Day 4: 2021 USA Hockey Select 16 Camp - Once again in this game, Teddy Townsend's skill and confidence were on full display. His ability to play with strength as well as flexibility and adaptability enable him to change directions instantaneously in order to secure possession. His ability to subsequently weave through traffic with skill and confidence often result in sustained offensive zone security. He rarely rushes into a predetermined setup while gaining the offensive zone, but rather, stays open minded and utilizes his aforementioned adaptability to set up secure better plays. He never underestimates or overestimates the abilities of his opponents, and in this he always ensures that due-diligence is taken. In practice this means that he finishes his battles, chases down pucks that appear to be secure and uses every tool at his disposal to move through his opponents. By doing this, he rarely misses an opportunity that he could’ve had, and it pays off, relative to his peers more than you’d think.

Day 3: 2021 USA Hockey Select 16 Camp - Townsend was one of the most consistently impactful offensive players in this game, leveraging a balance of nimble skill and functional force to derive results. He showed a keenness for anticipating the breakdown of his opponents plays which resulted in more than one turnover recovery. In spite of his developing frame, Townsend rarely failed to engage himself physically, regardless of the challenge presented by his opponents. This enabled him to overcome defensemen while making zone entries, and have relatively high success when pushing to the middle of the ice, either off the rush or during sustained cycle plays.

Early in this game it was clear that Teddy Townsend was on a mission to redeem himself after a disappointing team performance in the opening day of competition. The slender forward’s elusive puck control remains intact and was on display in this game, as was his offensive zone awareness as well as timely and strategic puck deployment. Townsend is often quite particular with his passes and is keen to hold possession until his window is just right. His pass execution is consistent with both power and accuracy. He rarely becomes hyper-focused on a particular outcome, but rather allows himself to float and adapt when playing without the puck. When given an open sliver of ice, Townsend has the confidence and ability to exploit it with his speed and modest strength. He injects creativity as necessary to extend the play, but if he’s given an opportunity to approach the net, does not overcomplicate things, and will cash in on his opportunity to earn a scoring chance. In that sense, he’s not a player who will often be chastised for not taking advantage of opportunities. On the powerplay his creativity and adaptability registered strongly as well. He’s not afraid to “color outside the lines” so to speak, in a way that he doesn’t necessarily follow the boundaries of an x’s and o’s structure, bur rather adapts to optimize the movement of play in the best way that he can. In my opinion, this is far superior to a player who is fixated on a particular structure and cannot or chooses not to adapt. Townsend doesn’t need to memorize every aspect of a set play, but rather, shows that he possesses the inherent awareness necessary to make most plays work for him in some capacity.