For the second time within the last five years, fans of the Kitchener Rangers are being treated several times per week to the on-ice talents of a kid from Mapleton Township.
Brent Pedersen, a six-foot-two, 200-pound left winger, has become a standout player for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise, following the trail blazed by Drayton’s Nick Spaling, who played with the Rangers from 2005 to 2008.
Yet the hockey powers-that-be have taken note of the talent and potential of Pedersen even earlier than they did for Spaling, who now plays in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Recognized for his strength, heavy shot and scoring ability, Pedersen won a bronze medal with Team Ontario at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he registered four points in six games.
And with 17 regular season games remaining in the current OHL season, Pedersen already has almost doubled his point production from all of last year. Through 51 games played, as of Feb. 7, Pedersen has registered 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists), 37 penalty minutes and has a plus-11 rating.
“I try to bring some offence to the team and use my size to create some room for my linemates,” Pedersen said in an interview last week.
In 2011-12, his rookie OHL season, he finished with 14 points (nine goals and five assists), 12 penalty minutes and a minus-10 rating in 65 games.
Pedersen, who is billeted with a Kitchener family, said he misses his own family and tries to get home to Mapleton Township as much as possible, but he’s now used to living away from home, thanks in large part to the closeness of his teammates.
“They’re just like your brothers … and basically you’re family,” he said.
Pedersen credits various coaches along the way, as well as his father’s influence, for the early success in his young hockey career.
“My dad helped me out a lot since I started playing,” he said.
He was drafted by Kitchener in the first round (14th overall) of the 2011 OHL draft, after scoring 24 goals (35 points) in 29 games in the 2010-11 season for the Waterloo Wolves minor midget team.
“Brent had an opportunity to play an offensive role in minor hockey … using his size, physical strength and great shot to his advantage,” head coach and general manager Steve Spott said of what made the Rangers grab Pedersen in the first round.
Going to Kitchener, one of the two nearby OHL teams he often followed growing up (the other being the Guelph Storm), was a dream come true for Pedersen.
“It was somewhere I always wanted to play,” he said. “Kitchener is the closest and it’s a really great organization.”
For Pedersen’s parents, Mike and Catherine, having a son drafted by an OHL team was a special moment.
“Obviously we’re thrilled for him. It’s something he’s always dreamed of doing,” Mike said. “We’re very proud of him.”
He also echoed his son’s sentiments about the quality of the Rangers organization, as well as its ideal geographic location.
One of Mike or Catherine – if not both – try to make it to every Rangers home game. So far it has worked out pretty well, but Mike said it can be difficult with younger sons Scott, 15, and Curt, 12, also playing hockey, in Waterloo and Drayton respectively.
Pedersen was born on July 5, 1995 in Kitchener. At age five his parents moved the family from its Conestoga home to a 50-acre property in Mapleton Township, west of Arthur.
“I’m from a farming background, so it made sense … and the boys really liked it,” Mike said of the move. “We love it up here.”
The new location helped the boys learn about agriculture and working on a sheep and cattle farm, and the larger piece of land allowed them to play whatever sport they so desired.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Pedersen. “It was a lot of fun.”
A former hockey player himself, including some time with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, Mike says he first introduced his son to the sport at a very young age in the basement of the family’s home.
“Hockey was really a love right away for him,” Mike said.
From there, Pedersen started to play organized hockey, first in Drayton before moving on to play with Waterloo AAA teams about six years ago.
“It was a lot more travel, but I enjoyed it,” he said.
Hockey wasn’t always Pedersen’s only athletic endeavour, as he enjoyed a variety of Sports growing up and played on several public school teams.
Yet like many kids in the area, when he got older – he attended Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest – his primary routine included hockey in the winter and lacrosse (in Arthur) in the summer.
At about age 14, Pedersen made the decision to concentrate year round on hockey. The move clearly paid off – and continues to pay dividends.
This season, Pedersen has improved his production, at least on the score sheet, every single month. After registering 11 points in 35 games through December, he has tallied almost a point per game since the new year (14 points in 16 games).
“He had a tough start, but it’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish,” said Spott.
With over 15 years of coaching experience in the OHL, Spott said he has witnessed before how NHL draft eligibility can “paralyze” a player.
“He’s starting to find his confidence … he’s in a good place mentally right now,” he said of Pedersen’s improvement this calendar year.
Pedersen isn’t sure to what to attribute his torrid scoring pace since the holidays, but he admits he became a lot more comfortable on the ice after scoring a few goals. He is also more acclimatized to the league and its players now that he is in his second full season.
“It’s a pretty big step (from minor hockey),” Pedersen said of the OHL, adding the players are older, bigger, stronger, tougher and faster. Plus, the schedule is more demanding and involves constantly competing for a spot on the team.
“You have to prove yourself every game,” he said.
Spott says Pedersen’s ceiling is high, with a 40-plus goal season in the OHL a real possibility. He adds the left winger could also improve on his current strengths.
“To play in the NHL, he needs to not only score but also be physical, and lately he’s done a good job of that,” Spott told the Advertiser.
“He’s playing at a level now that he needs to play to benefit both himself and this hockey club.”
Various online 2013 NHL draft rankings predict Pedersen could be drafted anywhere from the fourth to sixth round – perhaps sooner, according to some, given the recent attention NHL scouts have paid to Pedersen and his usual Rangers linemates Josh Sterk and Justin Bailey.
Asked about his hockey goals, Pedersen unselfishly says winning the Memorial Cup – awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion – with his teammates is his primary focus.
“We have a really good team this year, I think we have a good shot,” he said.
When pressed about longer-term possibilities, Pedersen acknowledges the NHL is the ultimate goal, as it is for thousands of Canadian kids growing up.
“I’m trying to get drafted. My long-term goal is to play in the NHL,” Pedersen said.
He added playing well defensively and “being smart with the puck” will be two keys to making the next step.
But for now, he seems content living in Kitchener and suiting up for the Rangers.
“I’m pretty happy to be where I am,” he said. “A lot of people don’t get this opportunity. I’ve had a lot of fun with it.”
To follow the Rangers, visit www.kitchenerrangers.com.
