Jake Livanage is an offensive-defenseman who uses his skating ability and his high hockey IQ to impact the game from the back end. He’s a great skater, and combines high-level lateral movement and good speed to allow himself to pull away from opponents as he jumps into the rush or carries the puck through the neutral zone. He’s a quality facilitator, both off the rush and in the offensive zone. He can spot open lanes and deliver passes right onto his teammates stick with ease. He is patient with the puck on his stick. He doesn’t rush his decisions and his mind is capable of thinking one or two steps ahead of the play. He’s most comfortable in the offensive zone, and while he possesses strong passing skills and vision, his shooting ability does leave something to be desired. He has a powerful shot but can take a long time to release the puck off his stick, allowing opponents to get into the lane and disrupt his vision of the net. Defensively there needs to be some improvement, particularly in his aggressiveness to try and hold the offensive blue line. He needs to learn when to back off and respect his opponents speed, otherwise he will get burned when he pinches and surrender a lot of odd-man rushes going the other way. If he can learn the nuances of when and where to be aggressive when pinching and when it’s better suited to back off and be cautious it’ll really help his ability to keep the game in front of him, making him a more effective defender at the next level. That’ll be critical in his game. He’s a bit of a project, but with the proper time and development Livanage can be an everyday NHL defenseman who plays solid five-on-five minutes and carve out a role running a team’s power play unit.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide