One word always comes to mind when I watch Quinn, smooth. He’s very athletic and is solid at pretty much everything, especially his skating. He is quick transitioning from forwards to backwards and can keep up with guys while skating backwards very effortlessly. Paired with that, he did a great job getting his stick on attacking players early on rushes and being hard to play against. He also landed a few crushing hits this tournament. One of his best plays came early in game one when he forced a turnover below his own goal line, picked up the puck, stopped up behind his own net, and then layered a beautiful sauce pass between two guys to Fowler in the neutral zone, springing him on a breakaway.

He grows on me most games that I watch. There were moments of heavier shot releases, pivoting his hips to protect, and using good timing to bait players to draw pressure before dishing. His skating is quite excellent and he uses that to establish quality defensive positioning more often than not. He can cover a lot of ground from a single stride through the neutral zone. It also allows him to pinch and make little touch plays effortlessly.

Quinn Pickering is a solid defensive defenseman with untapped offensive potential. His backwards skating is excellent, and he consistently made smart, well-timed stands at his own blue line, using his active stick and body to disengage attackers. His gap control was nearly perfect, leaving little room for opponents to enter the slot, and he maintained pressure without overcommitting. He was quick at retrieving pucks, maintaining speed, and transitioning them up ice to start rushes. On the power play, Quinn showcased his vision, making sharp cross-seam passes and creating great looks on net. His hockey IQ is evident in the way he processes the game, often selling a shot to draw defenders before delivering a precise pass. At 5-on-5, I would like to see more aggression from him offensively, finding soft spots in the high slot or holding the blue line longer. With these adjustments, Quinn could unlock more scoring opportunities and develop into a tremendous two-way defenseman.