Williams was another one of those aggressive defenders who was always looking to assert himself on the offensive side of things due to his high-end skating ability. He was a crucial part of his team’s transition game, pulling off some impressive end to end rushes by weaving around pressure without losing any momentum and executing controlled entries at a high rate. In the offensive zone he was always looking to pinch down from the line, getting himself behind defenders and creating a backdoor option for his linemates. The puck-moving in transition is still a work in progress, but all the tools are there for him to become a viable junior hockey player.

Williams was the top-scoring defender at this event with 3 points in 4 games due to his willingness to consistently assert himself on the offensive side of things and while possessing the necessarily physical gifts to do so in an effective manner. He possesses a very strong skating base which allows him to get up and down the ice with relative ease and cover plenty of ground in just a few strides while defending. I noted a couple of impressive end-to-end rushes where he was able to build up speed from behind his own net, weave his way through pressure in the neutral zone and gain the offensive zone with control. I thought he was particularly adept at picking his spots and jumping into space in the offensive zone by activating down from the point to make himself a dangerous backdoor option for his linemates.

In terms of overall physical tools, I’d be hard pressed to find a defender who impressed me more than Williams here at camp. The skating ability truly did separate him from the rest of most defenders here, allowing him to play a large role in his team’s transition game. Some of my favorite moments of his came when he was able to wind up behind his own net and utilize his long stride to separate from pressure with relative ease, burst his way through the neutral zone and fire a shot on net off the rush. He had a bit of tunnel vision as a rush attacker, but as camp went along, I saw him start to diversify his approach a bit more which made me quite optimistic about his development. He certainly wasn’t shy to jump down off the line in the offensive zone trying to get himself in behind defenders down low to make himself a backdoor passing option. His footwork and above average frame allowed him to be an imposing defender in his own end as well with the ability to stick with speedy attackers while also dealing with larger forwards with physical close offs along the boards to kill cycle plays.

For his first U18 regular season game, Williams was another player who didn’t look out of place. His skating ability and endless motor made him a big factor in all three zones. His long stride allows him to cover a lot of ground and close off gaps very quickly. At times he could try to get a bit too involved and become overzealous, straying from position but as mentioned, with his skating ability it didn’t become much of a factor. He had some effective rushes up ice, gaining the zone and using quick lateral cuts to the middle in order to find a shooting lane.