What a tremendous offensive catalyst he was in this event. I think he might have been the player I was anticipating watching the most and he didn’t disappoint with how dynamic and strategic he was for being one of the smallest players in the event. He was bursting with incredible speed, at times had three players trying to hound him, and really showed lateral shiftiness under pressure in the middle of the ice. He gets power from such small little movements on his inside edges and tries to stay exterior until he finds that opening to burst into. I loved the urgency in banging his stick on the ice to call for the puck and his ability to bait players into shot block attempts before shooting around them or dragging past. I loved the touch passing in motion, the patience, and his quick strike ability on the PP.

It was great to see Noah playing in Regina recently at the Graham Tuer U15 Challenge where he finished tied for ninth in tournament points. His eight goals in six games put a stamp on how effective he is at his size to still get high-end scoring opportunities when coming from the halfwall. He was certainly their number one option on the PP as a shooter and his puck control and power through agility made him a very interesting player to try and project forward. He’s a later born 2011 player and certainly is not as big as many others, which makes his potential projection and effectiveness all the more interesting. He’s quick, smart, puck controlled, and determined. I thought he was excellent and one to not forget about.

The smart details began with shoulder checks and net front passes without looking. The gorgeous set up play came after calling tot the puck earlier in the possession too. While he is currently a bit of a smaller player, he still was able to use drag moves while fading away from sticks, found finesse to find passing lanes, and was able to attack the interior when it was there. The pattern that formed from the notes was that he will take space when you give it but won’t physically force the action inside if it isn’t there. He understands how to keep pucks out of reach from defenders. He’s another player where more space will naturally open up for him once he continues to grow physically.