Makar followed that up with 16 points in 13 AJHL playoff games en route to winning the championship and a berth in the RBC Cup. He capped off the season with another 7 points in 5 games, losing in overtime to the Cobourg Cougars in the RBC finals.
Makar was ranked 10th amongst North American skaters in the Midterm rankings and then moved up to 9th to end the year.
The Calgary native had an extremely productive season and has all the makings of a powerplay quarterback but there is some concern that he was taking advantage of the lower level AJHL. There were quite a few times where Makar would take advantage of lesser skilled players that allowed him to make a play that just can't translate to the next level or professional hockey.
This isn't to take away from the talent that Makar possesses as that was readily on display throughout the year. But in order to have a full and complete picture, having Makar play against stiffer competition at some point this past season. He was unable to compete in the U18 tournament due to his age, so that vetting process was never able to present itself.
The 5-foot-11 and 180-pound Makar is committed to the University of UMass Amherst next season, so he will quickly face an uptick in opposition talent. Going to the NCAA was a reason why Makar remained in the AJHL instead of heading to the Canadian Hockey League. It allowed him to keep his options open going forward. He will use the longer development time in collegiate hockey to round out his game, work on his off ice training and take that next step forward.
With any of these important draft day decisions, due diligence is needed to ensure that you walk away with the best player available. If the Canucks are looking for a power-play quarterback with the 5th overall selection, Makar could very well be that player but for the reasons mentioned above it comes with some risk.
That risk shouldn't cloud how good of a player Makar is. He plays the game the way that the NHL is trending and will likely make an impact in the league very soon.