It wasn’t a perfect game from Fortin, he had a few hiccups and not everything was perfectly executed, but on the whole I thought he was a positive contributor. His sense of calmness and patience with the puck was at the forefront of my assessment. Even when under the presence of a forechecker, Sebastien was taking his time, surveying his options, and making the right play. If he needed to evade pressure, he could, combining mobility and handling to navigate to safety. Almost every viewing of the Kings I’ve noted Fortin for his smart decision making and ability to play a crucial role in their breakout and this was no different in the quarter-finals.

Fortin was a calming presence on the Kings’ blueline, playing a composed puck-moving game and bringing a reliable first pass out of the back. Everything was under control with Sebastien, he never rushed his decisions, panicked under pressure, and was always ensuring the Kings could transition up ice seamlessly. He had some moments of activations to carry pucks and connected on some nice passes within the offensive zone, but the smart and reliable puck management game was my primary takeaway in this one.

Fortin impressed with his calm puck management and two-way impact. I thought he was stellar at getting pucks out of his end, both by denying entries and retrieving pucks and sparking clean exits. He always seemed calm, never panicking with the puck on his stick, and constantly found ways to execute breakouts and help the Kings commence rush attacks. I’ve seen Fortin quite a bit thus far and this theme of a composed defender who routinely makes smart plays has been constant throughout my evaluations and was nice to see yet again in pre-season action.

Fortin played a composed, puck-moving game, stringing together smart decisions and helping his team move up ice with control shift after shift. He always seemed calm, cool, and collected under pressure, taking his time even when a forechecker was all over him to find an open passing option and keep play flowing up ice. The puck-moving and the confidence to make plays under control were my key notes on Fortin, and that also translated to creating offence. Showing both a desire to attack forward and use his passing vision in the offensive zone to hit open teammates and drive some quality chances.

Fortin made a really strong first impression. I thought he displayed a promising package of confidence and a tactical approach to the game that really moved the needle. When he had the puck, I always thought he read the play correctly, made the right decision, and kept play flowing up ice with control. Whether it was connecting on a simple pass or using his lateral mobility and handling to escape pressure and dodge a forechecker, Sebastien always seemed to be able to find ways to maintain possession. He's a strong skater with the baseline physical tools I'm looking for in a preliminary assessment, but I just came away really impressed with the processing and decision-making, which is always an extremely positive sign in a first viewing.