A highly skilled and deceptive stick-handler, his offensive game is strong skating and jam. He mixes in a combatant style, syncing it with his powerful two skating gears, getting the jump and using his long arms to fight for his touches and in his rushes. He wants to score and wants the puck. All he needs is a quick outlet and he carries, pushing wide and he gets the step he wanted allowing him to explore the area behind the cage and down low. If the opportunity opens, he attacks the home plate area on his possessions and might return to the scene of blue paint even without the puck, looking to work pucks away from opposing players. His need to score fuels the earnest playmaking and bullish style. Although his skating appears subpar, he is strong on the puck, downright explosive attacking in a straight line, dangling through defenders, like an excellent inside carrier. An open ice player at this juncture, there are many examples of him leveraging outside speed. He, of course, gets open, connects with lateral passes, display strong board-to-middle attacks off the cycle. He can fake out rushing wall attackers and goes for the each time. Or, he will use his high end processing skills to access playmaking seams, and when in possession, linking play between his linemates, while providing a constant shooting threat. He will adjust his shot angle quick enough to find the openings. Highly deceptive on the attack, employing a quick wrister and one-timer as a constant threat if he doesn’t see a teammate who’s driving the slot. His processing speed is an area of strength, which contributes to his creativity on the attack, in carries and positioning. New York State born Centre-Wing who is one of the top players from the USA National Development team. A pure goal scorer who posseses a wide body, and is a high end athlete with natural skills at the game. Wins the 50/50 puck battles, his core strength is high on the charts and he can use it to his advantage in contact, out muscling opponenst along the wall, or to explode down the ice in his first two strides. Gains separation and can go and inhabit the area around the blue paint. Has a powerfully strong heavy shot that he is able to get all of his body behind. He is as much a laterally attacker as a North-South guy who is looking for a teammate and then looking for the biscuit back as he goes and finds open ice. Besides having the desirable skating jump, a stride that is very transferable to pro style, you have to wonder what lateral agility he could add to attack game. Yes, the promise of offense is what teams expect to see dividends on early on. His body and willingness in this hard skill package are what generate how well he excels in his defensive game. Closes on defenders before they expect, disrupts plays with his stick, and his physicality works taking over possessions. His skating jump forces attackers into having to make quicker decisions. He isn’t the USA team player with all the high end skills that propel some towards stardom, but he certainly seems like he will be the first USA team member hearing his named called, and the 2025 class doesn’t include many youngsters with this type hard skill and jam. There’s no telling what more work can do to propel from a bottom six guy and a middle-six winger.
—Bill Płaczek —
