I’ve often noted Shaughnessy for his defensive involvement, using his physical tools to play a shut down role. That style of defender who is always looking to engage, apply pressure and win pucks back for his team. There was some of that in this game, but my primary takeaway was the uptick in his efforts in the offensive zone. He showed confidence and mobility to walk the line, frequently evading charging forecheckers to maintain possession and find lanes to get pucks through. He was active on pinches, keeping offensive sequences alive and helping Hill Academy sustain offensive zone time. The defensive impact is certainly what I see as the selling point for Rory, but adding in a bit more offensive touch was nice to see here.

Shaughnessy played a strong defensive game. He was jumping passes in the neutral zone, defending his blueline, and winning pucks in his defensive third. Whenever there was a chance to apply pressure, Rory was looking to engage and try to win possession. With the puck, he could make the necessary plays to facilitate breakouts, showing a sense of calmness and composure to go through his progressions and find a pass up ice. There were no flashy moments that really wowed me, but just a high volume of smart decisions to keep pucks out of his end and help Hill counterattack the other way.

Shaughnessy was all over the ice, contributing in all three zones. I thought he played a rover-style defensively, looking for ways to get involved in the play, disrupt sequences, and win possession. He was rarely sitting back, but Rory was typically engaging to win pucks for his team. In a similar theme, he was aggressive with the puck on his stick to activate, carry pucks forward, and play more of that all over the ice style game. Both of these areas revolved around his footwork, and how effortlessly he got around the ice, whether it was closing down a lane or creating an advantage, it was all due to his footwork. Of course, Shaughnessy was a notably effective passer, contributing positively as a puck-mover, but the raw involvement on both sides of the puck was what mainly caught my eye.