In terms of all-around offensive ability, craftiness and intelligence there were very few at this even that could match McGuire. He was able to overcome his size deficiencies by leveraging his agility and deception to toy with defenders both off the rush and along the perimeter, using head fakes and quick bursts of speed to generate space from them and open cross-ice seams to set up linemates in dangerous areas. In transition he was able to change directions on a dime in the neutral zone while maintaining his momentum which left defenders flat footed and allowed him to execute controlled entries at a high rate. He pulled off some highly impressive 1v1 moves as well, executing a series of toe drags and feints t beat defenders and work his way inside to generate dangerous chances for himself and his linemates.

McGuire’s best work at this event came in the transition game. He was able to build up speed through the neutral zone due to his strong skating mechanics, which also allowed him to make quick cuts or changes of direction while maintaining his speed to leave defenders flat-footed. He made some strong passes in transition as well, either executing quick one touch plays in the neutral zone to allow his linemates to play with tempo or cross-ice feeds in the offensive zone. McGuire was also using his speed to win plenty of races to loose pucks which allowed him to generate his own puck touches.