Claimed: Colton Rayne - Rookie Profile [1/2]

[Spade18 1,302]

 

Name : Colton "Spade" Rayne

 

Position : D

 

Height: 6'4"

 

Weight: 225 lbs

 

Hometown: Somerset county, NJ, USA

 

Junior Hockey: Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) ---> The University of North Dakota (NCAA)

 

NHL Comparables: Roman Josi, Andy Greene, Alexi Emelin

 

 

Hockey History

 

Colton Rayne began his hockey career bouncing around the travel and high school leagues of north central New Jersey.  After leading his team with his air tight defense to a Skylands Conference State Championship, Rayne turned his sight towards professional play.  He was drafted into the USHL by the Sioux City Musketeers, Following in the footsteps of alumni such as NHL Star Max Pacioretty and Stanley Cup winner Jake Guentzel.  In Sioux City, he put up a respectable 33 points in 54 regular season games.  Enough to garner interest from many illustrious developmental programs.  Colton decided to stick true to USA hockey and went the College route, joining the highly touted NCAA hockey program at The University of North Dakota.  

 

Rayne's time at The University of North Dakota was a major stepping stone towards his professional career.  Under the watchful eye of head coach Brad Berry, Rayne developed a tight, professional style defensive game.  His point total dipped as he focused on the back end of the ice, putting up 21 points in 40 games, but scouts agreed it was a step in the right direction for a future shut down defenseman. Playing heavy minutes against opponents top lines, Rayne helped guide North Dakota to a Frozen Four appearance.    Rather than continue his college career, Rayne made the rather controversial decision at the end of last season to declare for the VHLM Draft, fast tracking his pro career in the highly respectable league.  Rayne is looking forward to possibly representing his country for the first time in the upcoming VHL Junior Prospect Championship.

 

Scouting Report:

 

NHL Comparable - Professional scouts have drawn a few high profile player comparisons to Rayne's game.  Rayne has been compared to Nashville Defenseman Roman Josi in regards to his poise with the puck, his ability to keep his head in high stress situations, and his ability to play in any slot in the line up.  Another player he has been compared to is New Jersey Devil's Veteran Defenseman Andy Green, siting his smart break out passes, ability to log high minutes, and the leadership he brings to the locker room.  The last comparison most commonly drawn to Rayne is that of Alexi Emelin, siting Rayne's smart hitting and powerful checks.

 

Pros:

 

Defense - Rayne is a Defense first player, and is rarely caught in the pinch or deep in the zone.  He takes care of his end first and lets offense flow from there naturally.  He is more than willing to give up the body to block a shot, and plays his angles very well on the rush.

 

Passing - Rayne makes smart first passes leading to breakouts and has knack for knowing where to put the puck so that only his teammates can retrieve it.  Scouts note he excels at using the boards to make his plays.

 

Size - In laments terms, Colton Rayne is HUGE.  At 6'4" out of skates, he is more intimidating on the ice.  His height accents his defensive play nicely, making him able to close on stick to stick play faster than another defenseman with a shorter wing span.  His weight also plays into his advantage, as 225 lbs makes taking him out of the play with the body near impossible.  

 

Cons:

 

Shooting - Rayne spent most of his development focusing on his defensive game.  Because of this his shooting is not a strength of his and he is not expected to put up large goal totals, leaving most of his offensive numbers to assists.

 

Skating - Because of his size, Rayne's body has not had time to catch up to itself in terms of muscle mass.  This has adversely effected his skating.  The technique is there for big powerful strides, but as of now, skating would not be considered a strong suite of his.

 

Discipline - While usually cool calm and collected, Rayne is know to jump to the defense of his teammates, which has resulted in the occasional fighting major, bad penalty, and 3rd man in call.  While this should be resolved as he matures and with the help of good coaches, Rayne definitely has some stride to make in this department.

 

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

A little late of an official review, but I did look at it earlier.

Great RP, written well also.

C-Rayne coming up fast to the VHL.