Bernhardt is a puck-moving blueliner. He uses his great vision and hard, accurate passes to find his teammates on the ice. He is very creative with his passes, both short-ranged passes as well as long-ranged dishes from his defensive zone to streaking forwards. He has solid puck skills while also being able to protect the puck with his balance, strength and size. He has decent speed, but could improve upon it along with his acceleration as he can have a hard time getting back to defend after joining the rush. More of a passer than a big shooter from the point, when Bernhardt does fire a shot, he has no problems delivering one-timers and wrist shots quickly and on target. He shoots low, trying to set up his teammates for deflections, especially in power play situations when he plays point. While playing five-on-five, he often follows the play up ice as an extra winger on offensive rushes. He can be a little adventurous in the offensive zone, often leaving his position on the blue line to either pinch in for a shot or dig in the corners. He finds his teammates easily with passes and knows where to put the puck in order to set up a scoring chance. Defensively, Bernhardt can use both his stick and strength while trying to separate the opposing player from the puck. He keeps solid gaps between himself and the puck carrier that allows him to have control over the rush. He does have a tendency to move the puck rather quickly along the boards in the defensive zone when a check could be coming as he does not like to be hit. Bernhardt is inconsistent in covering the slot and often avoids the gritty areas. He is without a doubt an offensive talent, but has areas he needs to improve in his defensive game.  (May 2016)