An athletic two-way defenseman. Had an up and down first year with North Dakota. Skating needs work as he has an unproductive stride which lacks jump and looks as though he is spinning his tires. Has the vision, hands and smarts to be a solid puck mover although he showed little to no poise with the puck on his stick many times this season. Often made rush decisions with the puck, dumping it off to the first option he identified. Defensively, the son of former Edmonton Oiler, Craig Simpson, showed good understanding of his positioning and the ability to quickly transition the puck back up the ice. Works hard along the wall and clears the crease when needed. Coaches gave him plenty of ice this season and he will have a lot of time to continue developing with the Fighting Sioux. (May 2011)