As always with Challenger, I mainly noted him for his play as a puck protector along the exterior of the offensive zone and along the wall. Off so many cycle sequences, Tyler effectively protected the puck from an opponent and then attacked off the half-wall for a scoring chance. This play in small areas has made me quite optimistic about Tyler's game, given that it is a highly projectable skill set for the junior ranks. In addition, he showed his powerful skating in this game, playing with pace through the neutral zone and attacking off the rush. He capped off the game with a quick catch and release into the top corner to find the scoresheet. Challenger has been a favourite of mine since day 1 of the season, noting my initial ranking of him in my top 10 was potentially bold, but it's been great to see him continue to excel this late in the season.

On a red side that didn't get to the middle or to the net super often, Challenger was a bright spot in that department. Of course, that was no surprise, as that is what he's best at, but seeing it on this stage was noteworthy. Tyler was constantly entering the offensive zone, protecting the puck to the outside, and trying to cut in, leveraging his frame to protect the puck and cut in. Similarly, I noted a few offensive zone cycle sequences where Tyler used his body to protect the puck, spin-off pressure, and extend offensive zone possessions.

Continuing to build off his successful Whitby Silver Stick, Challenger looked great again at the Holiday Classic. He was a dominating force, entering the offensive with control, taking the puck wide, using his size to protect it, and cutting in toward the net or threading a puck to a teammate in the slot. It's a straightforward write-up, as all my notes revolve around this one element, but the frequency at which Tyler is successful in these sequences is truly impressive. He's easily the player in the class that creates the most chances in this method, landing him at the top for good reason. It's a highly projectable and translatable skillset that makes me quite optimistic about Tyler's success at the next level.

Challenger showed all the tools I've come to appreciate with his game. The puck protection, explosive skating, and powerful stick handling were all displayed over the Silver Stick. Challenger so often controlled the play along the boards, used his size to protect the puck, and created a favourable position. He showed he could play through contact, shed checks, and keep play alive in the offensive zone despite being under immense pressure. These sequences, to me, are the main selling point that Challenger provides. He's a player who can just dominate on the cycle, create space, and then has all the skills required to attack the net or dish it off for a scoring chance. There were fewer high-end flashes of dangling by a defender for highlight-reel sequences relative to the Titans Tournament, but it was still a very impactful weekend for the highest-ranked Ranger on my list.

Tyler Challenger was among the most impressive performances at the Toronto Titans Tournament. He was by far and away the best player on the North York Rangers and was a crucial component in their success en route to the finals. He was so dominant in attacking off the rush, with his powerful, explosive skating at the forefront of his competitive advantage. Multiple times a game, Tyler would explode down the wing, get a step on defenders, use his frame to protect the puck and cut in towards the net for a high-quality chance and, on many occasions, a goal. These sequences were what Ryan Roobroeck was so dominant with last season, and Challenger has re-created them while potentially being a more refined skater than Ryan was at this time last year. The next aspect that impressed in Tyler's game was his play in small areas. He effectively protected pucks along the boards, navigating his way out of tight checks and doing everything he could to keep play flowing. Tyler is incredibly sturdy on his skates, making him very difficult to knock off the puck. He'd frequently control play along the wall, shed a check, and then aggressively attack off the boards and drive a shooting lane for a quality scoring chance. The flip side here is Tyler took a handful of unnecessary penalties over the games I watched. The worst part is that it wasn't a simple trip or hook but some fairly dangerous penalties that could have injured his opponents, including a major cross-checking penalty in the final. As it's early, I haven't dinger Tyler for these actions, but as the season goes on and if this trend continues, I won't be giving him the benefit of the doubt in my rankings. Re-occurring penalty trouble caused me to sour on some players last season, so I won't hesitate to do the same with Challenger if this trend continues.

I noticed a lot of little details that I liked in Tyler's game that piled up for an excellent performance. However, the one that stands out the most was slowing down to bait in a defender and then using an explosive few strides to blow by him and gain separation towards the net. In the offensive zone, I always found him in the proper position, smartly staying high to cover for a pinching defenceman or ensuring three forwards didn't get caught down low. This high positioning allowed Challenger to occasionally sneak into open space in the slot and time himself to be available for a dangerous pass. He managed the puck well in the offensive zone, routinely making the correct play and setting up a handful of scoring chances for linemates. There weren't any "wow" plays, but many little plays that caught my attention that made him the 1st star of the game.

I thought Challenger's game was good in this one, he was one of the more physical forwards on the team and Toronto did a nice job overall winning the battle of physicality. He established himself as a physical presence in this one and did a nice job winning battles along the boards and fighting off pressure, to which he was able to distribute the puck effectively after winning possession. He did a good job luring in the defense when he had the puck and was able to smartly lay the puck off to his teammates coming in with speed to get good scoring opportunities.