Jake Paterson's trade to Kitchener has put the Rangers back into the game

Jake Paterson is reticent to take any credit for the recent success of the Kitchener Rangers. He'd rather credit the defence playing in front of him or his relatively new teammates for changing the group dynamic.

There is, however, no humility in the facts. Prior to the Rangers acquiring the 20-year-old goaltender, the team was mired at the bottom of the Western Conference standings battling with his former team - the Saginaw Spirit - for the last playoff spot. The Rangers weren't expected to be a powerhouse and they stayed true to form.

The first game in a Rangers uniform, Paterson stopped 29 shots for his first shutout of the season, a 5-0 victory over the Belleville Bulls. Since the trade, Paterson is 9-3-1.

"Whenever you get traded to a new team there's new scenery and personally I just wanted to get off on the right foot," said Paterson. "The first few games went well and for the most part I think most of that's because of the team, the guys have been playing well since I got here."

His goals against average has plummeted to 1.99 and his save percentage has improved to .936. The Rangers have moved up to fifth place and are one point behind the Guelph Storm and home ice advantage in the playoffs.

He's a perfect 7-0 at home and the Rangers haven't lost a game at the Kitchener Auditorium since he arrived.

"I'm not too sure how the dressing room was before I got here," said Paterson. "But the dressing room is pretty confident right now, so I don't know if that's because of me or because we've been winning a decent amount recently."

Looking at Kitchener's record before and after the trade, the smart money is on you Jake.

"Yeah, I don't know about that,” said Paterson with a laugh. "I know we've been doing well.”

If Paterson won't take credit, then Rangers head coach Troy Smith will have to laud him instead.

"I'll give him a lot of credit,” said Smith. "It's not just that he's made some big saves. Even when he's let in one he's wanted back he's provided the confidence in our team that he's going to make the next (save). In the locker room he's been a huge addition, he's such a calm kid. He provides calm for our whole team just by the way he presents himself and the way he plays.

"If there's times when we're running around, he's got the innate ability to know when to just cover the puck and slow the game down."

It's funny because at the time of the trade, many fans in Kitchener were perplexed by the deal. Why give up a second and third round draft pick for an overage goaltender when team was rebuilding?

Prior to the deal for Paterson, the Rangers had traded away top scorer Justin Bailey to Sault Ste. Marie. They'd also dealt veterans Brent Pederson (Oshawa) and Curtis Meighan (Ottawa) in an effort to get younger.

"I think the big thing is people talk about good debt and bad debt all the time," said Smith. "Did we make some deals that looked like we were building for the future years? Absolutely. But the opportunity to bring (Paterson) in, is really the opportunity to educate our guys and give us a chance to compete every night this year and use that experience next year."

So have the fans come around on the deal?

"By the amount of applause, I’d have to say, 'Yes,'" said Smith with a laugh.

Paterson had known a deal was coming since Saginaw was in a rebuilding year. Back in late October, Spirit general manager Jim Paliafito told Yahoo Sports he intended to move his netminder sooner rather than later, hoping to avoid a last minute deadline deal. However the Kitchener deal wasn't finalized until Jan. 8, a day prior to the deadline.

"When I got back to Saginaw in October I had a feeling I was going to be traded within the first little bit but for whatever reason it didn't work out," said Paterson, who played for Canada at the 2014 world junior championship in Malmo, Sweden. "From what I heard I knew I would have to wait until the deadline so at the start I thought it might have been a little quicker… as to which team I was going to go to, I really had no idea. When I heard Kitchener I was excited."

Despite moving to a team unlikely to contend for the OHL title this season, the move to Kitchener brought the Mississauga, Ont., native much closer to home. He says his parents, Anne, a teacher, and Kevin, a dentist, have been able to see almost all his games in since the move. It was also a nice change of scenery for Paterson who had spent his entire OHL career up until the trade in Saginaw.

And while the Rangers aren't yet thinking about the playoffs – more than a month away – there's no doubt Paterson's arrival in Kitchener has to be a scary proposition for potential first round rivals. After all, he's a goaltender who, on more than one occasion, has single-handedly stolen games – and rounds – in the playoffs.

Earlier in the season it was Paterson with Saginaw that stymied the Rangers with a 30-save performance in a 2-1 Spirit victory. Less than a month later it was Paterson making 38-saves in a 5-4 victory over Kitchener. Knowing first-hand what Paterson is capable of has been a boon for the Rangers. Not only are the defencemen playing with less fear of making a mistake but the forwards are more comfortable taking risks to create offence knowing Paterson can bail them out in an emergency.

"It's good for our whole group," said Smith. "It allows our forwards to try and take some more chances and for the defence it provides them with the confidence to try and make the proper plays and not be worried as much about turning pucks over, but just trying to do the right thing.

"It's good knowing if there's a mess out there that he's there to help clean it up for them."