I think the biggest takeaway from this tournament is how dangerous of a one-timer threat Liam looked in multiple spots. Obviously, when he sets up on the left side and has Ramazanov dishing to him laterally he’s able to blast with control and accuracy unlike many in this class. That’s such a gorgeous translatable element. I knew his wrist shot was tactical and accurate but now you can add that slapshot to the mixture too. As a potential top-10 player, he is seemingly solidifying himself as an option even into the Top-5 potentially. While he still really tends to focus on the offensive side of the puck, you get those true high end elements with him for days.

Liam is all offensive all the time. It was quite clear during some views during the spring and summer that Liam comes alive with the puck on his stick and is more than willing to forgo some defensive spots if it gives him an advantage offensively up ice. He can burst into the zone at high tempo and take a lot of high slot and rush chances, or simply make little touch passes and give and go plays to make everything work. While he isn’t blasting players away with his speed, he’s cunning and takes advantage of all the space you’ll give him to find the best possible angles of attack. I haven’t seen him be very physical in open ice but he will certainly give hard body checks along the boards. For this draft, I think he’s one of the more naturally gifted scorers available.

He was the top offensive catalyst for Canada Navy and isn’t afraid to roam up high in the defensive zone or try to get space early with speed. It meant that his efforts in the corners weren’t bogged down with physical battles but leaned into trying to fish pucks out of scrums or stay out of defensive moments entirely. When he is able to build momentum in a longer runway, he can fly with the puck and truly challenge defenders side to side. He scored quite a few goals off bursts up ice or utilizing chip and chase plays to himself up the wall. The speed is there but he certainly can be caught by players anticipating his aggression and confidence. I already saw in the arsenal a one timer, smart shootout goal, a low percentage short side goal, and many attempts to beat players one on one. He’s a potential offensive star. There’s a reason he was over a PPG in U15 Prep last year.

This was a bit of a tougher game for Liam against really tough competition. It meant that early on he was forced to try and forecheck harder and finish some checks along the boards like he does at times. It felt like he wanted to elevate that energy but ended up taking a penalty later too. The way SSM matched up and kept being relentless just meant the opportunities were fewer and while Bordt was still trying to meet the middle of the ice, got some spacing off the rush, and found a bit of space, it felt like some other games of his when the competition gets better. He’s an electric offensive forward and it was good to see him forechecking and finishing checks with that intensity when things weren’t necessarily flowing in their direction. He can be a bit quieter in the defensive end too as he waits for opportunities to spring so the more he can battle and be involved without the puck, the more he will round out his play.

He had four goals in the game so I’m not sure how I couldn’t give him a five star effort for the game. It included the overtime winner as he used a defender as a screen and shot far side. He’s so tactical and cunning offensively, seemingly always looking for moments to break out of the zone early or find space behind defenders. I think the pattern with Liam is that he thinks offense constantly and positions himself to be offensively dangerous always. He rarely overhandles; usually opting for simply finding spots to shoot and lanes to burst into. He tries to use his one timer slapshot as well as that shot in motion if he can’t get a true breakaway chance. It is like he lives and breathes to get breakaway chances or find rush spots to test the goalie with lateral stickhandling. As the season rolls along, I truly hope we get to see a lot more of his defensive capabilities but for right now he’s showing his scoring touch is high end.

I wanna start out by saying I was a bit confused on the whole numbers situation as it looked as if the jersey had been altered on the back to go from 24 to 74 and it confused me since the stat sheet also showed a 24 who scored a goal. I had a tougher time identifying and it felt to me it was 74 the entire time. Most moments folks were yelling Liam’s name as well so those were easier. With that said, Liam was a strong defensive matchup against players with size and speed. He showed early that he can match speeds backwards, made a turn at an appropriate time and finish defensive plays with effective physicality. I loved the one on one rush attempts that seemed to get more frequent as the game went along as his strength and confidence showed in spades. He can cut back, jump into the rush, explode along the exterior and protect wide, or chip and chase plays in order to gather possession again. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic showing.

Early in this contest, Liam did a great job using his speed and acceleration to pressure defenders on the forecheck and force turnovers. He scored on the powerplay with a quick, clean catch-and-release shot. In the third period, he stood out even more, off a faceoff, he circled behind the net and dished a perfect pass to the slot for a one-timer goal. Then, shorthanded, he led a 2-on-1 from his own zone, got a shot on net, and saw it poked in for a second assist.