Devils Select Ryan Kujawinski 3rd Round (73)

[Derlique]

Seems like a boom/bust guy. I like it though

[thefiestygoat]

EDIT: Just a bit late with this thread. Can this get merged into the other Kujawinski thread?

 

C Ryan Kujawinski 6'2 204 Kingston OHL

Future Considerations:

 

RYAN KUJAWINSKI
POSITION: Centre/Left Wing
SHOOTS: Left
TEAM: Kingston (OHL)
BORN: March 30, 1995
VITALS: 6’-2” / 195 Lbs
STATS: 66 GP 17 G 31 A 48 PTS 40 PIM

SCOUTING REPORT: Kujawinski is a strong, physical winger with upside. He skates well as he gets to his top speed within just a few quick strides. He has a good top speed and strong balance making him hard to contain and knock off the puck. He’s competitive and battles hard most shifts, using his size to his advantage in board battles and wins his fair share of them. He can handle the puck but will not dangle his way around defenses instead using his size to power the puck towards the goal. He shows good vision but not high end creativity in the playmaking department. He’s more of a ‘see a lane, make short to medium range passes’ type of player. He finds open ice and utilizes his heavy shot. The puck jumps off his stick so quick although he could sharpen up his accuracy. He has some untapped potential in the defensive zone as he will play gritty and shows a strong stick but needs to learn the correct positioning to be effective and be coached up in that regard. He goes through slumps where he does not keep his feet moving and pulls himself out of the play for whatever reason. Once considered a first round prospect, he had a very inconsistent year and has seen his draft stock take a plunge. He still could be a late developer who makes a team look brilliant if he can finally put it all together and live up to the potential. The weakness that has most concerned is his hockey sense or lack thereof.

Hockey Prospect:

 

Kujawinski, Ryan – LC – Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) - 6’1.5” 205

Ryan was selected 1st Round, 4th Overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection Draft from the Sudbury Wolves Minor Midget program. Ryan joined a very deep Sarnia Sting forward group as they were looking to make a big playoff run. He gained limited ice in Sarnia as a 16 year old but when the trade deadline approached he was dealt to the rebuilding Frontenacs where he received primarily 2nd line minutes. He also went on a nice statistical run showing what he’s capable of.

This season was expected to be a huge coming out for the potential first rounder. However, Ryan really didn’t play up to the expectations that were set out for him at the start of the season. When he’s on he’s a very dangerous offensive player. He displays very strong and creative passing ability. He can also make some good moves in one on one situations to beat defensemen and goaltenders. He has fairly quick hands and an effective shot. When he’s on his game he engages very well along the boards and wins more than his share of battles.

The major issue with Kujawinski is his consistency. He has shown us these strengths in brief flashes, generally over a few shifts, then will disappear for long extents. He likely has the biggest combination of inconsistency and talent of any player entering the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. A consistent work ethic will be a huge improvement for Ryan and will likely be the difference of whether or not he makes it at the next level. We also need him to play more physical. Hits were generally few and far between in our viewings of Kujawinski. He’s a tough player to gauge heading into this draft because he has shown glimpses of being a potential low end top six player, He will need to show this game in, game out, shift in, shift out, if he wants to reach his true potential which we believe, quite frankly, is higher than some of the players we see going ahead of him at the draft.

Quotable: “I found myself liking many of the 2014 eligible players on his team more than him during many of my viewings. Although in fairness to Ryan, that happened quite a bit this season around the OHL.” – Mark Edwards

Hockey Prospectus:

 

67. Ryan Kujawinski, Center, Kingston (OHL)

Kujawinski had a bit of a disappointing season after entering it as a potential first round pick following a great 16-year-old campaign with the Frontenacs. He has a lot of interesting elements to his game but has been plagued with inconsistency. He is a strong forward with solid size, and he can simply fly up the ice with his great top-end speed and acceleration. He has the puck possession skill to create offense, but as one NHL scout put it, he only shows you pieces of good things. His offensive creativity is not always on display. He has quality defensive awareness, and a commitment to get back in his own end. Kujawinski also protects the puck well, and he plays a good game along the boards. Like his offense, his physical game can come and go. The team that selects him will be taking a gamble that his developmental track can stabilize. Regaining his form as a top prospect will be key for him, as there is a downside that he simply may not pan out.

Edited July 1, 2013 by thefiestygoat

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Yea, he is a very toolsy forward with OK hockey sense. Terrible season caused him to drop out of the 1st round. Apparently the release and velocity on his shot is a 70 grade.

[roomtemp]

That's a good Polish name hope he makes it

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

1 year ago

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/kingston-frontenacs-ryan-kujawinski-could-become-face-franchise-145937112.html

"He's an unbelievable skater, he's a big man, he's at least 6-1, 190 pounds at 16 years of age, he gets around the ice very, very well, he's a great passer and has a bomb of a shot," is how Gill describes Kujawinski, who hails from Iroquois Falls, Ont., a 4 1/2-hour drive north of Sudbury. "He has it all. When he matures into that body, he's going to be a scary individual to watch on the ice. I see him as a future star, not only in this league, but in the NHL.

 

"I believe he's one of those guys, he'll be the face of the franchise," Gill adds. "It's tough for me, I have a 16-year-old son at home and there's no way I would expect him to come in and lead a team at this level. For a kid of Ryan's age, way above his maturity level, he's not afraid of the pressure. He wants to be out there, wants to learn. He's just one of those natural leaders who allows his talent to lead for him."

Edited July 1, 2013 by Jas0nMacIsaac

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

http://www.timminspress.com/2013/06/19/kujawinski-crams-for-draft

 

I could see an explosion season from this kid, like 85 points in 60 games. Just one of those feelings

[thefiestygoat]

The more I read about him, the more I like this pick. Seems like he can have nice upside if he can put it all together. Nice that the Devils were able to grab him in the 3rd round.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5ohe6q5awE

 

Seems from this video it's possible he may have been playing tough minutes this past yer.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Jas0nMacIsaac

[thefiestygoat]

This kid is playing under Doug Gilmour's (Kingston GM) watchful eye. Some more articles on him:

 

OHL Prospects

 

Similar to Dickinson, Kujawinski saw his draft stock crumble this year due to consistency issues. Going into the season, I had him as the 3rd best prospect available from the OHL and figured he was a lock for the first round. There was just too much not to like about his game. After coming over from Sarnia last year, Kujawinski was a force for Kingston to close out 2012. And he was playing very well to start this season too. But like Dickinson, things fell apart after that. I think a lot of it had to do with confidence and having to deal with not being "the man" offensively for Kingston. As the season went on, the Watson/Bennett/Ikonen trio became Kingston's go to offensive unit and top powerplay, pushing Kujawinski to the back burner a bit. When that trio was absent near the holidays for the U-20's and U-17's, Kujawinski looked like a new man as the go to guy. The other thing that hampered his season a bit (I think) was the shift between center and wing. From what I've seen, his skill set seems more suited to play the wing at this time. The last blow to his season was the omission from the Canadian U-18 team (shockingly so), which prevented him from earning back some brownie points with scouts. All in all, it just wasn't the type of year many people expected him to have. That said, I still like him and his potential a lot. When he's on, he's the complete package. He's got size, speed, puck skill, two-way awareness, and physicality. He can be a beast. It's about simplifying his game at times, and looking to create more with his size, rather than trying to be fancy or over think with the puck. He's also got to work harder, more consistently, to get himself into scoring position. Again, with his size and hands, he should find a comfort level in working close to the net. If he can overcome the identity crisis that hurt him this season, I have a ton of faith in him as a player and prospect.

 

Buzzing the Net (10/9/12)

 

Ryan Kujawinski has the tools to take over a game. Of course, he is a mere 17 years old, so he's still learning to marshal the focus that will enable him to do that more frequently for the improving Kingston Frontenacs.

"I definitely want to work on my defensive end, get stronger as the year goes on work hard in the weight room," says Kujawinski, whom NHL Central Skating rated as a B skater in its preliminary draft rankings. "My main focus this year is D-zone and being stronger and more aggressive on the puck."