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…

Stefan Noesen

HT: 6-0

WT: 195

Pos: C

Shoots: R

Birthday: 2/12/93

Team: Plymouth, OHL

2009-2010 stats: 3g, 5a, 33gp, 4PIM, +1

2010-2011 stats: 34g, 43a, 68gp, 80PIM, +14

2010-2011 playoffs: 6g, 5a, 11gp, 16PIM

NHL.com profile > 

Ranks:

The Hockey News: 39

CSS: 35 Midterm Rank: 47

ISS: N/A

TSN: 33 Midterm Rank: 48 

TSN (Craig Button): N/A 

The Scouting Report: 24 Midterm Rank: 38 

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 32 

Corey Pronman: 47 

ESPN: N/A

Highlight Reel > 

What They’re Saying:

THN – “Some kids know what they want in life and Stefan Noesen is one of them.  The Texas-born center moved to Michigan as a teen because he wanted to play in the Ontario League.  And though he got his wish when he was drafted by Plymouth, the journey hasn’t been a straight upward line.  With so much depth last season (NHLers Tyler Seguin and Phil McRae for example), the Whalers used Noesen sparingly as a penalty-killer.  He played in just 33 games, but the extra practice time helped him blossom for this season, when he became one of the team’s most important players alongside fellow draft-eligibles Rickard Rakell and Garrett Meurs.  ‘He’s been under the radar and that’s OK,’ said one scout.  ‘He’s very skilled, has great speed and makes plays at full speed.  He looks like an exciting player.’  Consistency is an issue with Noesen, but his solid and growing frame also works to his advantage.”

The Scouting Report – “Noesen is one of those players that seemingly comes out of nowhere as he quickly became the key cog up front for Plymouth. For those who may have seen him last season, it was actually quite evident that the Plano, Tex. native had the tools to be a player, but just needed to wait for his opportunity. That came this season for Noesen as he quickly established himself as a go-to player with the Whalers. Noesen is a hard working, north-south type player who should be a sandpaper type guy in the NHL that can play on any line. He’s got a hard shot and does a pretty good job of making things happen in the offensive zone with quick moves. While not an overly nasty player, Noesen finishes checks and is not an easy player to play against. He probably won’t be a huge point scorer at the next level, but he can play on any line and will be a very valuable player to any team.” 

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch –“B2011DW loves hockey prospects who are driven, passionate and dedicated to the sport. This native of Texas is one of the growing number of players who are leaving non-traditional hockey areas to hone their games and expose themselves to elite competition. Noesen (NAY-sen) left the Lone Star State at 15 to play high-level hockey for Compuware in Michigan. In his second season in the OHL with the Whalers after being eased in (33 games- 8 points) he erupted for 34 goals and 77 points in 68 contests as a sophomore. Some say he's a real good skater, while others say he needs to improve his initial burst. From our view, he's got some power in his stride and his top-end speed is just fine. He's one of the better two-way players in this draft class, and his goal totals indicate that he has some top-six potential at the NHL level. He's got some real tenacity to his game- he understands where he needs to be and takes his role seriously. A forechecker who uses his vision and anticipation to force turnovers, he also showed a penchant for taking advantage of those changes in puck possession by setting up teammates for quick strikes or taking it to the net himself. Skill, character and focus make him a potential top-30 selection and early second-rounder at the latest in our view.”

Corey Pronman – “Stefan Noesen had a notable year for the Whalers as the hard-nosed winger put up good counting numbers and was the team's leading goal and points scorer. He is listed as a winger, although I have on occasion seen him line up at center, but I don't think that's where he'll fit at the next level. His skating is fringe and it's definitely worrisome, but there isn't anything mechanically wrong. Noesen isn't a very flashy player, but I have noticed solid passing skills where he receives the puck, quickly scans the ice and one-touch pucks on target crisply. The hands are decent too, and can make the odd move when needed. Noesen gets his offense through sheer determination and by doing well in the physical areas. He works very hard along the walls and is a nuisance in front of the net with good positioning, hand-eye on pucks put into the crease area and an edge that gets defenders and goalies off their game. When the puck is out in the open, his game is very quiet and he will hover around the top of the slot waiting for a chance and his shot is decent enough to have moderate success doing that. His work ethic translates to the defensive zone too, as he will regularly hustle on the backcheck and covers his assignments well.”

THN.com – “If you’re looking for a player with exponential offensive improvement this season, Noesen is a prime candidate. With the regular season almost finished, the Texas native has 67 points, versus the eight he registered in just 33 games last season. Playing on a deep Plymouth team still featuring Tyler Seguin and Phil McRae a year ago, Noesen had to bide his time and contribute by killing penalties.  ‘I’ve always been able to put up numbers, so it’s nice to get back to doing that,’ he said. ‘But as long as the team wins, that’s all that matters.’  Noesen has been doing that by playing alongside fellow prospects Rickard Rakell and Garrett Meurs on a line that has terrified the competition since Christmas.  ‘We make a complete line,’ Noesen said. ‘Garrett’s a finesse player and me and Ricky do the dirty work.’  Noesen wanted to play in the Ontario League so badly he moved from Texas to Michigan as a bantam, but he still trains in Dallas in the summer. In fact, his workout buddies included Dallas Stars such as Mike Ribeiro, Stephane Robidas and Brenden Morrow.  ‘I model my game after Morrow,’ Noesen said. ‘So watching him practice really helped.’  Based on the stats this year, it sure did.” 

Hockey’s Future – “Noesen currently is starring with the Plymouth Whalers. The club’s president/general manager/head coach Mike Vellucci said that he’s noticed a marked difference in Noesen’s off-ice demeanour.  ‘On the ice last year, with an older team, he did everything we asked. He penalty killed, he didn’t make hardly any mistakes for a 16-year-old on the ice,” Vellucci said. “Off the ice, he was a little immature -- forgetting his passport, kids’ stuff like that. This year he came back, he was in phenomenal shape, he worked really hard all summer, and he started off great in the exhibition and it’s carried over to the start of the season.   I’m not at all surprised that he’s doing that well on the ice, because he’s that good of a player.’  Noesen credits a summer of training with the Stars for his improvement -- and it was his Dallas-area connections that hooked him up with the club.  ‘I have to give credit to the Stars down there; they did a really good job with training me this summer,’ Noesen explained. ‘This is my first summer that I really trained hard, bared down, and focused on my training to the best of my ability. So I have to give it to them, really. I also think it’s my whole mental attitude -- summer’s been very good to me. They treated me just like I was part of the family down there, so it was great.  One of my buddies that I used to play with -- he’s a ‘91 -- way back in the day, I’m talking Mites, he kind of got hooked in with J.J. McQueen, the Dallas trainer, and he heard a name, and heard a name, and one thing led to another and I started talking to him.’  Noesen knew on what he wanted to focus this summer. ‘I’ve known ever since I came here that my skating needed to improve a lot and that’s kind of what I told him I needed to work on -- my quick starts, going from one end to the other, my physical strength,’ he said. ‘And also one of their scouts, Brent Severyn, he did a really good job with me around the net -- my hands position, my quick releases -- he worked on me on that. Just the little things -- going to the corner, working on my overall strength, the little things like that were the things I was working on this summer.’”

NHL.com – “That intense dedication to the sport helped Noesen develop into a dynamic two-way forward with fantastic hands and playmaking ability.  ‘Stefan backchecks hard and is very responsible defensively,’ NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards said. ‘He plays a high-energy, two-way game … he is smart and aggressive, makes good decisions.’  It was Noesen's hands that first caught Vellucci's attention.  ‘(Noesen's) hands are phenomenal, he works on them constantly,’ Vellucci said.  Vellucci first noticed Noesen -- and his hands -- when he coached a practice for the Detroit Compuware team where Noesen played Triple-A hockey and won a U-16 national championship. He was drafted by Plymouth in the fourth round (No. 64) of the 2009 OHL Draft.   ‘His scoring and his playmaking are two areas that we rely on the most,’ Vellucci said. ‘He has a very high hockey I.Q.’ Noesen also possesses a unique ability to thrive under pressure.  ‘He wants to be in that pressure-cooker moment where he is relied upon. He actually looks forward to it,’ Vellucci said.”

Mock Drafts:

Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – N/A 

Mike Morreale, NHL.com – N/A 

Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – N/A 

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: Last season, Noesen was a relative unknown that got next to no playing time on an OHL team.  A year later, he’s rising quickly up draft boards and could sneak into the first round.  He’s got a great attitude, as exhibited by his move north at a young age, and has a good reputation for doing the little things well.  As with many of the second tier of forward prospects, his offensive upside is a bit of a question mark at the NHL level.  However, he made huge leaps forward in that department this season, so there’s reason to believe he has more untapped offensive ability.

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:

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Breaking Down The Prospects >

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More Erixon Trade Fallout >

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Tomas Jurco >

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Stefan Noesen >