Projection: Bottom Four Shut Down

Strengths: Defensive Engagement, Physical Characteristics, Strength

Development Opportunities: Passing Decisions

Over the year, Stevens has really grown on me. He has the obvious physical profile of a player that can hang at the junior level in his 6 ‘2 frame, and is more than capable in all facets of his mobility. The premier element he brings is the willingness to engage defensively, always looking for ways to use his reach to get in lanes and shut down plays. Especially in transition, Stevens was a suffocating force defending his own blueline and often disrupted plays before they could progress into his end. These elements are what I always circle back to that make his game projectable, he has the size and skating foundation, and the shut-down game makes for an easy projection to secure a job at the OHL level.

It’s come a long ways over the season, but I think the key is showing a bit more patience with the puck on his stick to survey his options and connect on his passes. When his passing game was on point, he was quite impactful as a shutdown defender who could quickly turn plays around. Stevens may not be the flashiest player on a roster, but I think there is a profile for a simple but effective OHL player here.

I thought Stevens played a really solid defensive game. He was incredibly active and engaged on the defensive side of the puck, especially in the neutral zone and denying zone entries. Owen was always looking to make a stop early in the transition, apply pressure, and not allow opponents to cross his blueline easily. I always like when defenders don’t sag and allow easy entries, and I thought Stevens had a lot of notable sequences where he was applying pressure and using his reach to shut plays down. In a past report on Owen I noted some of the puck decisions were hit and miss, but I thought things were much better in this game. He was able to make a solid first pass up ice and get play turned the other way for the Wild.

In my report from HEO opening weekend, I mentioned Stevens had the obvious promising physical characteristics of a notable player, but the execution at times wasn’t always perfect. The story was much different over their game against York-Simcoe, as Owen kept things simple and consistently made the right play. They weren’t flashy plays, but just was able to move pucks up ice with control and keep plays flowing and spark rush attacks for his forwards. He brought the same desire to engage, shutting down rushes with physical contact, but the improvement in the puck-moving department was my key takeaway.

On the surface, there are the obvious physical tools in Stevens’ game. Over 6 ‘0, long powerful straight-line stride, and solid mobility makes for a preliminary check beside his name when you’re getting to know a new crop of players. I thought he used his physical tools pretty well, showing an eagerness to engage, get in attackers’ space, and try to deny zone entries with well-timed hits. With the puck, things were a little mixed, sometimes showing a solid passing game and other times rushing his decisions a touch, but overall I came away thinking there is potential here and someone to keep an eye out for as a solid prospect for the OHL Draft.

Similar to Laplante, Stevens brought an eagerness to defend, always looking to jump up and make a play for a puck, primarily relying on his physicality to try to disrupt a transition sequence. At times, it did bring him slightly out of position, but I still liked the raw aggressiveness to try to break up plays and get involved rather than sitting back and letting plays develop into his offensive third.

Stevens jumped off the page in the first few shifts of watching Team Red, mainly for his physical tools. I immediately noticed his more than capable mobility in his bigger frame, as he moved around the ice well in all four directions. He utilized this combination of size and skating effectively, typically looking to engage defensively and regain possession. He used his reach to his advantage in the defensive zone and never seemed to back down from an opportunity to play the physical game, landing a few big hits. He showed flashes of solid puck-moving ability, hitting on most of his breakout passes, making for an all-around solid first impression.