Early in the summer, Paik stood out as one of the best poles at Maverik Showtime — the ultimate measuring stick — where he made a significant impact in the middle of the field. Possessing a high motor, Paik does a terrific job of getting physical with ball-carriers, laying big hits while keeping penalties to a minimum. He’s surgical with his checks but not overzealous, and tends to be a force in the riding and clearing game thanks to his assertiveness. Going forward, continuing to polish his 1v1 cover ability will be crucial, though that’s the case for the lion’s share of longstick midfield prospects at this age. It’s evident that he was a priority recruit for Princeton, and it’s a really good fit on both sides.

Paik is a big body at 6’2″ and he uses it to his advantage when connecting on a hard slide or getting backed down. He showed patience with good poke checks and slaps to keep his stick active, while also displaying his speed in the clearing game and with transition chances to flip the field as he did when he tallied a goal in the game vs Tri-State. The Rumson-Fair Haven product stays light on his feet with good footwork and smooth lateral movement making it challenging for opponents to get inside for a look at the cage. He plays a physical style of defense, pressuring teams with hard checks and strong double teams but is versatile can also throw some takeaway checks to jar the ball loose as well.

A fantastic athlete, Paik is really fun to watch. He provides a sideline-to-sideline presence, stalking ball-carriers wherever they went, picking up clean groundballs, and clearing over the midline regularly, finding the back of the net in each of his first two games. Paik held up impeccably well whenever someone decided to go at him, as he’s got the feet and hips to go stride for stride and hinder the dodger from getting to a high-percentage area. He’s super physical, but not to the point that he finds himself penalized, which isn’t always as easy for a young defender as it sounds.