By Nicholas Carafa
Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images

Adam Mascherin was drafted second overall by the Kitchener Rangers in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection after posting 40 goals and 70 points in 33 games with the Vaughan Kings Minor Midget AAA team. Mascherin, who wore the “C’ that season, also snagged GTHL Player of the Year honours.

With all the hype surrounding now-Sarnia Sting defenceman Jakob Chychrun during the 2014 draft, the soft-spoken Mascherin quietly made his transition into the OHL. Now 12 games into his second season with the Rangers, Mascherin’s play is doing all the talking.

The Maple, Ont., native collected at least one point in 11 consecutive games for the Rangers before being knocked out of Sunday’s game against the Saginaw Sting just 20 seconds into the first period. His offensive production has helped the boys from Kitchener amass a 10-0-3-0 (23 points) record to start the season.

Chris Pope of 570 News in Kitchener reported that this sophomore leap can be traced to advice from Rangers head coach Mike Van Ryn, who suggested Mascherin get a headstart on the season by venturing to the Waterloo region earlier than he did for his rookie campaign.

According to Pope, Mascherin made his way to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and met with team nutritionists along with Van Ryn, a veteran of seven NHL seasons, to prepare for the next step of his career.

Mascherin, who is sidelined indefinitely with an upper-body injury, put up seven goals and 17 points in his first 11 games this season, highlighted by a two-goal effort against the Owen Sound Attack on Oct. 16 when he rifled the overtime winner past goaltender Michael McNiven. While personal success is all well and good, it also helps that the Rangers are tied for the OHL lead with their Midwest Division rivals, the Erie Otters (11-1-1-0, 23 points).

Since entering the OHL last season, the former Kings centre has shifted to the left side to help ease his transition into the league. The position swap isn’t a first for the Rangers – in 2009-10, the club moved now-Carolina Hurricanes and fellow GTHL grad Jeff Skinner to the wing, resulting in a 50-goal and 90-point campaign – a 23-goal and 49-point jump from his rookie totals.

Before his injury, Mascherin was playing alongside Toronto Junior Canadiens alumnus Brandon Robinson and Ryan MacInnis, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Al MacInnis.

“MacInnis showed he had chemistry with Mascherin early on and then we knew from last year that Robinson and MacInnis have always clicked,” Van Ryn said after last Friday’s win against the Petes. “Things got a little sloppy out there at times tonight but since they’ve been reunited, they’ve been working real hard and have been an effective line for us.”

Mascherin, who earned a C rating on the NHL Central Scouting’s September list of players to watch for the 2016 NHL Draft, and the Rangers are not only drawing the ire of teams in the OHL, they’re capturing national attention. On Wednesday, Kitchener jumped four spots in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top-10 Rankings to the No. 3 spot behind the Otters and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (13-1-3-1, 30 points) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.