Candella is a strong-skating, smart, two-way blueliner who plays in all situations. He displays his offensive side as he skates the puck up ice, fully driving the play for a controlled zone entry before making a pass or taking it in deep on his own. His passes are easy to handle and are sent with purpose, getting through lanes and on the tape in a timely manner. He has a quick and hard shot that he can get off rather quickly. He shows off some of his smarts on the penalty kill as he positions himself well on the man approaching a loose puck to win control and clear it in a hurry. Candella shows good awareness in retrieval as he senses the time he has to make a play, knowing when the man is about to check him as he gets to puck and dishes it behind the net to keep possession with his team and take the hit. He has no problem taking a hit to make a play and is willing to play physically, even delivering an open-ice check when the opportunity presents itself. Candella is not scared of getting into it on the wall, grinding it out and helping to get the puck free. He displays patience in defending as he gets to the man on the wall, stepping forward at just the right time to slide his stick under the man’s legs or around his body to get on the puck and eliminate clean scoring chances. Candella is a strong puck-moving defenseman with a very good sense of the game in front of him, anticipating the play and reacting appropriately.   (May 2016)