Top Class of 2026 Defensive Performers at One Percent Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During the week leading up to the annual 4th of July dead period, I spent a day outside of Philly at Dynamic Sports and Matt Chandik's One Percent Showcase, where I exclusively watched '26s. <br><br>Here's a look at the defense and goalie prospects who caught my eye: <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":[72103],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668a924d9f0d6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taking home Defensive MVP honors, Walsh is next in line at the bonafide goalie factory that is Chaminade. At 6-foot-3, he fills the net and moves deftly from pipe to pipe. I love his tendency to bait shooters before stymieing them, as Walsh made some incredible saves to rob would-be scorers. In the clearing game, he's calm, cool, and collected with his precise outlets and makes the right decision every time. I'd imagine he'll be one of the more highly recruited keepers in the class.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["42670"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668a924d9f12e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Playing a similar style to the goalies that his club produced in the last few recruiting cycles, Duplessis is active and athletic in and out of the cage, vocal, and quick-handed. He's excellent in tight and on low shots, stoning shooters on several occasions in the first game I watched. He doesn't cheat or guess and is disciplined with his footwork and technique.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["20783"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668a924d9f16c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Part of a heavy Florida contingent for his 91 LI Storm squad, Farnsworth possesses a lot of qualities that coaches look for when recruiting LSMs, even if he lacks prototypical size. He has a really good handle and was all over first-time groundballs, showing strong skills in transition and a nose for the goal, finding the back of the net in his first game of the day.. He's all over the middle of the field and has the propensity to pickpocket opposing midfielders, doing so in a handful of instances.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["42679"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c35c9b73b8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Constantly causing disruption and creating offense, Brennan was arguably the most impactful pole at the event, adding two goals in the All-Star Game. However, I was most impressed with his work on the wings of face-offs. He caused a turnover on the wing in the ASG, but throughout the day he was noticeably impressive in that area and helped his team gain possession, even when he wasn't picking up the GB. In general, he's just incredibly fun to watch and does a lot of things at a high level. He was excellent in June, carrying over momentum from a sophomore season in which he helped the Pelicans to a banner year and earned All-Founders League recognition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16777"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c35c9b7421"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Highly athletic and mean, Stamnes makes his presence felt all over the field. On one of the first plays I saw of the day, he caught his man slipping and got him with a trail check, collecting the ball, going upfield, and scoring a goal. He was a menace all day long and provided physical 1-on-1 play for his squad, never hesitating to lay the body and continually making life difficult for the opposition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["42677"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c35c9b746e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I left Conshohocken wildly impressed with what I saw from McDowell in my first live evaluation of the talented Leading Edge prospect. Long and athletic at 6'2 and 185 pounds, he's fluid in his movements, man-conscious away from the ball, and disciplined in his defensive fundamentals, imposing his will with his long arms to get underneath attackmen. More than anything, I was blown away by his ability to pick up tough groundballs in scrums time after time, something he does better than any other '26 defenseman I've seen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["42674"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668d2e91aa146"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Right off the bat, the 6'3, 215-pounder jumps off the page with his size, something there's not a whole lot of in this class on defense. After watching him for a few games, it's easy to gain an appreciation for what kind of skill set he has. Heilig doesn't really need to throw many checks, instead relying on positioning, strong footwork, and smarts. He's still disruptive enough to put the ball on the ground, even if it's not flashy, and it's noticeable how his matchup never ends up creating much of anything when going against him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->