He’s such a strong transition player and showed his ability to play keepaway in motion by dragging the puck laterally and weaving while controlling the puck in the front pocket. He has that same ability to drag pucks back and release in motion with a little more zip as well. That ability to move pucks into the zone quicker can certainly be harnessed in its simplicity as a playmaker too. There were moments where he chose lower percentage shots from further out as a first option and could use some optimization. He does possess that ability to burst in from the wing in spots and certainly apply quality defensive pressure due to his skating stride even in a glide. I think he’s someone who is still early in the development of his game and teams will be curious how high up the ladder he can climb. I’d love for him to work on being more dangerous without the puck though.

Elke was the standout player from this group, finishing with 13 points in six games and earning a nod as a first team all-star in the tournament. He’s a player that immediately catches the eye with his combination of size and skill but unlike many flashy players, I came to appreciate his game even more with further scrutiny. He is still so raw physically and yet he already uses his length in such nuanced ways to dominate possession. He has really nice feel for where he can carry the puck to avoid stick checks, using his reach to drastically change the attack angle and keep defenders off balance. His area of effect is so large and his skill level to keep control with his hands away from his body makes him tough to slow down; attack his body and he’ll keep his hands free to make a pass, attack the puck and he’ll make you look silly with a quick dangle. I also appreciated how Elke used the attention he garnered as a weapon to find teammates for open opportunities. There were multiple times in this tournament where Elke would cut east-west drawing multiple defenders before working a pass across the grain to the open man. For as good as Elke is currently, I think there is a lot of upward mobility left for him as well. He has a ton of weight to add to his 6’2” frame and with added strength his explosiveness should also improve.

The naturally athletic forward can make some finesse plays in the high slot look extremely easy as he slices into the middle of the ice and dishes passes backdoor or curls around the edges of the ice with control. His best moments shine the upside and the higher-end skills that exist which can break a game open for his team but there were moments where I wanted more urgency in the defensive zone with quicker cuts and closing gaps. He often stays in motion with wider glides and swinging out wider from coverage up front looking for lead passes. I think my views of him through the rest of the season will be focusing on trying to evaluate the sense of efficiency in the equation and how often he can continue to tap into those high-end traits.