With quick hands and one of the best releases in this class, Firkus raised his draft stock throughout the season. He has good-enough quickness with his feet to get around and through defenses and has the hands to make defenders miss. He’s below average when it comes to size but has enough offensive tools for that not to matter as much. Firkus is the kind of player whose team is a bigger threat when the puck is on his stick. He can score from anywhere, but he has the playmaking ability to find the right option instead of just shooting for volume. He had 80 points in 66 games this year. – Chris Peters, Daily Faceoff.

Firkus is one of those little guys who just always seems to be around it. He plays the game with pace, energy, and skill so that you can’t help but notice him shift-to-shift as he dashes around the ice making plays offensively. With the puck, defenders struggle to stick with him off of cuts and when they do he’s got the craftiness to beat them in other ways. Without the puck, he races in and out of pockets to get open. The result is a magnetic game that pulls you (and opposing players) in and then beats them with aggression and intention. Where scouts often ask questions about drafting a kid who is as light as he is in and around the first round (he’s listed at 153 pounds), the way he plays the game has really endeared himself to just about everyone.

He does not lack confidence in his abilities either. Here’s Firkus on the constant size questions and his message to NHL teams: “I don’t care and that’s the truth. I honestly don’t care. I’ve been small my whole life and it’s not like I’m just going to magically be 6-foot-1.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic.