A strong, physical forward who plays a full 200-foot game. He dominates with his body play, throwing big hits and tirelessly separating pucks from opponents with force. A solid skater who builds up speed quickly and has a decent top gear. Not going to win many all-star skills competitions, but beats you with the heart factor. Rod just wants the puck more than anyone else and if he doesn’t have it, he will knock you through the boards to get it back. He also has a frighteningly heavy shot. It’s not always accurate, but it’s really hard. His one-timer is also really strong. Can get under the opposition’s skin. Sometimes goes too far with the physicality and can take penalties. As you can imagine, he’s not easy to check either. Goes to the net often. Good character, too. Patient with the puck and doesn’t make reckless decisions, but is not overly creative offensively, making simple yet effective passes. A real good complementary player to ride shotgun on a skilled center’s wing. Rod has the potential of a really good checking-line forward or better in the NHL. Really impressive in the NLA playoffs and at the U18s in Finland. (May 2014)