Evans plays with an elite level of poise and commands the ice. He’s got great athleticism to his game, and is an efficient and, more notably, deceptive skater. His bread and butter seems to be his quickness to jump into space in transition. He doesn’t always have to move with pace to separate from opponents, as a lot of his ability to stay unchecked is a result of how he moves his feet and the ability to look off plays with separate movement of his upper and lower body. He shows good tendencies to open up space by keeping his head up and using subtle manoeuvres to lock opponents into a route so he can exploit a lane or make touch plays to stretch assignments and create sequential plays. Has plus tools and is an efficient passer who gets himself in good positions to draw pressure and then find an open teammate. Proficiency to get between the dot line has become a staple to his game and he will take gambles to do so, especially if he reads a lapse where he can sneak low as an option to shoot or facilitate a play. These elements also allow him to be a very smart power play quarterback, with his ability to corral pucks in motion and make accurate passes side to side. He is able to get well-timed wrist shots on net with decent accuracy and velocity. Defensively he is growing into using his frame, and his ability to excel in covering opponents is due to strong skating tendencies and the ability to influence the opponent’s routes. He does tend to get a bit rambunctious and make mistakes in positioning at times, getting turned around and stuck puck watching, or pinned to the boards or not having that ability to spin off checks. He might not be a primary point producer down the road but he’s on the path of improvement and seems like one of those all situations kids who could provide nice value with refinement.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide