Projection: Third Pair Shut Down

Tools: Physicality, Heavy Shot, Frame

Development Opportunities: Passing Decisions

Nelson is a strong, physical defender who brings a dependable presence to the Vaughan Kings' back end. He uses a long, powerful stride to cover ice and shows the willingness to step up and be physical, especially in the neutral zone. That defensive eagerness is at the forefront of what has put Liam on my radar, showing the desire to play a physical brand that I can see being useful at the OHL level.

Getting more fine-tuned on his passing game, processing his options, and spotting outlets rather than forcing uncontrolled plays is something I'd like to see more of. Taking that extra second to find a pass up to his forwards would make him a more reliable puck-moving presence. The skating and physicality give him the baseline tools to project to a depth OHL defender who can kill penalties and be a disruptor without the puck.

As always, I noted the physical tools in Liam’s game. The large frame, long stride, and powerful skating all offer the foundation for a projectable player moving forward. I mainly noted these tools on the defensive side of the puck, using his size and reach to take away time and space, aggressively defending to win back possession. Nothing flashy, just a good showing of how his physical tools can be leveraged to shut down plays.

Nelson’s skating and desire to leverage his mobility was the key to my notes. Whether he was defending, carrying pucks up ice, or pinching in the offensive zone to keep a play alive, it all revolved around how he could get around the ice with ease. Especially when transitioning pucks up ice, his skating enabled him to gain separation from defenders, propelled past them with his powerful stride, securing clean zone entries on numerous occasions. Liam scored one of the Kings’ goals, activating to follow up with the play, receive a drop pass, and blasting one home from the slot. Nelson was that promising blend of a mobile defender who was involved in all facets of the game, making for a good first showing of the year.

Nelson was the second defender on Team SCTA who showed positively. Liam showed a composed, responsible side to his game in this one, consistently making calm plays under pressure to maintain possession. Almost every time he touched the puck, he showed confidence and patience, taking his time to scan for options and typically making the right decision to find a passing outlet. He just always seemed to make the quick reads, making him one of the most impactful puck movers on Team SCTA. The foundational tools in his mobility and size are there, and with how successful he was as a puck mover, it all made for a solid first impression.

One of the stars of the game for me was defenseman Liam Nelson, and his smooth skating ability is something that stood out to me at both ends of the ice. He evaded forecheckers well with the puck on his stick thanks to his neat edgework, creating and accessing passing lanes to safely get the puck out of the defensive zone. He was instrumental in breaking out of the defensive end, not just with his passing ability, but his puck carrying as well where he did a nice job keeping a low center of gravity and using his body position and free hand well to keep sticks away from the puck as he marched up the ice. He defended well and showed a physical edge, getting chippy at times and throwing solid hits to slow up the attack and separate the man from the puck. He was involved at the point on offense and he found a way to get shots through to the net effectively, accessing those shooting lanes and looking to generate rebounds or finding the sticks of his forwards for redirect opportunities like on Adams’s goal.