Prospect Update: Bunnaman Asserting Himself in OHL

Kitchener Rangers center Connor Bunnaman had no chance to get out of the way as a rising slap shot from teammate Dylan DiPerna came in on him like a guided missile in Tuesday night's Ontario Hockey League game between the Rangers and the visiting Guelph Storm. The puck struck Bunnaman up high, causing his visor to shatter and resulting in a reported broken nose and facial abrasions.
Bleeding and in pain, Bunnaman was helped back to the dressing room. Soon, however, he returned to the game. Now sporting a full cage on his helmet the 18-year-old pivot scored his 30th goal of the 2016-17 season and helped his team earn a 4-3 victory.
If any one moment of the 2016-17 season exemplified what the Philadelphia Flyers like about the big-framed forward's make-up as a player, it was the Flyers' 2016 fourth-round pick's gutty effort on Tuesday night.

The youngster, who will turn 19 on April 16, protects the puck well and has been getting to the net. He has won the majority of his faceoffs and continues to evolve as a reliable two-way player. His skating is also improving, and is a work in progress.
Generally a disciplined player, Bunnaman has taken just 28 penalty minutes this season after posting 14 PIM a year ago.
On the offensive side of the puck, Bunnaman is just one of 18 players in the OHL to reach the 30-goal mark up to this point. Much of this came during a hot streak from Jan. 1 to 22 in which Bunnaman racked up nine goals and one assist in 10 games. He also had a hat trick against the Ottawa 67s back on Dec. 3.
While the increased goal-scoring has been a nice development, it is the Guelph, Ontario native's bread and butter as a player to battle in the trenches. He is good at cycling the puck and is tenacious on the forecheck. Bunnaman has played both center and wing during his junior career but prefers to play in the middle.
"I think I play a power forward game and I am a two-way player," Bunnaman said during the Flyers' rookie camp in September. "I'd like to work on my skating and just keep improving my all-around game."
Originally selected by Kitchener in the second round (14th overall) of the 2014 OHL Draft, Bunnaman was a member of the 2014 OHL Gold Cup winning Team OMHA White squad. As he progressed to the Ontario League, it was Bunnaman's willingness and ability to move around the lineup and to be plugged into either the pivot or the wing that originally earned him a spot in the lineup.

He has also displayed durability. Bunnaman was one of just three players on his team to dress in all 68 regular season games in 2015-16. With each passing season, Bunnaman has shown measurable improvement, while getting bigger and stronger physically.
Kitchener is in sixth place in the OHL's Western Conference. The team has clinched a playoff spot, and will be looking for Bunnaman to continue to win the many little in-game battles that add up to favorable outcomes.