary offensive catalyst for Team White in this match, always involved whenever they were creating chances. Most of his impressive sequences came from working along the wall or down low, protecting pucks from defenders, spinning off checks, and then funnelling pucks to teammates in the slot area, connecting on plenty of dangerous passes to his linemates Jack Malandra & Finlay McLean. Kaden assisted on both of McLean's goals, one of which his shot sparked a rebound, and the other was a clever pass from the wing on the umbrella to McLean open net front. It may not have been a jaw-dropping performance, but Kaden was incredibly effective at driving high-danger chances with his smart handling and playmaking.

McGregor was the top performer on this Titans squad in all my viewings of them back at the OHFs, and he enters the year high on my watchlist of '09 players to consider for my initial top 20. Even if this wasn't a spectacular performance like I've seen from Kaden in the past, he still played a great game, and what he offers was still so apparent. The quick hands to evade pressure and dangle his way in and out of the defenders to create space and access the dangerous parts of the ice were on display all game long. Rarely was he stopped when the puck was on his stick, and he always had the confidence to attempt high-skill moves to problem-solve his way out of danger. He didn't register a ton of his own scoring chances, but he did connect on some clever slip passes through traffic to his teammates in scoring areas. While he only had probably three true scoring opportunities, he converted on two of them, helping the Titans claw their way back with two third-period goals. His first was the highlight of the night, catching a pass while going in reverse and, in one slick motion, turning to face the net and tucking it past the goaltender, demonstrating his tremendous hands in tight. The second was the game-winner when he scored on a quick shot just after entering the offensive zone, showcasing his shooting talent and ability to score from a distance. Kaden is one of, if not the top, players in the HEO circuit this season, and I look forward to diving deeper into his game and seeing where he slots in relative to the other top talents across Ontario.