@LiamKilfoil via X

As this summer draws to a close, the new hockey season is already upon us, which is made evident every year by the commencement of the historic Hlinka Gretzky Cup. And one very underrated player that I would like to bring your attention to with this article would be Canada’s Liam Kilfoil.

Now, while Liam may not be one of the top prospects that everyone is focusing on in this tournament, he will prove to be an interictal part in both Team Canada’s success through the rest of this tournament (where he is already posting a near point per game average) as well as the Halifax Mooseheads future triumphs, whom he was drafted by in the third round of the 2023 QMJHL Draft.

This is largely too due to the fact that he is a multi-tool player who has proved to be equally effective and dangerous in all three zones. For one, he is defensibly responsible. A coach’s dream center, one who makes an attempt on every shift to try and get back and prevent the opposition from scoring, which is why, at just 16 years of age last season, he was afforded the opportunity to play on the Mooseheads Penalty Killing Unit.

Furthermore, Kilfoil plays with his head on a swivel, allowing him to both see and receive pucks in the neutral zone with ease, which leads to him starting multiple breakout attempts each and every game. And, with his long, powerful strides and mastery level puck distributing skills, you can bet that every time he crosses into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick, it’s going to result in his team achieving a scoring chance, if not a goal. This is why he also received ample playing time this past season when Halifax was on the power play.

So, with all this being said, expect Kilfoil to use the experience he gained last season playing in the Q, along with the knowledge he will gain from playing in this tournament, to far surpass the nine goals and eleven assists that he was able to compile last season, for experience breeds confidence! With this newfound confidence in his game, I think we will see Liam be more willing to resist his initial urge to pass the puck this season and instead hold on to it for a fraction of a second longer, allowing the play to develop further, thus creating more opportunities for he (the puck carrier) to hurl the puck at the net himself.

And, if Kilfoil can do this much like he did in the four playoff games he competed in last season, where he tallied three goals. He will not only become a more complete player but see his 2025 NHL Entry Draft stock rise.