Projection: Bottom Four Puck Mover

Tools: Mobility, Puck-moving, Flashes Of Ambition

Development Opportunities: Defensive Details, Physicality

I've been really drawn to Shaughnessy this year. A 6'1 mobile defender who can move pucks cleanly up ice is always someone you're going to take extended looks at. He's often calm and patient with the puck, handling forechecking pressure well and playing a controlled game on the Hill Academy blue line. There are flashes of confidence too, pulling pucks around sticks, making little moves to escape to safety, and offering a solid transition element in facilitating breakouts.

The combination of puck-moving ability, frame, and mobility give him a good foundational set of tools to project to the junior game. I think he is more than adequate defensively, but honing in the details will be important to maintaining a role at the OHL level. Staying closer to his checks, using his reach and frame more to take away space, and being a more suffocating presence without the puck are the areas I think could be improved upon. The tools offer real upside and if it all comes together I could see Rory being a solid defender every team would love to have in their lineup.

It was a relatively quiet start to the game from Shaughnessy with few notes about his play but as the game progressed, he started to show flashes of his offensive abilities from the back end. There were a pair of impressive stretch passes he made in the third period that were able to spring teammates for dangerous rush chances, including a clear breakaway attempt that was ultimately denied by the Notre Dame netminder, which really highlighted his effective puck moving and scanning ability. He became more and more active on the offensive side of the puck, almost giving his team the lead in the third period when rang a shot off the post from the flank. I found that he holds a lot of useful tools as a defender, showcasing the size, skating and puck moving ability to make impact in all three zones.

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.