“This was an overall very good showing by Grushnikov. He had decent control of the puck but I wouldn’t say he really puck handled per se in the first bit of the game, he more so carried it along with him. He is a decent back checker and is a very good transitional skater. He is quick on his starts and stops and is able to stick like glue when his opponent is switching directions with the puck. He does well with blocking shots in the defensive zone and is able to get ahold of the puck and clear the zone. He doesn’t have the best offensive zone presence in this game. Grushnikov competed well and was always looking for opponents to stick to and hold off from making plays. He was able to pass around quickly when his opponent was coming at him to avoid a potential costly turnover in the defensive zone. Grushnikov was always moving and held a steady pace throughout the entire game and into the overtimes as well.” – Olivia McArter

“Hanzel has been a revelation for the Thunderbirds on the back end and after the premier defenders in the draft are off the table, very well may be one of the better bets as a transitional defender. There’s a lot of areas that need to be developed to his game which carries risk but the skillset he is honing is putting him on a path to be a dynamic offensive player. His skating tractories and acceleration are excellent as he’s able to evade pressure and make plays without telegraphing intent. I could see him being more effective by really getting out on his edges and really stacking his knee so he is more dynamic, even though I really like how elusive and slippery he is when pressured at this time. I really see a methodical player with how he leads up to plays and his advances with the pucks. He’s got to improve strength on the puck and some of his handling positions when pressured but he combines a tonne of ancillary skills and different types of passes which open up space. His deceptive layers and how he sets up dekes is one of his more impressive abilities as he uses his head and shoulders to lead opponents to where he dictates and then attacks the space created. Controls pucks effectively and I notice him executing a lot of touch plays where he subtly dusts the puck or taps it to an area he could resume possession and go back into attack mode.” – Justin Froese

“This was a beautiful showing from Reynolds, who putted on display his complete skillset and an attention to details as a playmaking two-way center. His competitive spirit and willingness to put the extra effort on the backcheck jumped to the eye immediately, as he repeatedly chased down opponents in transition to disrupt plays. Reynolds knows he won’t outmuscle many opponents, so he instead beats his enemies with sounded positioning, a combative stick and graceful backchecks. He has quickly built a habit of consistently getting back into his own zone quickly and supporting his defenseman against counterattacks by blocking skating and passing lanes. His stick-lifts are snappy, and he can assert his dominance on the puck through those. Outside of pure compete, the Canadian centerman also possesses superb skating abilities, that helps him hunt down opponents as he comes back to the defensive zone. Reynolds flashes explosive first few steps and a tremendous acceleration, which enable him to get to high speed swiftly. He passes from his outside to inside edge almost instantly, which allows him to push off each stride briskly and makes him looks so speedy/volatile. He has an excellent stance, perfectly leaned over and low to the ice for power generation. His outstanding top speed is evident as he blows past rivals on both sides of the puck. Reynolds is present and active on breakouts, frequently using his quick footspeed and crossovers to get free on the outlet. His impressive quickness and agility have allowed him to lead multiple zone exits, where he dodges forechecking attacker and gets into skating lanes seamlessly.” – Andy Lehoux

“I think one of the biggest challenges for the Rockets this year, besides overcoming a 14-day quarantine, will be who they will play with Wong to maximize his dynamic capabilities. It’s early in the year and although his play didn’t show up in the scorecard, I was quite impressed with the bulk of Wong’s play and some of the chances he was able to generate. What’s more noticeable for me this year is the confidence that he’s carried over from the tail end of last year when he was getting top-six reps. His IQ and awareness with the puck was evident from puck drop and he showed a lot of evidence of being able to string sequences together by making quick and precise decisions to put pucks to space where sequential plays could unfold or there was an immediate scoring chance available. He’s a little bit hunched over when he skates which at times limits his balance when he wants to pivot or make a tight turn but his shin angle looks as though he has a couple eyelets out of his skates and he is able to move with explosivity. He could be a bit stronger on pucks and not situate himself so tight to opponents when he’s coming into possession of the puck but his skill and problem solving acumen is conducive with a style that will allow him to come out of such situations more consistently with time.” – Justin Froese

“The way I see Jordan as a prospect is much like those in the agricultural world views winter cereals in their crop rotation. Sown biennially in the fall after the prior harvest season, the crop slowly develops under the cover of snow and ultimately takes longer to mature than normal spring crops. Although the road to get there is longer, if done right, dividends can yield similar to spring sown crops. With Jordan, it’s not so much what he is right now, but what he can be 5-plus years down the road if he keeps improving at the rate he has. His game is based around his efficient skating ability, IQ and subtle platform skills which can fly under the radar but will allow him a dexterous base to keep carrying his game forward and adding ancillary skills. He’s very quick and clean on his feet, showing effectiveness in speed changes and angling with strong edge work but feel he could still trust one of his best assets more, especially in defensive scenarios. He often doesn’t have the pick of the litter with a partner to work with and plays apart from Hunt to balance the pairs but what I saw was a consistently efficient approach to developing play and moving pucks through the middle of the ice to strong receptive areas.” – Justin Froese