Noel is a dynamic forward whose eyes seem to light up around the puck. He utilizes his speed and hand skills to create space. Noel has very impressive speed with great footwork and quickness. He moves very quickly with a powerful first few steps. He is able to accelerate with the puck and beat defensemen while coming down the wing. He is very creative with the puck, making jaw-dropping moves whenever he has possession. One issue that is glaring is that he has a tendency to go too far with the puck and loses his passing options. This makes us question his senses. He needs to move the puck quicker and he needs to utilize his teammates better. He does illustrate great vision and at times awareness with the puck and the ability to create chances for others, but he often makes that extra unnecessary move with the puck. He’s not a big fan of physical play. Another issue that keeps popping up is his effort level. He is not very consistent in his compete-level. His efforts defensively and in the physical department could be much better. Defensively, he shows a strong awareness for his defensive assignments as a center, but he isn’t always as engaged in the defensive zone as he should be. It likely makes more sense to move him to the wing. Has first-round skills but gives eighth round efforts many nights. (May 2015)