Harijs has been upgraded to a ‘C+’ NHL Grade.
Harijs Brants (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Game Grade: B, Harijs was solid in defensive zone coverage. He was quick to play stick on puck and showed strength when generating the power to end the cycle through body contact. He displayed good awareness as the weakside defenseman by keeping his stick in the passing lanes, his body in the soft area shooting lanes and especially by keeping his head on a swivel looking for the opposing defenders going back door. Harijs has the puck skills to play either the left or right side and has the footwork as well. He walks the offensive blue line with his head up and has a quick release that hits the net. We do not see him as a long term option to run a professional number one power play, but we do see him as second power play option because of his soft first touch and smooth passing.
Noah Delemont (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
Game Grade: C, Delemont got off to a fast start–joining the rush as the 4th man for a prime scoring chance that he put off the bar. He continued that offensive start with a great pass to the slot on a 3v2 rush for a quality look. He displayed a high hockey IQ by setting picks for his teammates and by getting pucks out of his end by using his feet or the proper outlet. He is quick laterally and has a powerful first step. We feel that offensively his game will continue to grow and he has puck skills to activate more consistently, but we find him to lack assertiveness in the defensive zone.
Ben Roode (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Game Grade: C+, Roode is a big man who continues to look more and more comfortable. He retrieves pucks with his head on a swivel and we noted that on more than one occasion he sucked the forecheckers to his corner before passing the puck behind the net to his partner. This may seem like an obvious play to make, but in previous viewings we saw him hyper focus on the puck without surveying the ice for breakout options. His breakout passes were crisp and he worked to be an option for his partner. We also feel his foot speed has improved and he is much more confident in his gap control. Roode is not a punishing body checker, but he closing on the opposition much more quickly and we feel that in general he looks much stronger. He had a rocket of a one timer in the first period that created a juicy rebound and we would love to see him put more shots on net because he has a bullet. His size makes him a natural to kill penalties and adding strength should make him an asset to a professional penalty killing unit. Roode is a big bodied defender who is improving. An NHL Development coach will love working with a player like Roode and we feel he is a solid mid round selection who has NHL upside.
Cole Huckins (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — B) Forward
Game Grade: B, Huckins was an impactful player for the Titan in this one. The big left shot center finished having won 7 of 12 draws and scored a huge goal in the last minute of regulation to tie the game sending it to OT. He is used on the penalty kill thanks to his long reach, face-off ability and willingness to maintain shooting lanes, but we feel he excels on the power play where he plants himself in front as a large-bodied screen. He showed his puck skills on zone entries where he is able to carry the puck at top speed and make moves around defenders. Once in the offensive zone Huckins is most effective in tight to the net or attacking the the blue paint off of the cycle. He finishes checks, mixes it up in front of either net and also showed a high compete level by out working defenders for rebound chances in tight to the paint. The May 2003-born skater is eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft.
Cole Larkin (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — FREE AGENT) Defense
Game Grade: C+, The right shot defenseman is a very interesting prospect because of his size, smooth stride and ability to play the off-side. Although he only has 11 points through 61 games, Larkin is very good at jumping into the play to generate odd man attacks and he has a good first touch. He makes very quick decisions in the offensive transition game and in this viewing his indirect passes were on the tape while hitting his forwards in stride. He’s listed at 6’2″, but he looks taller than that. Again, he is a very interesting prospect.
Ben Allison (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Yannic Bastarache (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Olivier Coulombe (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Alexis Dube (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images