Most of my notes on Kelson had to do with making power moves on the outside and his defensive engagements coming back through the neutral zone. He’s got that speed and power where he tests defenders on the outside and drives the backpost when he doesn’t have it. The work ethic is clearly there in combination with the power to the stride and he can do those important things like protecting down low through a cycle or even when killing off time on a PK. The net front battling is there for positioning and he brings that grit and jam to his game too. Offensively, I thought he did well to be a playmaker under duress and find passes to the slot and across the goalmouth while someone was hounding him. The shots I got to see were largely shot into the goalie’s chest but a few of his goals did come from wiring a shot above a goalie shoulder or picking a particular spot above the pads. There is something to be said that he scored at least one goal in every game as well. I think Kelson brings hard work, two-way play, and lots of battle.

This player will instantly be a fan favorite on the ice for his in-your-face style approach with and without the puck. He’s strong on the puck, strong on the cycle, and takes every opportunity to drive pucks to the slot when he can. He’s a straight forward defensive attacker too, taking time and space away very quickly from the opposition. He has jam, strong protection on the outside as a puck carrier, and certainly has the ability to play in all three zones in the middle of the ice. I think players like Kelson are meant to play in the WHL and he should be a really strong contender to be a first round pick this season if all goes well.

I think I came away with the thought that Kelson is well rounded and solid in many areas of the game. I’ve seen him numerous times at this point and wondered how he’d look at the pacing of some other top players and he found many spots to be effective. He has above average stride bursts north-south up ice and usually has his head up to consider lateral passes while protecting on the outside. He had some beautiful passes, quality awareness, and can turn and snap heavy in small moments too. When he’s patient and aware, it means he can split his stance and wait for moments to attack the middle. He got three assists overall.

Now here’s a player who can control possession on the exterior, show that size and flash, and be involved with little stick work on the exterior. I loved his ability to receive passes in motion, show the footspeed up the wing, and can open his posture with his head up as well. I liked his ability to drive the net without the pick too and his potential of widening his stance to be harder to knock off pucks and set up quicker shot releases. He had a skate to stick reception, was able to weave and protect continuously, and I felt like he was the best player in the game in totality. You can see the overall potential. He wasn’t dangerous all the time but I felt like his ability to grow and fill in the gaps to his game is there too.