Projection: Second Pair Puck Mover

Strengths: Puck Moving, Mobility, Confidence

Development Opportunities: Activation Timing, Off-puck Defending

Chrastina has been on my radar all year. The mobile, activation-heavy game catches your eye immediately, as he’s often the one leading the charge in transition, moving well laterally, handling the puck with confidence, and finding ways to escape pressure by combining his footwork and hands to skirt checks. The same set of tools carries into the offensive zone, where Kohen can control the flow of possessions, spot seams and thread pucks to teammates in scoring positions.

The key to me is his risk-reward calibration. He doesn’t always pick his spots perfectly on when to activate versus when to move it simple, and at the OHL level he won’t be able to create advantages with his footwork as easily, dialing that in will be critical to his success at the next level. The foundation is there though, skilled, confident, with the mindset to play his game at the next level, he can easily become an impact player if it all comes together.

Kohen was fantastic in this match. He was involved in every facet of the game, making an impact in all three zones. Especially in the offensive end, I thought he was really moving the needle and sparking chances. Chrastina was highly active when the option to pinch arose, denying exits and extending offensive zone time for the North Stars. Kohen connected on more than a handful of quality passes within the o-zone, spotting open teammates, moving pucks through seams, and setting up plenty of chances. He didn’t hesitate to rotate in, rover around the offensive zone, and scored the late game tying goal by creeping in and capitalizing on a rebound. While the offensive involvement was certainly the primary takeaway, Kohen had more than enough solid defensive sequences, shutting down plays, winning possessions, and then swiftly turning things around with a quick pass up ice. A really impressive performance from the North Stars defender, and one that solidified his spot high on my watchlist.