The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of 28 on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely New York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round pick, No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.

Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at some of the forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft day.  Today, we look at…

Nicklas Jensen

HT: 6-2

WT: 188

Pos: RW

Shoots: L

Birthday: 3/6/93

Team: Oshawa, OHL

2009-2010 stats: 12g, 14a, 34gp, 28PIM (Herning, Denmark)

2010-2011 stats: 29g, 29a, 61gp, 42 PIM, +14

2010-2011 playoffs: 7g, 4a, 10gp, 2 PIM

NHL.com profile > 

Ranks:

The Hockey News: 19

CSS: 21 Midterm Rank: 20

ISS: 22 

TSN: 24 Midterm Rank: 26 

TSN (Craig Button): N/A

The Scouting Report: 21 Midterm Rank: 18 

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 16

Corey Pronman: 25

ESPN: 26

Highlight Reel > 

What They’re Saying:

THN – “Dan Jensen played three seasons for Peterborough and Guelph, then played pro hockey in Denmark and represented the country 10 times in international play.  His son, Nicklas, is regarded as a much better NHL prospect more than 20 years later.  Jensen joined Oshawa this year and after starting slowly and adjusting to the style, his performance picked up.  There are issues with his skating, but scouts are convinced it’s good enough to contribute at the NHL level.  ‘He’s a big winger who has talent,’ a scout said.  ‘He’s a power forward type of player and can shoot a puck.’  Scouts lauded Jensen’s decision to play in North America, saying it proved he was willing to sacrifice to learn the pro game.  The skill is evident, but some would like to see more edge.  ‘The grit thing is really not there,’ a scout said.  ‘But he’s a skill guy who can make plays.  Look at Michael Grabner.  He’s on his third team and now he’s a 30-goal scorer.’”

The Scouting Report – "Jensen is the first real “boom or bust” player in our rankings, and could be a draft changer when we look back on the 2011 draft in the future. If you haven’t seen any of his highlights, make sure to check some out because he’s scored some of the nicest goals in junior hockey this year. A big, lanky winger, Jensen has dynamic speed and puck handling ability to go coast to coast and make something out of nothing at any given point. As the season progressed, he found some much needed consistency in his game, but we’ll see how much of that translates to the NHL. If everything pans out, he could be a game breaker even at the NHL level, and if he can’t find consistency, he could be struggling to find a role in the league."

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – “Perhaps the best player ever to come out of Denmark, this power forward prospect has it all: size, skill and some real intriguing NHL potential if he could just figure out how to keep his on switch engaged throughout a game. We saw him in January, and he was dominant, scoring several goals, assisting on a couple of others, and playing a tenacious game in all zones. Unfortunately, NHL scouts tell us that he was pretty inconsistent at times. His physical play was also inconsistent, as he had the size to own the wall and establish position in front of the net, but didn't do it as often as scouts expected. He's a long strider who covers a lot of ground with a powerful push, but needs to keep the feet moving. He can really rip it, too- scores more than a few goals from the outside with laser release and ability to pick corners. So, while he brings some real impressive talents and abilities to the mix, Jensen has to keep his compete levels at a higher level. How far will he drop in the draft? Our guess is not too far past 20 if at all because he is such a talented player that a team is likely going to believe they can reach and keep motivated. The 6-3, 190-pounder has plenty of room to fill out, and with 29 goals and 58 points in 61 games, proved he can score with the best of them. If Boone Jenner's motor was installed inside this kid, he'd be a top-three pick- no kidding. Big upside with this one, but some bust potential as well.”

Corey Pronman - "Nicklas Jensen impressed me throughout the year in his performances with very refined technique and an above-average skill set. While he has solid agility, his speed may touch average but the stride is so good and the way he pushes through every step makes it easy to see him being above-average once that area of his game develops. He loves to carry the puck and shows solid to above-average puck skills when he does with excellent coordination. Jensen's shot is above-average now but I can see it being plus down the road as his mechanics are near perfect and the shot can be dangerous from mid-distance. While he has a good frame, he isn't exactly the best in regards to physical play. The frame has a ways to fill out though and it will be a key area to work on before he leaves the CHL. While some scouts have expressed concern about his work ethic and while I would like to see more in the high percentage areas from Jensen, in several viewings of him I've been more than impressed with his forecheck and backchecking and his hustle on the penalty kill. He also does well when defenders attempt to engage him, showing good balance and strength on the puck, but in terms of separating others off the puck in the corners, he isn't the most successful."

THN.com – “He may have been born and raised in Denmark, but Oshawa’s not so foreign for Jensen. His father is from Toronto and moved to the Scandinavian nation to play hockey, so Jensen is a very different kind of import.  ‘My dad’s Canadian, so we’ve talked in English since I was born,’ he said. ‘Of course we had the Canadian culture in our house and I had visited like, seven times before.’  Maybe that explains why Jensen has had such a nice transition to North America. The 6-foot-3, 186-pound rookie has 28 goals and 54 points through 55 games for Oshawa along with a robust plus-17 rating. He also helped Denmark earn a promotion to the top rung of the world juniors with five points in five games in the Division 1B tourney this year.  ‘It was really cool,’ Jensen said. ‘I played last year, too. You’re always proud to play for your national team.’  The big Dane still wants to work on his defensive zone play and shore things up all around, but there’s no mistaking his instincts on the rush and his ability to shield the puck with his long frame.  “When I have the puck,” he said, “that’s when I’m at my best.’” 

True Hockey – “The 6-foot-3, 185 pound right winger is recognized as a strong two-way forward with a lethal combination of great shooting skills and smooth skating. He is projected to develop into a playmaker at the NHL level because of his vision and ability to find his linemates in tight areas. One area that scouts criticized early in the season was his lack of consistency from game-to-game. Although he will need to round out that aspect of his game, there is no doubting his potential based on his play as of late.  Jensen put himself on the map at the 2010 World Under-18 Division One tournament, where he had a standout performance, with 13 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. Along with his country’s silver medal finish, Jensen was named the tournament’s top forward.  He has posted 26 goals, 26 assists and 36 penalty minutes in 53 games for the fourth-place Generals this season. Along with linemate Boone Jenner, Jensen will likely need at least one more season in the OHL to become a well-rounded player before turning pro.  There are always growing pains for a player with only one season under his belt in the North American game, but the raw talent and size that Jensen possesses at such a young age will have NHL scouts salivating over the prospect of developing him into a lethal two-way player.” 

Jess Rubenstein - “If you are looking for those the Rangers might go after there are a couple like Tyler Biggs of USNTDP or Nicklas Jensen of Oshawa.”

Mock Drafts:

Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – 27 

Mike Morreale, NHL.com – 21 

Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – 24

Deven Persaud, NHL.com - 21 

TSN.ca – 28 

Gary Joyce, ESPN – 18 

Mark Seidel, CBC – N/A 

Hockey's Future - 21

The Hockey News - 20

Thoughts: If you skipped over Jensen’s highlight real, go back up and take a look.  You’ll see that Jensen’s offensive ability jumps out at you after just a few seconds of YouTube viewing.  He’s considered to be one of the better skaters in the draft and has a very strong shot.  There seem to be concerns that Jensen is inconsistent from game to game and has yet to commit defensively, but both of those may come with time.  In terms of pure offense, Jensen is near the top of this class.  Some teams may shy away from Jensen, but there will likely be at least a couple that have him rated much higher. 

The Rangers have an extensive history of taking players from the OHL and took three last year alone.  They last used a first-round pick on an OHL player in 2008 when they took Michael Del Zotto.

Season Review:

Breaking Down The Defense >

Breaking Down The Goalies >

Breaking Down The Offense >

Breaking Down The Prospects >

How Three Free Agent Signings In 2007 Have Shaped The Eastern Conference >

Spotlight On Glen Sather >

Spotlight On John Tortorella >

Player Reviews:

Spotlight On Mats Zuccarello >

Spotlight On Brian Boyle >

Spotlight On Matt Gilroy >

Spotlight On Ruslan Fedotenko >

Spotlight On Brandon Prust >

Spotlight On Bryan McCabe >

Spotlight On Alex Frolov >

Spotlight On Michael Del Zotto >

Spotlight On Martin Biron >

Spotlight On Brandon Dubinsky >

Spotlight On Marc Staal >

Spotlight On Steve Eminger >

Spotlight On Henrik Lundqvist >

Possible First Round Pick:

Zack Phillips >

Sven Bartschi >

Mark Scheifele >

Mika Zibanejad > 

Mark McNeill >

Brandon Saad >

Joel Armia >

Nicklas Jensen >