Opening statement
When he is not chipping in on one sector of the scoresheet, Tyler Randell is contributing to the other side with a chippy style of play. The Boston Bruins sixth-round draft choice from 2009 now leaves his tracks on a four-year major junior career and looks to join the AHL on the heels of leading the Kitchener Rangers with 160 penalty minutes.
2010-11 Highlights (With Kitchener Rangers)
• Played in all 68 regular-season games, scored a career-high 20 goals and matched his previous output with 12 assists.
• Inserted a power-play conversion at 8:58 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and ultimately beat the Saginaw Spirit, 5-2, on opening night.
• Two multi-goal games (Dec. 7 and Feb. 4).
• Tallied 12 goals and 17 points in a span of 18 games between Dec. 30 and Feb. 11.
• Steadily improved his plus/minus by 10 points (from minus-8 to plus-2) over the month of January.
• Tuned the mesh once in each of four consecutive games and added three assists in the same span (Jan. 16-Jan. 26).
2010-11 Lowlights
• Was on the ice for none of Kitchener’s goal but for three opposing goals in a 5-4, Nov. 7 win over the London Knights.
• Failed to cultivate a point in 11 out of 12 games between Nov. 19 and Dec. 18.
• Plus/minus rating hit a season-low minus-9 on Nov. 27.
• Finished the regular season and playoffs without scoring a single goal in 16 games.
• Went pointless in Kitchener’s first-round loss to the Plymouth Whalers, posting a minus-2 rating in Game 7, a 4-2 Plymouth victory.
2011-12 Outlook
As he vies to plug a coveted opening on the P-Bruins roster and transition to the professional, Randell will likely come off as a fourth-line type. His development as a point-getter stalled a bit last year, as evidenced by his scoring 12 assists in back-to-back years despite missing 21 games in 2009-10 and playing the full breadth of 2010-11.
With priority going to higher-rated prospects and proven contributors on the front lines, Randell is likely bound for the ECHL for the better part of this season.
