Speaking of one of the youngest players available in the draft, Thor had a bit of offensive responsibility put on his shoulders as one of their top players was out with injury. Thor has the ability to win puck races off of dump plays or beat out players defensively in tighter spots. He combines his long stride with solid anticipation to win those races and accelerate off the rush. I do think he has a knack for using his reach to protect in motion through the neutral zone which makes transition hockey even easier for him but his tactical evolution of turning those moments into true consistent high danger chances is still evolving. His intent is there and the physical elements flash the capacity for more but I haven’t seen that high-end precious quite yet. I do think there is truly a high end player here and there are shades of Caden Price to the way he succeeds.

The big, rangy, right handed defender once again had those moments to bring you out of your seat and make you pay attention to his young potential. He looks his best when moving through crossovers and opening up for lateral options, or showing off that agility and power to cut away from pressure on retreats or loose pucks. I liked that he was shooting without any pause for rehandle and looking to be more decisive quicker. His moments to improve came with telegraphing his outlet passes too much, dropping his head under pressure, and forcing those transition decisions too much when quickly pressured. I think he’s someone that scouts will look at to see how much he’s grown his game this season and lean into the tantalizing runway of how much he has left.

Liffiton was an absolute force on the back end for the Northstars, providing massive impact at both ends of the ice with his intensity and mobility. He plays on his toes, ready to jump into the fray at any moment and his tight gap makes it really difficult for the opposition to get any momentum going the other direction. His quick feet in lateral movement and powerful stride makes his area of influence massive, allowing him to cover large swaths of ice while remaining in position to react and move to the next mark when needed. His size, mobility, and aggressive mindset work in perfect harmony to disrupt defensively, counter effectively, and keep the puck hemmed in the offensive zone. I cannot find many examples in the tournament of Liffiton playing out his shift in the defensive end as he was so effective at keeping the ice tilted in his team’s favour. On the offensive end, he is a simple attacker but shows excellent execution as a distributor. He isn’t the most inventive player, but his puck movement is firm and accurate from both sides of the blade.

I think Thor was showing good decision making and instincts but at times was overwhelmed with the height of the competition or the execution of the plays didn’t favor him in the outings I saw. He would jump up in the play, step into a gap, and at times even stay lower in the zone or in the slot area to drive the net. Other moments I felt he wasn’t trusting his puck possession and looked down at his stick too often on simpler D to D passes and bobbled a few passes in his own zone under pressure. I did like some of his defensive efforts along the wall specifically as he challenged players and held the offensive zone a few extra times.

I think Thor was showing good decision making and instincts but at times was overwhelmed with the height of the competition or the execution of the plays didn’t favor him in the outings I saw. He would jump up in the play, step into a gap, and at times even stay lower in the zone or in the slot area to drive the net. Other moments I felt he wasn’t trusting his puck possession and looked down at his stick too often on simpler D to D passes and bobbled a few passes in his own zone under pressure. I did like some of his defensive efforts along the wall specifically as he challenged players and held the offensive zone a few extra times.