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…
Boone Jenner
HT: 6-1
WT: 194
Pos: C
Shoots: L
Birthday: 6/15/93
Team: Oshawa,
OHL
2009-2010 stats: 19g, 30a, 65gp, 91PIM, -22
2010-2011 stats: 25g, 41a, 63gp, 57PIM, +10
2010-2011 playoffs: 7g, 5a, 10gp, 14PIM
NHL.com profile >
Ranks:
The Hockey News: 40
CSS: 18 Midterm Rank: 18
ISS: N/A
TSN: 26 Midterm Rank: 24
TSN (Craig Button): N/A
The Scouting Report: 27 Midterm Rank: 46
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 31
Corey Pronman: 32
ESPN: 25
Highlight Reel >
What They’re Saying:
THN – “Aside from having a great name, Boone Jenner plays a
game scouts love. That’s because he’s
low-risk. Name an area of the game and
Jenner does well in it. He’s a 200-foot
player who is good on faceoffs and does the little things well. And he’s no slouch offensively, either. In fact, he put up better numbers than fellow
Oshawa draft
prospects Nicklas Jensen and Lucas Lessio this year. ‘If he maxes out, he can get to your second
line,’ a scout said. ‘He’s better than a
fourth-liner and he’s got a lot of character and works his butt off. You think he’s a defensive guy, but then you
look at the numbers he put up.’ If there
is one flaw in his game, it’s his skating. It isn’t bad enough to keep him out of regular NHL employment, but it
might impede his ability to move up the depth chart. ‘The biggest question is upside,’ another
scout said. ‘He does everything all
right, but it would be border-line to say he’s a top-two line guy.’”
The Scouting Report – “Jenner is a big riser in our final
rankings; although we were probably guilty of leaving him a little low in the
mid-terms. The former 4th overall pick in the 2009 OHL Draft has all of the
tools that NHL teams are looking for but needs to find a way to put it
altogether. He’s a big guy who is very strong on the puck and is very good in
the dirty areas. He’s become a lot more assertive on the ice; and despite an
awkward long stride, he’s doing a better job of spanning the whole 200 feet. If
everything works out for Jenner, he should be a dependable two-way center who
will look good on your second line, but we feel he has a lot of maturing; both
physically and mentally, that needs to be done in order to fulfill that
potential.”
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch –“Another passionate, character
player who can do a little bit of everything, but may not be a high-end guy,
where Jenner goes in the draft is going to be a hot topic of debate between now
and June 24-25. The biggest knock on Jenner coming into the year was on his
skating, but scouts say he's noticeably improved. While he won't ever be one of
those "plus skaters" you hear about, but when we watched him in
January, he showed no major flaws in action against Kitchener. One NHL scout we know told us that
Jenner ‘skates his bag off’ and is one of those living cliches as the kid who
will go through the wall for his team. He's a strong faceoff guy who is always
around the puck and seems to be the type of player who isn't just productive,
but knows how to elevate his game to come through in the clutch. Jenner is also
a strong defensive player who hustles, plays an honest game in all zones and
does the little things like lifting the stick, taking the body and winning
battles for loose pucks. We're hearing that he'll max out as a second-line
forward, but in all honesty, when you look at all of the intangibles to his
game- leadership, effort level, intelligence and maturity- it's hard to imagine
that he'd be on the board much later than the 31st selection. We feel that
Jenner is a good chance to take in the final 10 picks of the first round, but
have him at 31 because of the questionable offensive role at the next level. It
should not be reflection of where we view him as a guy who scored 25 goals and
66 points in 61 games while being a coach's dream.”
Corey Pronman – “Boone Jenner is a player who bleeds
intangibles and gets regular reviews about his non-stop motor and how much he
exerts himself on every second of every shift. He excels in the physical game
and projects as above-average to plus in that regard as he's a bull in the
corners and when he has the puck on the sideboards off the cycle. His defensive
game at even-strength and the penalty kill is solid and he's a player who a
coach can trust to put out for defensive and late game situations. His puck skills
touch average and while I've seen him display solid vision and execution of
passes, if he tries to do anything beyond his means it usually ends up with him
looking bad. His main offensive skills are around the high percentage areas
when it comes to finishing, protecting the puck and driving it to the net. His
skating tool grades at around the 35-40 range as unlike with most players who
have skating issues and have some positive aspect to build around, the skating
tool as a whole for Jenner is fringy.”
Alan Bass - “Jenner looks to have the potential to be a
second-line forward in the NHL at best. At worst, he could be a solid
checking-line forward that can contribute some goals when necessary. His hockey
sense is off the charts, and his competitiveness drives scouts to take more and
more looks at him. However, the rest of his game needs improvement at all
points. His skating is his worst attribute, as he lacks the ability to put it
into another gear and explode past defenders. His size is a plus, as he has
almost completely filled out his tall frame. But scouts would still like to see
him use that size more to his advantage. Lastly, Jenner’s hands have potential
to make some beautiful passes and snipe some big-name goaltenders – but he
could always use some improvement, as does almost everyone at his age.”
The Hockey Writers – “Not often do I find myself at a lost
for adjectives when describing a prospect. When tackling the prospect profile
of Boone Jenner, I can find no better way to launch into this edition
of The Next Ones draft preview series then to simply state I love the way
this kid plays the game. Growing up on a
farm in Ontario,
Jenner has a work ethic that is second to none in this draft. The physical and
skilled centerman almost seems to be from a different hockey era. I can picture
this kid going up against a Bobby Clarke type player and not backing down and
actually excelling. This kid is simply a
player you would love to go to battle with. Coaches love him. Teammates love
him. Fans love him. Opponents hate to play against him. The major question mark heading into the
season was skating, but he has improved that aspect of his game immensely this
season. Jenner is one of the safest picks in this year’s draft. He is also able
to elevate his game as the stakes get bigger. In the fantastic 2003 draft, Mike Richards went
24th overall. NHL GMs and scouting teams likely will not let history
repeat itself with Boone. Jenner should definitely go in the first round in
June. Some see him as a top 15 pick. I would not be shocked to see a team be
totally enamored with him and take him off the board in the top 10.”
NHL.com – “Boone certainly has caught the eye of scouts,
proving to be a pretty nimble playmaker while scoring more than his share of
game-winning goals, as well as blocking shots and delivering crunching hits
along the boards for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. In his
second season with the team, the 6-foot, 194-pound center has 6 goals, 19
points and a plus-5 rating through 22 games while playing on a line
with Christian Thomas and Alain Berger, who rank first and second,
respectively, on the team in scoring. In
Jenner's case, however, it's more the things he does away from the puck that
has impressed scouts. ‘I'm just trying
to do everything out there and not just be offensive or good with the puck,’
Jenner said. ‘I try to play well in the defensive zone, and when I don't have
the puck I'm always in pursuit of it, trying to help my team in every way.’ ‘The phrase, 'I want 20 of those guys on my
team,' gets overused, but it not only applies to Boone, he can be the poster
boy for it,’ NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards told NHL.com. … ‘Boone does
what it takes to win,’ Edwards said. ‘He blocks shots, wins battles along the
boards and is an outstanding forechecker. He wants to be first to the puck
every time. He's solid on his skates and fights through checks on his way to
the net. He sees the ice very well and has excellent anticipation. His
puckhandling and overall puck skill are very good, he's used in all situations
and logs a lot of ice every night.’”
Mock Drafts:
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – 15
Mike Morreale, NHL.com – 25
Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – N/A
Deven Persaud, NHL.com – 15
TSN.ca – N/A
Gary Joyce, ESPN – 25
Mark Seidel, CBC – 22
Hockey's Future - 18
The Hockey News - N/A
Thoughts: Jenner seems to be ranked pretty high on draft
boards considering his offensive upside may be limited. He’s one of those guys that does a lot of the
little things, but for some reason he’s much more well-thought of than some of
the other players with similar skill-sets. That said, his point totals in the OHL are nothing to scoff at, so
perhaps his offensive ability has just been underrated. Jenner has enough tools to be a pretty good
bet to be a third-liner, but the Rangers may be hoping for more of a home run
pick than Jenner might be.
The Rangers last took a player from the OHL in the first
round in 2008 when they selected Michael Del Zotto. They frequently dip into the league at the
draft.
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 >
Rangers Land Tim Erixon: What Does It Mean?
Richards Rumors Swirl >
More Erixon Trade Fallout >
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 >
Spotlight On Wojtek Wolski >
Spotlight On Sean Avery >
Spotlight On Dan Girardi >
Spotlight On Erik Christensen >
Spotlight On Ryan McDonagh >
Spotlight On Vinny Prospal >
Spotlight On Derek Stepan >
Spotlight On Marian Gaborik >
Spotlight On Chris Drury >
Spotlight On Artem Anisimov >
Spotlight On Mike Sauer >
Spotlight On Ryan Callahan >
Draft Profiles:
Zack Phillips >
Sven Bartschi >
Mark Scheifele >
Mika Zibanejad >
Mark McNeill >
Brandon Saad >
Joel Armia >
Nicklas Jensen >
Alexander Khokhlachev >
Tyler Biggs >
Matt Puempel >
Rickard Rakell >
Mario Lucia >
Tomas Jurco >
Dmitri Jaskin >
Phillip Danault >
Rocco Grimaldi >
Ty Rattie >
Daniel Catenacci >
Vladislav Namestnikov >
Nick Shore >
Stefan Noesen >
Boone Jenner >
