You have to wonder what's wrong with his game - his stats are impressive. He's not a huge guy, but he's not overly small. He played for the Pacific team in the U-17's and did well too.
You have to wonder what's wrong with his game - his stats are impressive. He's not a huge guy, but he's not overly small. He played for the Pacific team in the U-17's and did well too.
He's good in corners, but lacks top end speed. His speed is good but he plays a gritty game and can put the puck in the net.
That's basically the description you gave, and it sounds like an offensively capable 3rd line winger.
It's hard to see someone who is 5'10" with "deceptive" speed but not top end speed. "deceptive speed" is usually reserved for forwards over 6'0", who are faster than they look but not quite considered speedy.
If he can get his skating up to a top end level then Ranford could look at a 2nd line role, but as it stands he seems well suited as an offensively capable 3rd line winger. I have him plugged in late 2nd/early 3rd in my predictions, and will be a legitimate prospect.
Supposedly this guy was suspected to go in the first four rounds. Corey Pronman's writeup:
Quote:
Ranford is an under-sized, pesky winger for the Blazers. Brendan comes in hard on the forecheck, chasing the puck and puts good pressure on the defense. He has quickness in his legs and his first few push offs get him off well but his stride is sloppy and his speed isn’t where it needs to be, especially for a guy at 5’10. Has a good work ethic and while he will try to get in to battle defenders, he is easily beaten and lack major strength which is a huge red flag going forward. His whole skill set is average to slightly above average, the latter is what I can say about his shot. The release is deceptively quick and he has good accuracy on his wrist shots. He can handle the puck and is good in tight spaces, isn’t the kind of player to hold the puck on a powerplay however.
Certainly an underwhelming description but it seems like the guy could be an effective grinder down the line.
Is it wrong to be more excited about this player than most of the others drafted by the Flyers today?
Same. I think this guy and Chaput are to guys I am happy we got. I think if Chaput gets some support from other players, he can put more points up. I 2nd probablly 3rd line energy player who can put up points isnt a bad pick to have in the 3rd round. He is pretty much carrying his team.
Ranford, I am surprised went so low. Reading articles about him, most thought he would go in round 2 or 3.
So now an opinion from someone who has watched him around 70 times in his WHL career. Like stated, he's not quite average height but the kid never quits, he busts his ass every shift out there. And as far as having average skills, what in the world is that guy who wrote that article smoking? For one, Brendan was on a team that was filled with a bunch of stars in Kamloops, but things just didn't work out like it was hoped and all the big guns were traded at the Deadline. The last half of the year Brendan poured in on, he average over a point a game on the 2nd youngest team in the WHL with very little offensive help. almost 30 goals and 60 points as a 17 year old in the WHL is one of the tougher feats to accomplish, and next year he should be able to put up from anywhere between 80-90 points and possibly 40 goals as an 18 year old.
Remember the WHL is the toughest league to score goals in when it comes to Junior hockey, and Brendan so far has done it with quite a bit of ease so far, early in his career.
Looking at Central Scouting's Midterm Rank compared to the Final Rank, he rose from 168th to 111th - an increase of 57 spots among North American Skaters. That's a huge gap and among the largest in the two columns.
Considering that 2 hours ago I had heard of none of the guys we picks, after seeing what we got I like this kid and Parks the best. But I'm not nearly as pumped as many other drafts.
Looking at Central Scouting's Midterm Rank compared to the Final Rank, he rose from 168th to 111th - an increase of 57 spots among North American Skaters. That's a huge gap and among the largest in the two columns.
Woah, that's kinda scary. I hope he pans out, just so we can say that we are the next detroit!
Ranford, the 15th overall selection in the 2007 WHL bantam draft, came into his own after last season’s Christmas break. He finished with 65 points, including 29 goals, in 72 games. He picked up 38 of the points, including 18 goals, after the break.
He also played hard virtually every night and proved to be a fearless competitor. He was one of only two Kamloops players, the other being defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer, to play in all 72 regular-season games.
His skating isn't bad, but he doesn't have "top end" speed. However, I've mentioned this several times and that's players don't need to have top end speed. Yes, blinding speed is fun to watch, but a smart hockey player will always be better in the end than a fast hockey player. If Ranford has the hockey smarts, he'll be a good hockey player.
His skating isn't bad, but he doesn't have "top end" speed. However, I've mentioned this several times and that's players don't need to have top end speed. Yes, blinding speed is fun to watch, but a smart hockey player will always be better in the end than a fast hockey player. If Ranford has the hockey smarts, he'll be a good hockey player.
If he has acceleration, top end speed is actually not that difficult to improve upon with a rigid training scheme
Strengths: Good hockey sense. Good hands and has a nice shooting touch.
Weaknesses: Size and skating combination is underwhelming.
--
Underrated skill level. Shoots the puck pretty well. Can do a lot of things on offense. Has good two-way hockey sense. Competes and isn't afraid of doing battle despite his smallish size.
Skating is decent, but you hold 5-10 guys to a higher standard. He's going to need to find a way to be more elusive at the next level if he wants to score. But has such good hockey sense, that I think he can contribute as a 3rd/4th liner.
Summary: I'd really like this guy if he skated better, but at his size he needs to be quicker. Even so, he's got 2nd round offense and hockey sense. So I wouldn't let him slide too far. I think he's great value anywhere in the 4th round.
Draft Day: Could be a nice steal in the middle rounds, I don't see him going much earlier than the late 3rd.
