NHL Prospect – Mikkel Boedker

couchman — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:57:39 GMT

If, as they say, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, nobody has bothered to tell Mikkel Boedker.

On the cusp of realizing his NHL dream, Boedker's journey has taken him from Denmark to Sweden and now Canada where, under popular head coach/GM Peter DeBoer, he broke out with a stellar rookie season with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers.

Next stop, the NHL, where Boedker could very well be a Top-10 selection in the NHL Entry Draft next month.

"I decided to come over (to Canada) because my heart told me it was the right thing for me to do and it has been the best time of my life, on and off the ice," said Boedker of his decision to come to Canada.

Turns out it was a wise career move. In his first season in Kitchener, the 18-year old had 29 goals and 73 points in 62 regular season game and hasn't slowed down in the post-season. As of this writing, the 5'11, 200-pound right winger has 35 points in 20 playoff games as the Rangers get set to play host to the Memorial Cup for junior hockey bragging rights.

"This kid is an NHL hockey player," says DeBoer, who many feel is also ready to jump to the NHL. "He doesn't have many flaws in his game. He brings a smile on his face to the rink every day and he's got world-class talent. I just love him."

Knowing he needed to turn up the competition level if he was to maximize his potential, Boedker left Demark at 15 to sharpen his claws in Sweden before coming over to this side of the Atlantic.

It's a decision that is destined to play rewarding dividends early in the NHL draft.

BORN: Dec. 16, 1989
HOMETOWN: Brandby, Denmark
CHL DRAFT: 5th overall in 2007 CHL Import Draft
CSS FINAL RANKING: 11th among North American skaters
SNAP SHOTS: Racked up 73 points in 62 regular-season games in his rookie season with the Kitchener Rangers...Posted two goals and four assists in six games for Denmark at the 2008 World Junior Hockey Championship...Helped Frölunda to the 2006-07 Swedish junior championship with 49 points in 39 games.

Kitchener Rangers jersey-burning may have Bulls feeling heat at Memorial Cup

henwood — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:01:10 GMT

So, boys and girls, let's talk about what we've learned so far in the OHL championship between the Kitchener Rangers and the Belleville Bulls?

Lesson #1, never count a team down 3-0 in a series out completely. Secondly, it isn't exactly Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe, but these two teams really can't stand one another. Oh, finally— and, pay attention, this is an important one — OHL jerseys are asbestos-free.

Looks like this series took a serious turn towards Nastyville during Game 2 in Belleville when Geoff Killing of the Bulls tossed the jersey of Mike Mascioli into a bloodthirsty crowd after Mascioli gave Stephen Blunden a brief lesson in Ass Whoppin' 101.

Apparently, a few Belleville fans either can't stand red, white and blue together or concluded Mascioli hadn't seen a bar of soap in a few days, as one of them torched Mascioli's jersey with a lighter. No word yet if the campfire atmosphere caused anyone to break out in a verse of Kumbaya or Beans, Beans The Noisy Fruit.

OK, so both the Bulls and Rangers have already earned a berth in the Memorial Cup and perhaps this is a little gamesmanship leading up to the quest for junior hockey supremacy. Maybe it is more than that, and the teams really can't be in the same city together. But uh, Belleville needs to be reminded that the Memorial Cup will be staged in — get ready for it — Kitchener, where they will be welcomed with the same sort of open-armed glee reserved for Roger Clemens when he pounds on Brian McNamee's door.

Nothing wrong with a nasty little rivalry, but some liquored-up doofus in the stands has officially made the Bulls Public Enemy #1 in southwestern Ontario. Enjoy your trip — and the police escort — boys.

With a pummeling of Blunden and his showboating afterwards, Mascioli may have become the most hated man in Belleville.

It's nothing compared to the welcome the Bulls can expect in Kitchener later this month.

NHL Prospect - Kyle Beach

editor — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:28:34 GMT

No one knows for sure how long Kyle Beach will have to wait to hear his name called next month at the NHL Entry Draft.

It could be early — as in the top five — but Beach's volatile temper and reckless style of play may scare away some teams and drop him out of the top ten. Like Beach himself, where he will be picked is hit or miss.

No one knows, not even Beach himself.

One thing seems to be unanimous. If Beach can keep his temper in check, and that is a monumental "if", the Everett Silvertips' sparkplug could, and we stress could, become the quintessential power forward down the road in the NHL.

Now it is just a matter of who will roll the dice with the enigmatic center and just how early that "who" will pick.

"He's got a big mouth. He chirps. He plays on the edge and crosses the line, for sure ... his reputation for doing stuff goes back to bantam," said a WHL executive.

I guess when you are 6'3 and tip the scales at over 200 pounds, you are afforded the luxury of lipping off. But Beach has also proven himself to be quite handy around the net, playing at a point-per-game pace in the regular season.

Of course, the other side of that coin — and with Beach, you know there will be another side — is he has piled up over 400 PIM in the past two seasons, which may lead several teams to take a pass on him.

"I've always kind of done it," Beach said of his scrappy behavior in an interview with the CHL's Aaron Bell late last year. "For me to be doing it now is nothing different than before. I've been compared to a guy like Darcy Tucker when he played in the WHL. As he learned to control it and use it at the proper time, it became quite useful and helped him out quite a bit. It's just part of my game and the way I play."

One thing is certain. The team that drafts Kyle Beach this summer may have a diamond in the rough of the NHL draft.

Then again, they may also want to brush up on their penalty killing techniques in practice. They may need it.

BORN: Jan. 13, 1990
HOMETOWN: Kelowna, BC POSITION: C/LW
WHL DRAFT: Everett Silvertips first-round selection (10th overall), 2005 WHL Bantam Draft
CSS FINAL RANKING: 7th among North American skaters
SNAP SHOTS: Had 60 points in 60 regular season games with the 'Tips in 2007-08, but was blanked in four playoff games...In 2006-07 regular season, was plus-27...Had 418 PIM in his past two WHL regular seasons...Named the WHL Rookie of the Year in 2006-07.

Memorial Cup chances unchanged for Rangers with Steve Mason on shelf

editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:05:12 GMT

The hockey gods weren't looking too kindly on Kitchener Rangers fans last week.

When news came out that Steve Mason, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect and hotshot Rangers goaltender, was going under the knife for a knee issue, you could hear the collective groan coming from fans and management.

The prognosis, post-surgery? Four-to-six weeks recovery with the Memorial Cup slated to start only four weeks from now. Yes, the math sucks.

Luckily for the Rangers, they've got another stud in net, a diamond-in-the-rough if you will, that has stepped up to the plate.

Rookie Josh Unice has been just short of spectacular since replacing Mason against the Sarnia Sting and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He's won 6 of 7 and sports a 2.35 GAA in that span.

‘Hounds fans must have thought they hit paydirt with the switch. Monday night, during Game 4, fans were heard chanting ‘You're not Mason' towards Unice. They're right, he's not, but that's not the greatest of news for Soo fans.

As I said six weeks ago, Mason and Unice are essentially rated 1 and 1a on the Rangers. There's no clear backup here.

Mason was given the starting role by default after leading Canada to the World Junior Gold Medal. Fair enough, he's earned it.

Unice has done nothing to prove he isn't a starter, a position he held in Kitchener until Mason came in.

Luckily for the Rangers, he's stepped up to the challenge, as expected.

As the Memorial Cup nears, it's unclear whether Mason can make a remarkable comeback. Chances are slim, but stranger things have happened.

Word is he's working hard on rehab with hopes that his season isn't finished. And if he makes it back in time for the ceremonial puck drop, it's an added bonus to the Rangers.

Rest assured, if Mason fails to show, Josh Unice is there - ready, willing and more than able - to carry the Rangers through the Memorial Cup tournament.