Arriving last season in a trade from the Sarnia Sting, Ryan Kujawinski surged for Kingston as a rookie averaging a point per game (30-15-15-30).
The Iroquois Falls, Ontario native and fourth-overall pick in the 2011 OHL priority selection, also earned an invite to represent Canada at the Ivan Hlinka in August, earning a gold medal while playing in a limited role.
Kujawinski entered his sophomore year as one of Kingston's marquee forwards expected to shoulder a bulk of the offensive load.
Finding the right chemistry has been problematic for coach Todd Gill however, as Kujawinski has been shuffled through a series of wingers, achieving the most notable success with Billy Jenkins on his left side.
Kujawinski may ultimately land up on the wing though as McKeen's Chief Scout David Burstyn surmises in his following scouting notes.
Ryan Kujawinski (C, 2014), Kingston
- more of a shooter than a passer .. always eager to show off an explosive wrist shot any opportunity he can .. effective down low as he uses his big body to shield the puck while showcasing good distribution abilities .. goes to the net when the play has developed, but ideally needs to take the puck hard to the net to be effective .. his skating is good once in motion, however his first step is still on the slushy side .. improving balance and overall core strength is essential as he falls down when administering a hit .. needs to play with more urgency at times - can be guilty of not moving his feet - which can leave him a step behind the play .. producing a more consistent effort in all three zones is also key - and he has done a better job of addressing his defensive game - which was pretty poor to begin this season .. coach Gill has him applying tighter coverage - sticking to his man rather than holding his position .. does an admirable job of tying his check up and not allowing them to set up .. would benefit from making himself more difficult to play against, learning to exploit his size and skills to intimidate .. can be too passive in certain situations - and does not appear to have much push-back when physically challenged in scrums .. teases with the odd burst of stickhandling wizardry - yet doesn't put it all together on a regular basis .. an enticing prospect given his size and skill-set, albeit may likely end up a better winger as he has not really exhibited the type of creativity required to be a high-end playmaker in transition .. however, due to the lack of wingers for a rebuilding Kingston team, coach Gill simply doesn't have any other options at this point.