Laus is one of the more projectable players in the class, bringing a well-rounded toolkit that should be a solid addition to any lineup. He brings a little bit of everything: smart positional play & decision-making, finishing ability, and a clever one-touch passing game, all in a power-forward build, making for an exciting package of tools. This well-roundedness is the selling point to Noah, being able play a few different styles, contribute in many different ways all over the ice, play with anyone, and find success. I don't project him as the top player driving a line, but he should be able to complement a high-end centerman really well, as we saw all year when he played alongside Camryn Warren. In a class where things really open up after the top 6 or so, a highly projectable support winger is a desirable option and that's how I see Laus fitting in at the OHL level.

Laus was a primary controller on this talented JRC squad. Beyond Warren, I thought Noah controlled most of the play and was helping his line spark offensive chances. There was just a little bit of everything from Noah, including some impressive skating mechanics, an ability to play in motion, and just a consistent desire to play with control and make the right play. Noah was often the one on his line managing the puck, advancing play into the offensive zone, and doing all those little things that go into adding a ton of value as a playdriver. Laus had all the mobility and handling to dodge defenders, create open gaps, and spark offensive chances, mainly as a distributor finding teammates through complex passing lanes. There were a lot of key takeaways from his play over the tournament, but this layer of a smart puck manager with the baseline physical abilities I am looking for was the primary theme in my notes.

Noah displayed a wide array of tools during the Draft Day Showcase, led by his fluid skating, quality playmaking, and stellar ability to protect the puck. All of these were impressive, and I could dive into them in more detail, but to keep this brief, I want to outline the one area of his game that stood above the rest: his scoring touch. Laus was always in the thick of offensive sequences, hovering into open pockets and finding soft spots in the defence to put him in premier positions to receive a dangerous pass. He always knew how to time himself into these openings, making life easy for puck carriers to spot him and feed him pucks at the right moment. And when his teammates moved pucks to him, Noah found the back of the net on many of his opportunities. While his offensive impact wasn't solely isolated to these moments when he found the back of the net, it was remarkable how often he converted on his chances. Many Jr Canadiens had impressive showings over the weekend, Laus included, and they are shaping up to be one of the top teams to watch next season.

Laus thrived in this game as a passer, creating plenty of scoring chances through his playmaking. Noah created in various ways, but I was mainly impressed with how successful he was as a one-touch passer, never wasting a moment before hitting his open teammates in scoring areas. The puck was on and off his stick in the blink of an eye, taking advantage of passing lanes before they closed and not giving the defence any time to react. He capped off the game by scoring the OT winner, receiving a drop pass from Warren, and quickly firing it home to secure the victory for his squad. Noah has had many strong showings over the year, but I felt this was one of the most I was impressed with his performance, simply due to the high volume of chances created in his passing game.

In this game, Laus did an exceptional job at clogging up the middle of the ice. Blocking and intercepting passes, catching air pucks, or cutting off lanes, Laus made it difficult for attackers to strike through the middle. Beyond this, he showed a fairly complete skillset, good skating, with a reliable first three steps to jump up into position to join plays, patrolling the offensive zone well to maintain possession along the outside, and a developed shot. He was able to secure the game-winning goal by trailing on a zone entry and then activating to move himself over the blue line and into the slot quickly to pick up a pass. Laus looked like the most well-rounded player in this game, contributing in all areas of play.

As we've been working on integrating the Canadian '09s into our rankings, I've watched plenty of the U15 Jr Canadiens and how Laus has always shown well in those viewings. While he didn't contribute a ton of scoring chances, I saw the wheels turning and the tools he offered. His ability to control play within the offensive zone, spin off checks, and effectively play in these controlled offensive zone sequences was impressive. On several occasions, Noah evaded defenders in the offensive zone and maintained possession, showing he can more than hang at this level. His success mainly came from his ability to change direction swiftly and using changes of pace to deceive defenders and gain separation.

The second Toronto Jr. Canadien mentioned within this article, Noah Laus is one of few players at this young age that I’m willing to call a power forward. Listed at 6’0 and 165lbs at just 14 years old, Laus is an athletic skater who knows how to use his size and owns the offensive tools necessary to complete complex and skilled plays. His stride length and power allow him to cover plenty of ground and quickly impede on opponents’ space as he walks across the offensive blueline, he backs defender up well, but also when they decided to challenge him physically, he’s comfortable leaning on them and making steep mid-lane drives thanks to his size, reach, and powerful inward crossovers. As a whole his ability to handle the puck far away from his body as defenders attempt to reach around him and land a stick check open plenty of different passing angles and lanes for him to take advantage of. When battling for open ice without the puck, Laus did a great job at using his frame, size, and strength to post up in the slot as he screened the goaltender and looked for rebounds in the dirty area of the ice. He did a lot of things in the games I saw that give off the power forward vibe, I believe his intangibles and skills will project as he moves up in his hockey playing career, but some increases in explosiveness and speed out of tight areas will help him become more dynamic and harder to contain as he eventually faces larger opponents.

He possesses longer strides for a player of his size already and moves where for someone with the potential to lower his stance slightly more too. He was body checking solidly along the boards, closing out space on the PK very effectively early on, and showed a decent snap off the rush. When he gets into those moments to use his momentum in power moves to dip a shoulder and drive a lane it was effective. I liked him more as the game went along.

I've noted many Jr Canadiens for similar playstyles, controlling play on the exterior and finding ways to get pucks to the middle of the ice. While Noah had flashes of those sequences, I mainly noted him for a more unique element than his teammates. I found Laus to be stellar in small areas, in the corners or under pressure when he didn't have a lot of space to operate. Whenever a defender tried to close him down, Noah had the right move to dodge out of the defender's check and continue on his path with control. Whether this was in his defensive zone to exit his zone or to escape a check off the cycle, the scenario didn't matter, and Laus always had the puck skills and smarts to problem-solve his way out of any tricky situation. These player types are among my favourite playstyles to watch, so Noah is another in that select group that's near the top of my 2009 Ontario watchlist.