2011 NHL Entry Draft Prospects: Boone Jenner

Our next prospect is another teammate of someone previously reviewed, Nicklas Jensen's teammate Boone Jenner.   A 6'2", 196 lb center, he had a strong second season with the Oshawa Generals.  Playing with current Rangers' prospect Christian Thomas, he posted a line of 25-41-66 in 63 games, with another 7-5-12 in 10 games during the OHL playoffs.  In his previous year, he was named to the OHL all rookie team after scoring 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games.

Although he's not projected to be drafted as high, Jenner is actually ranked ahead of Jensen and Thomas Jurco, coming in at 18th according to central scouting.  The reason is in part because he is a player with less 'home-run' potential than other prospects reviewed.  Instead, he brings the energy and effort that coaches and especially fans crave.  He's also a three zone player, who models himself after Flyers captain Mike Richards.   He wants to be an all-situations player, which will make him an attractive commodity to teams.

From his nhl.com page:

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards
"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. Boone does what it takes to win. 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."

From the scoutingreport.org:

Jenner has great size and strength for a 17 year old and is very hard to move off the puck. He’s not afraid to get physical and he can handle body contact effectively as well. He has a good release and likes to shoot the puck and wants the puck to be on his stick. Some may view this as a good trait, but with Jenner it borders heavily on immaturity as he is constantly calling for the puck at inopportune times. Jenner’s skating is still pretty choppy, but it’s improving, and aside from that there’s a lot that translates well to the NHL level, but he needs to find some consistency and make better decisions with the puck to be a more effective player.

From Kirk Leudeke of the Bruins Draft Watch:

Another passionate, character player who can do a little bit of everything, but may not be a high-end guy.....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......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.

Originally slotted in as a late 1st rounder, slowly but surely Boone has been moving his way up the mock draft boards, where now several suggest he could go in the 16-20 range.  That means he's another option at center, beyond Mark McNeil and yesterday's prospect Mark Scheifele.  However, should he be taken at 15?  That's for you to answer.