Red Wings Central
Stories | Awards | History | Scout Comments | Strengths | Weaknesses | Projection | Statistics
BRYAN RUFENACH
Bryan Rufenach
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Vitals: 5'11'' / 187 lbs.
Birthdate: April 15, 1989
Hometown: Cameron, Ontario
Acquired: Detroit's fifth choice (208th overall) in the 2007 draft
CSS Ranking: Not ranked
Contract: None (must sign by Aug. 15, 2011)
RWC Says: Depth defenseman

STORIES

AWARDS
  • 2005-06 Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League East Division rookie of the year
  • 2006-07 Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League all-star game (South East Conference)
  • 2006-07 Canadian Junior A Hockey League prospects game

HISTORY
2004-05:
  • Drafted from Central Ontario midgets in 10th round (181st overall) of OHL draft by Oshawa.
2005-06:
  • Played Ontario junior A for Lindsay to preserve NCAA eligibility (48-11-15-26).
2006-07:
  • Played Ontario junior A for Lindsay to preserve NCAA eligibility.
  • Missed more than a month with a shoulder injury.
  • Finished 20th among OPJAHL defensemen in scoring (31-11-21-32).
  • Committed to play NCAA hockey for Clarkson starting in 2007-08.
  • Unranked entering the NHL draft but went in seventh round (208th overall) to Red Wings.
2007-08:
  • Had solid NCAA freshman year at Clarkson (35-3-3-6, one power-play goal).

SCOUT COMMENTS
"Our scouts just kind of liked his potential — he's raw, he's a good skater, he moves the puck well and he competes hard. Skating and moving the puck are his best assets. Like everybody, he's got to get stronger." — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2007) ... "He's got very good hockey sense and vision and he’s real smart with the puck. He's going to school for four years and you're hoping you'll end up with another Dan Boyle down the road." — Nill (July 2007).

STRENGTHS
Lists Paul Coffey as his favorite player and loves rushing the puck ... Likes to go end-to-end ... Excellent skater ... A smart power-play quarterback ... Good vision with the man advantage and capable of making good plays ... Above-average slap shot with a good release ... A hard worker with competitive fire.

WEAKNESSES
Still raw and needs to show he can continue to produce offense at a higher level ... Prone to defensive lapses and poor reads as far as knowing when to pinch ... Needs to get stronger ... Has below average size for a defenseman, although it's not the issue it once was.

PROJECTION
The Red Wings see Rufenach as a potential No. 3 to 5 defenseman, and are monitoring him closely as he develops at Clarkson. Rufenach should see a bigger role as a sophomore at Clarkson in 2008-09, and should see a noticeable jump in production, especially with more power-play time.

STATISTICS
  REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
2005-06 Lindsay Ont. Jr. A 48 11 15 26 50 4 1 1 2 6
2006-07 Lindsay Ont. Jr. A 31 11 21 32 28 5 1 2 3 8
2007-08 Clarkson NCAA 35 3 3 6 12 -- -- -- -- --

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