When I analyze prospects in these types of tournaments, I look for different things for different players, based on their age and physical maturity, and strengths and weaknesses.
When I watched Samberg, I knew he was physically strong and a good skater, but I wanted to see if he processed the game quickly and would make sharp decisions with the puck against top competition. He didn't show much offense, but I didn't expect that at that stage. But he checked all the boxes that I thought would be key to NHL success.
This year, I was looking for Heinola to do more than make good decisions with the puck and pass well, I wanted to see a step forward in his skating and ability to handle bigger, faster players. He's shown substantial strides in those areas, becoming closer to the dominant D you'd expect at this stage at this level.
I expected Perfetti to struggle with the page and physicality in this tournament, but I wanted to see if he was able to still make decisions and plays at this pace, so that when he gets bigger and faster he could translate those strengths to the NHL. So far, I think his decision making and positioning have been very good, and his vision and passing are really good. He clearly needs more strength and quickness, but he is already able to cope with a very high pace reasonably well. Now, it's all about his work ethic and whether he can get his skating and endurance to the level needed to make an impact at the NHL level. He seems motivated enough, and his play in the tournament suggests he's coachable and a good teammate. Now, we wait...