Kitchener Rangers’ Adam Mascherin shoots (and shoots) for a big first year: Making The Jump

Adam Mascherin, who has a nose for the net, also appreciate what it means to be part of one of the OHL's legacy franchises.

Most of the league's teams have left the old hockey barns behind to move into modern buildings. The Kitchener Rangers, though, have managed to modernize the venerable Aud. Mascherin, the No. 2 overall pick in the OHL priority selection draft, is eager to add to the Rangers' tradition, which includes two Memorial Cup victories and a roll call of NHL greats, from Gabriel Landeskog to Larry Robinson.

"It's honestly amazing," says the centre who tallied 71 goals in 66 games for the Vaughan Kings minor midget AAA team, which he helped reach the OHL Cup tournament. "Just in the the dressing room alone they have pictures of every single player or coach who's played in the National Hockey League. Just seeing that in the dressing room and walking around the arena and seeing all of those names and hoping I can be part of that someday is pretty special. I'm really looking forward to opportunity.

"I've already met the guys because we had a baseball game against the media in Kitchener," the Maple, Ont., native adds. "They seemed really excited about the season."

Mascherin has come to the Rangers at a point where they needs more natural offence after scoring just 195 goals during a rebuilding 2013-14 campaign (which actually wasn't a big drop from their '12-13 output of 209). As an adolescent, he made a point of practising 500 shots a day in the garage of his parents' Sandy and Sylvie's home, leaving the wall pocked with puck marks ("there's a big dent in our Central Vac, too," he says).

That's part of Mascherin accepting just how high the bar is set if he wants to attain his NHL dream. The youngster tries to model his game after Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos, a Sarnia Sting grad.

"First of all, I've met him once after a skate and just his personality, he's got that hockey player vibe to him," Mascherin says of adopting Stamkos as a role model. "I look up to him on and off the ice. His playing style is something I'd like to mimic, kind of; he's Steven Stamkos. It's going to be real tough but it's a goal to work toward. I shoot 500 pucks a day because he has the best shot in the league.

"It's just in the way he carries himself," the 5-foot-9, 199-pound Mascherin adds. "He's so professional but he knows you're a fan and really makes you feel welcome to talk to him."

1. How would you describe your game to people who are going to be watching you in the OHL?

"I describe myself as an offensive player but I'm a hard-working guy. I look to put team first before myself. I like to play in a systems sort of environment and I like to shoot the puck, I think that is fair to say."

2. What are some elements of your game you really want to show improvement in by the end of this season?

"Stopping and starting on pucks and my shift length is something I am really looking to improve at this year. I was at the under-17 camp and my coaches were mentioning to me that my shifts were kind of long."

"The little things are really important. As you move up the guys get stronger and faster and all that. Just focusing on the little things — moving your feet on the back check, making crisp passes, making sure you bury your chances — is important.

3. Who is the one OHL player you are really excited to face for the first time?

"Probably Rob Fabbri [the St. Louis Blues first-round choice from the Guelph Storm, the Rangers' rival]. He's a good friend of mine in the gym. I've talked to him a lot this summer. He's been drafted to the NHL and he's a tremendous player. I'm excited to watch him play throughout the year and learn off him and hopefully I can improve from watching him.

"We played in a league on Sunday nights together last year and we work out in the same group [at Varsity Hockey in Brampton], so we talk quite a bit."

4. What other sports did you play and how did those contribute to your hockey development?

"I played school basketball all the way through elementary school until Grade 8 and when I got to high school I stopped playing. I think just the conditioning and quick feet you need in basketball transferred to my hockey game pretty well. I'm not the tallest guy, so I had to give that up."

5. Hockey is so all-consuming, what do you do when you need a release, something to take your mind elsewhere for a bit?

"I listen to music. I'm a big country music fan. And I think that calms me down when I'm thinking about things. I'm on the ice seven days a week but away from the rink I'm listening to music, just chilling out and relaxing... I like Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, everything."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.