OHL: Memorial Cup Contenders and Pretenders

McKeen's takes an early look at some new players looking to make an impact with the Kitchener Rangers, who will be hosting the Memorial Cup this season. We also review a handful of young players hoping to make an impression with the rebuilding Barrie Colts.

Josh Unice (Chi), G, Kitchener

After being lured away from the USNDT, Unice inherits the starting job for the upcoming season .. a small, stocky goalie that does not cover a lot of the net .. very compact stance, he needs to expand his limbs and alter his stance slightly .. athletic, he scrambles on occasion but is able to bounce back and make saves especially down low .. decent glove, he relied on it heavily as he made many key saves in the dying minutes of the game .. handles the puck well, is not afraid to move it forward and make a stretch a pass with open ice .. can get caught flopping but shows good concentration level in pressure situations .. is strong in front of his goal, as his sturdy frame allows him to out-muscle shooters hovering around his crease .. has a good skill set to draw from but alterations will have to be made to his stance, as he is too rigid and it will hurt his game over the course of the season .. with the imminent trade of Murray, he should shoulder the majority of the load with young Marvic Parks seeing limited spot duty.

Mikkel Boedker (2008), RW, Kitchener

Heralded Dane is slated to be a top pick for the upcoming NHL entry draft .. supreme skill set, as was evidenced the entire game with his slick puckhandling skills and ability to put the puck through defenders legs to retrieve shortly thereafter .. a strong skater, he has an elegant stride, great change of direction and an alarming change of gear that enables him to drive to the net often beating defenders to the outside .. plays a perimeter game and did not show the type of bravery to pay the price to score a goal .. he readily backed away from hits and plays along the boards .. played both special teams .. his vision served him well on the half boards during PP situations and his superb skating skills allowed him to be effective on the PK .. has all the tools to be a top-line player on this roster and will be given every chance to succeed.

Philip Varone (2008), LW, Kitchener

Diminutive forward looks to earn a roster spot after seeing action in a handful of games last season .. sneaky and elusive with the puck .. playmaking and puck skills are clearly his best assets .. quick skater, whose short stride is backed by a quick first step .. played the PK as a result and thrived in his ability to aggressively forecheck and force the opposition into making mistakes .. slight and underdeveloped, he managed to put on over 20 pounds to his frame since his draft year however, he is instantly knocked off the puck, despite the fact that he can get to it first .. does not back down and usually absorbs hits in an effort to make a play .. vision is a plus however, strength and accuracy on his passes are a concern .. on a team loaded with older and much bigger players, he may be on the outside looking in.

Nazem Kadri (2009), C, Kitchener

Returns to the Rangers after a disappointing fourth place finish at the Under 18's however, he was one of Team Canada's most consistent performers .. versatile player as his maturing skill set can have him suited on the third line or possibly the first .. creative player who can make the puck talk at times .. fools goalies with extra moves by the crease in an effort to open up their five hole and gently sliding the puck through .. has soft hands and is not afraid to be hit down low to make a play .. thin and wiry, yet remarkably strong, as he can dish out hits and take his fair share of them without falling to the ice .. a pesky player to play against, as he can rile the opposition into taking penalties .. the future looks bright for Kadri, who should benefit with an extra year of junior due to his late birth date however, with the Rangers poised to make a run at the Memorial Cup this season, he could become expendable for the right price.

Andrew Perugini (2008), G, Barrie

A tall goalie who filled out during the summer, as he covers a considerable amount of the net now .. moves incredibly well side-to-side .. his ability to cover the net, remain square to the shooter, and always positioned in the middle of his crease are obvious strengths .. impossible to beat down low, as his quick legs cover the bottom portion of the net .. due to his size, when he drops to the butterfly most shots hit him in the shoulder if shooters go high on him .. at times, he can play too deep in his net and he rarely comes out of the blue paint however, given his size most shots hit him anyway .. average puckhandler, he looked nervous handling it .. was run at during the game and subsequently, was forced to leave the game but did return .. management is optimistic for Hutchinson and are resting their season on him as their starter .. while Perguini is still very much in the fold, rumors are circulating that he will be dealt due to the rapid development of Hutchinson .. could give a contender a chance to win should he be dealt.

Brian Lashoff (2008), D, Barrie

With the departure of several overage defensemen, Lashoff returns for his second OHL season ready to assume the offensive workload on the backend .. has improved his skating and puckhandling skills, as he looks more confident making plays .. his calling card will be his ability to launch attacks and carry the puck out of his zone .. like last year, he will learn on the job and make many mistakes before he matures into a steady number one, a position the organization is grooming him for .. he could do a better job protecting the puck, as he skates with it too far away from his body .. his sizeable frame helps him in this regard however, he was stripped of the puck against smaller, quicker players .. was a fixture on the PP .. retrieved pucks well from his forehand to his backhand but showed an unwillingness to shoot and took too long to make plays, especially on a 5-3 man advantage where his carefree approach essentially cost his team the game .. plays with some intensity but desperately needs to learn how to throw a hit, as he constantly got his hands up and was penalized as a result .. has a difficult time playing one-on-one, as he does not move his feet quick enough .. he needs to make many refinements in his defensive game .. overall, he has a healthy skill set to draw from but he must minimize his mistakes and not try to do too much otherwise, he will become a costly liability for his team.

Stefan DellaRovere (2008), LW, Barrie

Hampered by injuries last season and a series of healthy scratches, DellaRovere has put on considerable weight this season to prepare himself for the upcoming NHL entry draft .. a thick and modestly tall player who is an industrial forward fit for any situation .. his hockey sense serves him well along the boards, as he establishes good position and anticipates where the puck is going to be .. does not sacrifice position in the defensive zone and his play away from the puck is what will earn him considerable icetime .. average skater, he needs to move his feet constantly to not loose footing on his identified man .. little to no acceleration or speed .. he attempts to hit players but does not drive his body through them rather, just tries to separate them from the puck .. will go to the net but appears to lack a natural scoring finish .. is the type of player that will need to develop a nasty side in order to register his points but certainly one to monitor.

Alex Hutchings (2009), RW, Barrie

A disappointing season for the former scoring sensation of the Burlington Eagles minor program .. shows promising speed and hustle to get to the net .. his speed is a positive however, his hockey sense is lacking, as he simply does not know where to go or be .. was caught chasing the play too many times during the contest and as a result, his shifts were .. limited a wiry frame, he was unable to put much weight on his small 5'10 frame during the off-season .. pushed around and constantly lost corner battles .. will need to refine his game, as he may find himself in coach Williamson's doghouse unless he thinks the game better.

Adam Payerl (2009), RW, Barrie

Payerl was the lone bright spot on his minor midget team and the only player selected from the Kitchener Jr. Rangers program last season .. a sort of homecoming for Payerl however, he is no stranger to the ice surface, as he played the majority of his hockey on the Aud ice growing up .. a cerebral player who already looked better with talented line mates .. skating is a work in progress .. he lacks a high-end gear and fails to jump on loose pucks as a result .. smart player, as he made several key passes and did not give away the puck when pressured .. very underdeveloped and he will need to add muscle to his frame to boost his confidence in the later stages of his OHL career.

Kyle Clifford (2009), LW, Barrie

Clifford will be a fixture in the rebuilding program for the Colts .. a solid two-way player who competes hard on every shift .. he backchecked well and his frame allows him to block passing and shooting lanes .. he is a fluid skater .. he coughed up the puck when he was pressured, as he looked nervous at times .. a competent player who is at his best when he keeps things simple by throwing his weight around and being a general nuisance .. a quality role player whose game should improve leaps and bounds by just being in the OHL environment.