He’s a player who brought a lot of speed and tenacity for me in my viewings. He was trying to be that effective F1 on the forecheck and use his fluidity in his turns and edges to be that true pest. He got his feet moving quickly off faceoff draws and used that energy player approach to gain possession early. I thought he also showed nice moments to stickhandle laterally while at top speed and use a good snapshot to his advantage. He did rehandle a few shots and wasn’t really able to truly grip and rip how I would have liked but the form to his shot release looked fluid and strong. I think there is a lot to work with in an evolving forward like him.

Despite his young age I think Nycholat may already be CIHA’s most complete and balanced skater. He blends a cerebral approach with an aggressive mindset, getting into smart areas on the ice and pouncing on loose pucks and opposition mistakes. He’s not a big player but he leverages his frame well and wins more battles than you’d expect. Once the puck is on his stick, he is tough to strip of possession as he carries the puck in smart areas and makes quick decisions to find teammates before defences can collapse. His vision and passing execution are both strengths he leans on as he controls the power play from the half wall. He was also CIHA’s most effective penalty killer throughout this tournament, reading intentions, jumping routes, and taking smart angles to eliminate options for the opposition puck carrier. He will need to add some size and strength as he develops but he already has a mature understanding of how to be a factor in any situation.