Razzy’s potential remains to be seen
Tri-City Americans star from Surrey will go in first round at NHL draft — but how high?
Michael Rasmussen is a difficult guy to categorize. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound centre from Surrey, who scored 32 goals in an injury-shortened (50 games) Western Hockey League season with the Tri-City Americans, is projected to be a first-round pick in the June 23-24 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago.
Some have him going in the first few picks, while others suggest he could slip toward the middle of the opening round. It’s that kind of draft, with people in the know saying there may not be that much difference between a late top-10 choice and a selection in the late teens.
Rasmussen, an Okanagan Hockey Academy product, seems to be the kind of player who prompts varying opinions.
Ask around, and some hockey people will say his game can lack urgency. Others insist they see major competitive fire in bursts, and that he was told to tone back his physical game in bantam when he piled up 123 penalty minutes in 59 games.
Some suggest he’s suited to play centre at the NHL level. Others feel he’s a better fit on the wing, due to his size and the lesser responsibilities making the transition easier.
Some will tell you that too many of his points come on the power play — 15 goals and 29 of his 55 points came with the man advantage this year — and they wonder about how that will transfer to the pro ranks.
Others, like Dixon Ward, the former Vancouver Canucks winger who was Rasmussen’s coach at OHA, say that’s hogwash, explaining that Rasmussen is taking advantage of his skill set and insisting: “Stanley Cups are won on special teams.”
Here’s what seems to be generally agreed upon: Rasmussen moves well for someone his size, and he’s not the least bit afraid to go to the front of the net and set up shop.
“Next year, when he’s 18, he’s going to be a handful,” said Ward. “He’s going to feel comfortable and he’s got all the physical attributes.
“Here’s what Razzy gives you — he’s a 6-foot-6 centre, who plays right on the edge with a lot of jam. He’s not afraid to play in traffic and he’s learned how to score at his level, and he’s learned how to use his attributes to his advantage.”
Rasmussen seems to be willing to do the extra things to get better, too. Consider that he drove to Seattle to watch the WHL final between the host Thunderbirds and the Regina Pats. It’s not something you see most guys his age doing.
“When I got to OHA, my coaches and my teammates there helped me see my potential and I started to treat every day there like it was for a purpose,” said Rasmussen. “I started to try to treat every day like a chance to get better as a hockey player.
“Nothing has really surprised me with this (draft) experience so far. I try to keep my world pretty small. When you’re a kid, you dream of having the opportunity to do what we’re doing here now. It’s a cool experience to be going through.”
More proof that Rasmussen doesn’t have your run-of-the-mill, 18-year-old player mindset? Ask him about NHLers past and present he looks up to, and he points to Mats Sundin, among others.
Rasmussen would have been all of nine years old when Sundin was finishing up his NHL career with the Canucks in 2008-09. Then again, he may have received some help with that thinking. Rasmussen is represented by J.P. Barry, the Kelowna-based agent whose clients have included Sundin.
How it happened isn’t important, though. Considering his build now, paying attention to what the 6-foot5, 231-pound Sundin could do on the ice makes a ton of sense.
“Growing up, I was lucky enough to go to a lot of NHL games,” said Rasmussen. “I loved watching Markus Naslund, Trevor Linden, Mats Sundin at the end of his career. Those were the guys for me to look up to.”
The Americans announced March 2 that Rasmussen would be out for three months with a fractured wrist. He last played on Feb. 1 and missed their final 18 regular-season games, along with a four-game, first-round playoff loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
He didn’t require surgery and says the wrist injury is “coming along.
“Teams know that it’s going to be just fine,” he said of NHL clubs.