My notes on him included using a wider stance to slip into better shooting angles off the rush, little slip passes and drop passes under control, and solid complementary positioning instincts. He had ample chances to bury quick rebounds or moments where he shot into the goalie’s chest in decent chances, but overall I thought he was solid. He can flash some nice complimentary skills and with a bit more urgency to his play, I think he could be quite effective.

Noah Fowler was a perfect complement to Louis Oscar Holowaychuk, forming an unstoppable 1-2 punch. Noah’s strength made him hard to knock off the puck, especially along the boards or when attacking wide on defenders. He used his long strides, great reach, and strong hands to protect the puck, all while keeping his head up to make plays. His hockey smarts were evident off the puck, finding open ice in the offensive zone, especially in the high slot, where he got off quick, hard shots. One of his most impressive plays came in game 5 against Delta, when he lined up for a faceoff on the left dot, switched his grip from backhand to forehand just before the puck drop, and tapped the puck through the center’s legs, sending a backdoor pass for a tap-in goal.

Getting things started, Noah Fowler was a nice offensive weapon for his team. He played with a nice level of speed and quickness, capable of changing direction with the puck in a pinch, he read the game well, could react accordingly, and used his skating tools as a vehicle to navigate the playing surface. When viewing players this early in their development relative to their major-junior drafts there are always tools I look for that can be built upon, rather than just production alone. A player like Fowler showed that his footspeed and quick-thinking gave him options along with enabled him to work away from pressure and if needed, send a pass over to a teammate and take advantage of a passing lane while moving at speed. There were a few plays off the rush where Fowler had managed to beat his opponents to the outside, showing some good physical resiliency in the process, absorbing contact and carving out some ice on his way to the net.

He was one of the other strong forwards for St. G because of his long skating stride and his agility off the rush. His athletic movements and ability to shoot off his front foot in motion shows a higher skill set and combined with some solid protection ability at his reach to protect wide and drag pucks from his back left foot to his front backhand at times was tougher to stop in a couple spots. Throw in a couple fakes and cuts to the middle to find a better shot angle, as well as a touch pass to the middle to spring Holowaychuk, and he had a balanced approach to his offense. I’d be looking for a bit more confidence and consistency with him to really dominate possession a bit more but I liked what I saw from him quite a bit.

I enjoyed watching Noah Fowler play with speed and make some effective moves in-step off the rush as he received passes. He was able to create some space going wide on opponents, pushing the puck to the outside, moving his feet, and beating them wide, opening some ice to move the puck and connect on passes as he moved up ice. He showed a decent degree of physical resiliency taking on checkers, working with them on his shoulder, maintaining his speed and protecting the puck in the process. The mix of quick-feet and power, accelerating in short order and forcing opposition flatfooted made Fowler a fairly effective puck carrying piece upon gaining the offensive blueline.