New Look Rangers

This year's edition of the Kitchener Rangers looks considerably different than last year's team. After finishing with the third worst record in the league the Rangers did some shopping and added many key players to their roster. Jeremy Morin, Atlanta's second round pick and goaltender Brandon Maxwell, Colorado's sixth round pick fled the USNDTP to join the Rangers. The blueline has been completely revamped with the likes of Columbus first rounder John Moore who decided to play in the OHL as opposed to the USHL. They also built through the draft as Ryan Murphy (3rd overall) gives the team a premier puck moving defender the likes of which has not been seen since Paul Coffey. Up front, first round Import selection Gabriel Landeskog promises to be a potential first round NHL selection next year while second year centre and draft eligible Jeffrey Skinner looks poised to make a splash in the first round of this year's NHL draft.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn looks at several Kitchener Rangers including NHL draft picks John Moore, Jeremy Morin and Brandon Maxwell, as well as future draft prospects Jeffrey Skinner, Alex Aleardi, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Murphy.

Jeff Skinner (2010), C, Kitchener

First-line centre returns to the Rangers after winning a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka tournament .. despite playing on the fourth line, he was able to chip in several goals during the tournament including two in the final game .. an immensely talented forward who has a knack for getting into prime scoring areas .. he can burst into the open ice and can rifle a shot from his off wing .. patient with open ice he does have more of a shooter's mentality .. at times, he can be downright selfish .. he has a nice set of wheels and is always in motion, which lets him pounce on loose pucks/rebounds that are created by his initial shot .. plays with sandpaper and is not afraid to fight for pucks, as he will claw and scratch to win battles .. stays low to the ice and stickhandles with the puck in his feet making it very difficult to separate him from it .. if a player tries to poke check him he will instinctively fall to the ice in an attempt to draw a penalty .. not against diving to get a call, he needs to eliminate this component of his game at the next level .. he is very deceptive as to how he goes about it but he is starting to gain a reputation in the league as such .. playing defence with more diligence and coming back with regularity .. he has some maturity issues that will need to be ironed out but his competitiveness and raw offensive skill make him a highly sought after prospect who has an outside chance of slipping into the first round .. plays a game that is a cross between Derek Roy and Mark Recchi.

Alex Aleardi (2010), C, Kitchener

Aleardi struggled in his first season with the Rangers but appears to be better prepared in his second season .. has started to put up points with regularity playing on a third unit and seeing occasional second-unit PP time .. on the small side (5-9, 165) he did put on 17 pounds in the off-season, which has allowed him to fight through checks .. last year he was simply muscled aside when competing for loose pucks .. he has stickhandling prowess, as he is tricky 1-1, yet he is not overly agile .. has yet to showcase his finishing skills even though he was an accomplished midget player averaging more than a point a game for Compuware .. still trying to find his role in particular games, as his size and limited breakaway speed cripples his involvement against particular teams .. needs some room to flourish and is still adjusting to lack of time and space .. has potential to become a good junior player given time to blossom and mature but given his lack of dynamic skills and size at this stage, it is rather unlikely he becomes a top-five round selection in this year's NHL entry draft.

John Moore (CBJ), D, Kitchener

Moore slipped last year in the eyes of many NHL draft pundits - falling on the laps of the Blue Jackets 21st overall when hometown Minnesota Wild balked at him and choosing Nick Leddy instead .. after two successful campaigns with Chicago in the USHL, Moore decided to join the OHL ranks in an effort to play more games and accelerate his pro career .. thus far, the move has not proved to be beneficial, as Moore looks out of his element and has been a virtual non-factor, despite the early success of the Rangers .. started his OHL career with three points (two goals) against Saginaw and has since disappeared with no goals in his last nine games .. boasts NHL skating ability, as his fluid stride and pivot abilities are elite .. at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he rarely (if ever) finishes a hit and seems completely reluctant to impose his size on forwards .. has one minor penalty in 10 contests further showcasing his inability to get involved .. he does not seem afraid but is rather timid .. his puck decisions have also come into question this season, as he makes many suspect plays with it .. not a blazer in terms of speed, he rarely rushes the puck up ice and does not appear to have strong puckhandling skills .. his shot is average, low and to the net but it will not overpower any goalie, rather it will be tipped in front .. needs to make quicker players and eliminate risk from his game .. Moore looks like a player but is not playing up to his potential.

Jeremy Morin (Atl), LW, Kitchener

Morin joins the Rangers after a heralded season with the USNDTP where he scored 26 goals in 46 games en route to being the Thrashers second round selection (45th overall) .. a natural goal scorer, whose shot, release and instincts prevail in most offensive scenario's and are simply lethal on the PP .. a shifty skater whose jump off the mark suffers but he has a decent stride and is balanced .. has a knack for getting to loose pucks, as his hockey intelligence cannot be measured in the offensive or neutral zone .. can draw guys to him and make a series of moves to either embarrass them or put him into a better shooting or passing lane .. his hands are lightning quick and he could be the most gifted goal scorer in the entire OHL .. he is not a power forward but he goes into traffic areas and has soft hands to cradle passes and release his shot .. sees the ice very well that he can also make unsuspecting passes .. not physical or mean, he is an honest player who is not shy from taking or receiving the body .. an elite athlete whose development in the OHL should help him reach his NHL goals, as he is highly regarded by the Thrashers organization.

Brandon Maxwell (Col), G, Kitchener

Following an up-down season last year splitting time with both the U17 and U18 USNDTP, he managed to salvage his draft stock with a modest performance in the playoffs going 5-4 with a .915 save percentage .. dual citizen joins the Rangers following a trade with Windsor after the Spitfires acquired his rights from Erie, as he was originally an Otters second round selection .. appears to have lost his swagger, as his confidence in all facets of his game has dropped considerably prior to his involvement with the USNDTP .. does not handle the puck like he used to in minor when he was absolutely dominant, often making head man passes and acting like a third defender alongside former team mates Doherty (Kingston) and Ellis (Windsor) .. butterfly goalie that possesses neither a strong blocker or glove .. relies on his athleticism but tends to over commit to shots, albeit he recovers well .. has not been a game saver for the Rangers and despite his winning record in the early going, the Rangers have yet to play competitive teams .. appears to be a shadow of his former self and may have peeked too soon in minor hockey.

Gabriel Landeskog (2011), RW, Kitchener

Landeskog is doing his best to erase perceptions that Swedish players are not physical enough to play in the OHL .. widely respected by his teammates, Landeskog shows little trepidation and eagerly engages in fights to defend his teammates - already has two fighting majors .. commands a lot of attention due to his effort .. he is the work boot on the second unit and readily fishes out pucks for centring feeds to Morin .. the success of Morin can be chalked up to Landeskog whose slick moves and brute strength has opened up the ice for everyone he plays with .. bullies his way into heavy traffic areas and is such a powerful skater that he can often leave a defenseman standing still while prying a puck forward and generating an odd-man break .. controls the play with the puck and is exhibiting more patience with every game as he adjusts to the pace of the league .. his balance and strength are on constant display, as he is often being pulled and tugged at, yet still manages to get a shot off (even on one leg) .. a highly sought after player for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he has a chance to make the Swedish WJC team, a team that is heavily favoured to break Canada's run of six consecutive gold medals .. he plays a game that is a cross between Roenick and Forsberg.

Ryan Murphy (2011), D, Kitchener

The Rangers took a quantum leap in addressing their lack of defensive scoring by selecting Murphy 3rd overall in last year's OHL draft .. the Rangers defensive corps scored a collective 12 goals between them, Murphy could easily score that many this season alone .. he is a natural in terms of being able to exit the zone with the puck, as he has a Bobby Orr-esque-type-of-manner to shake off forwards and get deep into the opposition's zone .. he is an effortless skater with multiple levels of acceleration and is a human breakout .. his natural puckhandling ability and vision make him a fixture on the PP all the more impressive when one considers his youthful age .. a slight build, he will need to add some bulk to his frame .. he struggles defending his goal, as his defensive reads are simply not there .. he is easily beaten toward the side of the goal due to his improper positioning and lack of physical strength .. nonetheless, he brings such a rich offensive game to the table that these shortcomings are overlooked, at least at this point .. Murphy makes things happen and puts team's on their heels when he has the puck in his possession, it is scary to think how good he will become in a few years when he is older and more physically mature .. he should play on the top pairing for Team Ontario at the U17 and thrive as a result.