There's only one thing to say here: Ardagh filled the net over the Silver Stick. He supported his linemates well, typically Warren, being in the right spots, hovering around the offensive zone, and sneaking into open pockets of space. Rebounds, picking top corners from off angles and medium distances, using his hands in tight, you name it, Ardagh was able to convert in many different ways. He had some flashes of maneuvering his way into scoring areas, showcasing his handling, but the main theme was his off-puck play to get in the right spots and finish his opportunities. These goal scorer types can often be a point of deviation between my list and what happens on draft day, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm on the low end with Keaton at 13th, and I can totally see the appeal to have him higher depending on the assets a team has.

The last of the Ontario Draft Day Selects trio mentioned in this one, Keaton Ardagh rounds things out and brought a presence two-way commitment, intelligent puck management, and some physical tools. I was a big fan of the utilzation of quick turns under pressure, while keeping the puck out of reach in different areas around his frame, whether it be the hip pocket or extended beyond the reach of his opposition. Pulling in checkers enough, he’d get the opportunity here-and-there to slip a puck between their feet or stick, and get around them to attack some dangerous ice in the offensive zone. He had the awareness to know just how long to hang onto the puck, across all 3 zones nonetheless, and was a big piece in transition through the middle of the ice hitting teammates with passes prior to gaining the zone. Circling back on his puck protecting ability, he did a great job zipping shots on net and getting lots of drag to his shot through congested areas of play, showing off some great power and pop in the process. I liked his play as a whole from the center position, away from the puck he was one of the most notable backcheckers on the ice, and utilziing quick, and disciplined stick checks from behind to strip the opposition of the puck, and quickly move it back up ice to form counterattacks.

Ardagh was the centrepiece of much of ETA's success over the Draft Day Showcase, demonstrating why he is such a highly touted player for the 2025 OHL Draft. There's a lot I could highlight here, but the main element I want to emphasize is his constant desire to beat defenders one-on-one and try to get to the dangerous areas of the ice. Keaton is a powerful and explosive skater with a tremendous ability to play with the puck in motion, giving him all the tools to adapt to what the defence is doing. Whether that meant exploding by them to the exterior or executing a move to get inside, Ardagh could spot the hole in the defence and then exploit it. All weekend long, Keaton relied on his tools and confidence to flex them to create separation from defenders and generate high-quality chance after chance. So often, he would make a quick little cut toward the middle, force the defenders to converge on him, and then dish the puck off to an adjacent teammate for a scoring opportunity, some of which found the back of the net. While most of his impact came as a passer, he displayed no shortage of finishing talent, capitalizing on many of his opportunities and showcasing a dual-threat offensive toolkit. Like many of his JRC teammates, the Draft Day Showcase was a terrific showing from Ardagh, and I eagerly await the kickoff of the season to watch him and this talented squad more closely.

There are a few elements I liked about Ardagh's game, but the main one was his desire to rely on his handling and fluid skating to attack the middle of the ice. Especially off the cycle and along the wall, Keaton had all the tools required to problem-solve his way out of danger and penetrate for scoring chances. There were so many sequences where he dodged a defender in small areas with a swift move to grant himself separation and then attacked shooting lanes for quality shots. He showcased some playmaking, but really, it was this creating scoring chances off the cycle and flexing his high-end play in tight quarters that caught my eye.

Ardagh has impressed me all year long with his ability to find the back of the net, rifling pucks with his lethal shot and finishing on his opportunities. In this game however, I saw way more of a passing layer to his game, moving pucks around the offensive zone to his teammates in scoring position. He had a few nice sequences spotting linemates trailing or across the zone, setting up a few quality chances. While I would have never said he was a one-dimensional scorer, it was just great to see him play a more passing-focused game in this one.

Team Blue didn't generate many scoring chances, but I noted Keaton as having a good share of the ones they did manage to create. He was always buzzing around the net, waiting to pounce on a pass or a loose puck for a golden opportunity. He had a few grade-A chances, showing quick hands in tight and his shot, but he just couldn't find the handle in this one. Ardagh did manage to add an assist, spotting an open Tyler Lee net front, who buried his pass.

He’s another player where I think his decision making and aggression ended up leading to positive outcomes. Whether he was battling down low for pucks, cutting into the slot from the halfwall off a cycle, or catching passes up rush to feed the high slot in motion. I loved how he’d open his posture on the outside to give him plenty of options and freeze the defenders. He was a confident and crafty playmaker today.

Like Brayden Bennett, I noted Ardagh as a confident puck carrier who flashed plenty of high-end skills with the puck on his stick. He was constantly looking to dangle his way by defenders, whether it was with a toe drag, a lateral move, or a deceptive hesitation move to get the defender to bite, Keaton had a wide array of moves at his disposal that he could leverage depending on the situation. Players who are always looking to attack the middle of the ice and have the skills to pull it off will always be high in my books, and that's exactly what I saw from Keaton over the Port Huron Silver Stick.

The Canadian team came out somewhat flat in this game, but Keaton Ardagh was one of few who brought it from the very beginning to the very end. A great play driving force, his subtle speed and puck protection let him elude opponents along the perimeter of the offensive zone, owning a quick float if you’d like to call it that when in possession of the puck. He used his momentum well to twist and turn on defenders, keeping his speed up and puck afar from checkers, he drew in lots of attention and pulled opponents away from their respective assignments before centering pucks to teammates for grade-A quality chances. These same maneuvers had also come into play when a shooting lane would arise, quick to fire the puck in-step with his crossovers and turns, he owns a quick release with some nice power behind it considering the limited wind-up. As a whole he was difficult to strip of the puck because of his agility but also due to owning a strong stick, an ordinary stick check wouldn’t force Ardagh to bobble the puck, oppositions needed to get leverage and force behind it to whack the puck off his stick. Overall, he was one of the better players in the game at working under pressure and making plays with opposition on his back.