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…
Daniel Catenacci
HT: 5-10
WT: 176
Pos: C
Shoots: L
Birthday: 3/9/93
Team: S.S. Marie, OHL
2009-2010 stats: 10g, 20a, 65gp, 68PIM, -6
2010-2011 stats: 26g, 45a, 67gp, 117PIM, -5
2010-2011 playoffs: N/A
NHL.com profile >
Ranks:
The Hockey News: 35
CSS: 37 Midterm Rank: 43
ISS: N/A
TSN: 50 Midterm Rank: 30
TSN (Craig Button): N/A
The Scouting Report: 59 Midterm Rank: 36
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 45
Corey Pronman: 53
ESPN: 35
Highlight Reel >
What They’re Saying:
THN – “In a draft that has a plethora of small forwards,
Daniel Catenacci has distinguished himself from the others with his skating and
ability to make plays at top speed. ‘When you draft a kid who’s probably the fastest skater, you can make
the case it’s not a bad pick,’ one scout said. ‘He’s more individual than some, but can make plays at a high
speed.’ Playing on a weak team,
Catenacci had a nine-game goal-scoring streak early in the season. But offense isn’t his only strength – he’s
very abrasive and has a high level of grit. He’s also a stocky player with a low center of gravity, which makes him
difficult to knock off the puck. ‘He’s
probably one of the better small players in draft,’ a scout said. ‘He’s strong on his skates, plays with a lot
of intensity and has some grit. He plays
bigger than his size.’ There are some
scouts who wonder whether his game will translate well at the NHL level.”
The Scouting Report – “Catenacci’s fall in our rankings is
more a symptom of other players moving ahead of him rather than faults of his
own. After a bit of a disappointing first year in the OHL, Catenacci took a
more offensive role with the Greyhounds this season and showed more of an
ability to create opportunities when he’s on the ice. Catenacci’s issue for us
comes down to defining what type of a role he can have at the next level. He’s
a good defensive player and tenacious center at this level, but how much will
that translate to the NHL given his size? We’re not sure he has enough offense
to be a Top 6 guy, which makes him a bit of a tweener in our eyes.”
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch –“Former 1st overall selection in
the OHL draft is a blazing, dynamic, game-breaker- He's the hot dog with extra
mustard and all the relish. Coming into the year, he was looking lost in the
shuffle after a tough season in '09-10, but he used the Eight Nations/Ivan
Hlinka as a springboard for a 26-goal, 71-point season. Excellent skater and
puckhandler who is a real dangler. His father, Maurice, coached
Daniel, Ryan Murphy and Barclay Goodrow among others on the
high-flying York-Simcoe Express minor midget team, so the younger Catenacci
comes from a real hockey background. Catenacci gets into trouble when he goes
into solo mode and tries to beat the other team by himself. Takes bad penalties
and needs to work on keeping his emotions in check. His defense is also lacking
and as an undersized guy needs to get a lot stronger. Make no mistake- when on his game in the
offensive zone, this kid can bring it.”
Hockey's Future – “ISS has loved Catenacci's style for some time now
and there was a lot riding on his performance during the U18s, but Catenacci
did not deliver. The super quick and speedy forward failed to create much
offense and most of his shifts were spent in the perimeter trying and failing to
drive the middle. He started out the tournament with the top line but found
himself mostly substituting on the second and third lines as the tournament
wore on. Still a prospect to get excited about but he likely cemented himself
as at most a 2nd round pick with his subpar performance.”
True Hockey – “Although Catenacci is listed at just
five-foot-ten inches, 185 pounds, his intensity, drive, work ethic and skill is
larger than life. After notching 10
goals, 20 assists, 30 points and 68 penalty minutes in his rookie season, the Newmarket, Ont. native has
emerged as one of the Greyhounds top performers, now leading the club in
points. His aforementioned size has no
effect on his style of play, as the young forward bring a gritty, hard-nosed
style to go along with his excellent vision and natural scoring touch. The 93 penalty minutes Catenacci has racked
up his season give a prime example of that grit, and if you get a chance to
watch him play, you will notice his fearlessness to get into the dangerous
areas of the ice and battle hard for pucks in the corners. He likes to describe his style being similar
to Peter Forsberg, which is an accurate notion judging from his on-ice
performance as well as his stats on paper. He takes pride in his speed, passing
ability, and defensive responsibility, to go along with his incredible hands. His team-leading 56 points are not his only impressive
attribute, as his two-way play in both the offensive and defensive end
continues to improve and show he has the ability to play in all types of
situations. With the man advantage,
Catenacci has been more than successful this year with 8 power play goals, and
you will also see him on the ice while the Greyhounds are killing off
penalties.”
THN.com – “Expectations were high for Catenacci coming out
of the 2009 Ontario League draft, where he was tabbed first overall by the
Greyhounds. And while his rookie campaign was good (30 points in 65 games), it
wasn’t exceptional in terms of offensive production. But as a sophomore, the
speedster is proving he can be an elite junior player, with 20 points in 16
games. ‘I put a lot of pressure on myself
last year to perform well,’ Catenacci said, ‘and I think it messed up my head a
bit mentally. I let the pressure get to me.’ At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Catenacci isn’t the biggest player on the
ice, but he works hard in both ends and his creativity with the puck makes him
dangerous at all times. His faceoff work is also a strong suit, as he can
dominate on the dot.”
NHL.com – “One NHL scout described Daniel Catenacci as, ‘One
of those guys that's, 'Give me the puck, I want it, I want to be the guy who
makes the play.’”
Mock Drafts:
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – N/A
Mike Morreale, NHL.com – N/A
Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – 11
Deven Persaud, NHL.com – N/A
TSN.ca – N/A
Gary Joyce, ESPN – N/A
Mark Seidel, CBC – N/A
Hockey's Future - N/A
The Hockey News - N/A
Thoughts: Catenacci has speed to burn and at least some
scouts are impressed enough with his game-breaking ability to think that he
should be a high pick. But it’s alarming
that several experts are concerned with how Catenacci’s game will translate to
the pros. Oftentimes the one-dimensional
burners that aren’t great at using their teammates can tear up junior hockey
but fall flat on their faces in the NHL. Rico Fata comes to mind. Nevertheless, Catenacci is apparently quite good on face-offs and some
say that he is a solid two-way guy.
The Rangers selected Michael Del Zotto from the OHL in
2008. They frequently dip into the
league for prospects. Catenacci would be
a major reach at No. 15, but he could be the type of player that falls in the
draft and if he’s their in the second round he would be a good choice.
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 >
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 >
