At Summer Cup, Pennell proved to be an athletic pole with a solid frame and an extremely aggressive style of play. Pennell was a menacing on ball presence who caused turnovers via powerful stick checks and by taking the body. Once the ball hit the ground, Pennell used his solid build and physicality to box out opposing players until he could vacuum up the ground ball. After he had secured possession, Pennell ran through or over opposing players as he carried the ball over the midfield line. In settled action, Pennell demonstrated that he is high IQ defender who can smartly execute slides, double teams, and recoveries.