OHL: Power Rangers

The Kitchener Rangers continue to plow their way to the top of the OHL standings. Losers of only one home game this season, the Aud has become a very intimidating place to play. The deal that mortgaged their future to bring in Steve Mason should be enough to potentially put them over the top. The Rangers will have four players participating in the upcoming OHL All-Star game. Justin Azevedo will join the likes of Nick Spaling, Steve Mason and Yannick Weber. As the host City for the Memorial Cup, McKeen's looks at several Kitchener Rangers eager to make impact heading into a lengthy playoff run, including Mikkel Boedker currently ranked at No. 8 on McKeen's Midterm Rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Mikkel Boedker (2008), RW, Kitchener

Had a productive WJC tournament, as he tied for the scoring lead for Team Denmark with Lars Eller with 6 points .. has assumed first line scoring duties in the absence of Matt Halischuk .. plays the point on the PP due to his laser beam of a shot, however he can get burned when forced to defend .. uncanny shooting skills, he gets his shot off his blade in an instant .. he works well to escape coverage and get into the slot .. very elusive and deceptively quick .. rolls off guys to get into scoring position .. he needs to make plays quickly, as he gets bumped off the puck far too easily .. still unwilling to get dirty and his shoulder might be made of glass, as he has yet to throw a bodycheck this season .. showcasing a skill set that would easily see him land in the top 10 this season but his lack of a physical game should send red flags to some teams, as they may question his grit .. as mentioned before, his play in the playoffs will largely determine his draft status, as all eyes will be on him to produce.

Scott Timmins (2008), C, Kitchener

Certainly capable of playing more minutes than he is allotted, Timmins gets lost in the shuffle due to the offensive depth this Ranger team boasts .. work horse who will always make a safe and effective play .. has become a very gifted role player who can play in any style of game .. scoring chances were limited in this contest against Belleville, nonetheless he played his 11 minutes of hockey mistake-free .. his skating still holds him back but his positioning in the neutral zone is what sets him apart .. he is a smart player in terms of reading plays .. survived the trading deadline and should be typecast into a third-line-checking role expected to provide rest for star players while still chipping in the odd goal .. next season should be his coming out party, as he has the potential to become a key contributor.

Justin Azevedo (2008), C, Kitchener

Azevedo is enjoying a breakout season and is currently in second place in overall league scoring on the strength of 30 goals and 94 points .. size and conditioning have always been question marks in Azevedo's game .. while he cannot control his height, he did take measures to prepare himself better off the ice and in recent months it has shown .. skating is still suspect but due to his quick hand skills, it does not hold him back .. he is shifty when entering the zone and has a great inside/outside move that gets most defenseman biting .. constantly staying with plays and seeing them through in the offensive zone .. he is usually the recipient of second chance scoring opportunities because he stays with a play .. he never settles for the first option and is always looking for a better scoring chance, whether it be taking an extra step inside the zone to get a shot off or curling slightly inside the zone to allow his teammates to get into better passing situations, he does it .. defensively, he is finding his own game and it has never been a huge area of concern .. should be a huge player come the playoffs, as the Rangers will rely on him heavily.

Nazem Kadri (2009), C, Kitchener

Will be heading home to London following his Memorial Cup run with the Rangers as part of the Steve Mason deal .. continues to get better, as he adds layers to his game .. his confidence with the puck and ability to create at this level has transformed him into less of a support player into one that can carry a line .. his hand and puck handling skills ooze creativity, as he is being more adventurous in his game .. not a speed demon, he is intelligent on when to make bursts for the puck and backed with his fearless attitude, he wins more loose puck battles than he loses .. he can step out from the boards and make a quick play to get to the net .. a playoff-type player, it will be very interesting to watch his development come Memorial Cup time.

Nick Spaling (Flo), C, Kitchener

Has not looked like the same player since being sidelined for close to a month with mono and subsequently missing a chance to represent his country at the WJC .. looks out of sync and barely touched the puck this contest .. has been limited to the scoresheet since his return five games ago .. skating and overall positioning does not plague his game, although in recent contests he has looked sluggish .. he exhibits great patience with the puck, as he can force defenseman back .. his laidback style of play serves him well .. should be able to bounce back as the playoffs roll around.

Yannick Weber (Mtl), D, Kitchener

No player has benefited more than Weber on the PP, as he has scored 17 of his 19 goals this year with the man advantage .. has been tanning the back of goalies necks with his booming slapshot but his problem still lies with accuracy .. his defensive play has been rather alarming this season, as in a recent contest against Owen Sound, he scored a hat trick but still was a minus-2 .. last year, this could be chalked up to his inexperience in the league, however this year there is no excuse .. his lackadaisical style of defending has become worrisome .. he does not show the same healthy aggression that he did last year in eliminating his man and as a result, is hurting his team by taking more infractions .. PP specialist has great offensive skills but defense wins championships and Weber will need to take his game to the next level come playoff time.

Robert Bortuzzo (Pit), D, Kitchener

Botuzzo was hampered early on with injuries that forced him to miss a month of action and they appear to still be nagging .. he is a shadow of the player he was last year, as he rarely asserts himself physically and too often, is beaten down low .. his development has taken a dip, as he has not shown improvement in any area of his game .. due to his poor defensive approach this season, his offensive game has been stagnated .. time is fortunately on his side, as he will look to recover from a poor first half.