Prospect Info: 2013-2014 Rangers Prospects Thread *Part IV* (Player Stats in Post #1; Updated 6/17)

[Matt4776]

Yeah, I don't either. In any event, keep up the updates, Matt! Hopefully you're reporting on a dramatic bounce-back next year...

Your mouth to god's ears. For both Boo and Michigan.

 

[GregSirico]

Who do you guys see being a bigger impact player ... Skjei or McIlrath?

 

[Zil]

Who do you guys see being a bigger impact player ... Skjei or McIlrath?

I think Skjei is pretty much universally seen as the better prospect at this point. There is a non-zero chance he develops into a McDonagh clone.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I think Skjei is pretty much universally seen as the better prospect at this point. There is a non-zero chance he develops into a McDonagh clone.

Agreed. I wasn't as high on him as others going into last year, but then when I watched him play, particularly late in the year, I was blown away. PHENOMENAL wheels and he started adding an edge to his game. As I said on the previous page, I think he could step in and claim a spot right out of camp next year if he decided to turn pro and if there's room for him on the left side.

 

[Zil]

Does Duclair have any shot at wowing enough in training camp to at least get an early season look? I'm assuming he's not physically mature enough to play against men.

 

[Raspewtin]

Does Duclair have any shot at wowing enough in training camp to at least get an early season look? I'm assuming he's not physically mature enough to play against men.

He's 5' 11" 1/2 and 184 lbs, about the same stats as Callahan. His size wouldn't hold him back from playing in the NHL.

I think he could get a cup of coffee but I don't expect him to make the team out of camp.

 

[Joey Bones]

For the record, I watched Skjei play in four or five games last year and thought he got noticeably (and dramatically) better as the year progressed. I think he would have a legitimate shot to make the big club out of camp if he chose to leave school and there were a spot available on the left side. It would be an interesting battle between him and Allen for sure.

Completely agree.

Who do you guys see being a bigger impact player ... Skjei or McIlrath?

Well, IMO, they are two different type of players. Skjei will probably seem to be the better impact player due to the fact that his all around game is on par with that of McDonagh's. McIlrath, however, will be an impact to the defensive side, clearing the crease, and doing most of the dirty work. He showed a little bit of offense this year, too. It's interesting to see what these two, as well as others, can do in the big league. Good topic to discuss!

Does Duclair have any shot at wowing enough in training camp to at least get an early season look? I'm assuming he's not physically mature enough to play against men.

Not only Duclair, but I can see the whole farm team competing for a shot. With that said, I think Duclair will stay another year in the QMJHL and hopefully play like that MVP nominee again. He showed progress and bounced back from a disappointing season before getting selected by us. His speed is just flat out awesome, but he could use some more physical strength and seasoning IMO (especially since his season ended with a concussion).

Speaking of which, does anyone know how he's doing from the concussion?

 

[Clown Fiesta]

Does Duclair have any shot at wowing enough in training camp to at least get an early season look? I'm assuming he's not physically mature enough to play against men.

He'll get a long look.

He's 5' 11" 1/2 and 184 lbs, about the same stats as Callahan. His size wouldn't hold him back from playing in the NHL.

I think he could get a cup of coffee but I don't expect him to make the team out of camp.

As of now, he'll probably bulk up some more this summer.

 

[KingWantsCup]

I know D-men take a while to develop, but if McIlrath can't make the team next year I'm gonna really start to doubt his ability to play at an NHL level.

 

[KingWantsCup]

No, MCI fillls the most important need. If he is clearing men in front of Hank, we will give up no goals the whole year. If Hank sees 'em, he stops 'em.

This is gonna sound stupid, but do "crease clearers" even exist anymore? I feel like this is an old school thought because usually when I see someone defending space in front of the net they get called for cross checking or tripping.

 

[cwede]

sad to say, i dont know that any of our forward prospects are sure things to be difference makers for NYR.

None have consistently shown the upside potential of Kreider or Hagelin
I expect Lindberg is as likely as Miller or Fast.
Lindberg's last season in Sweden, and his 2d half w HWP, were stellar.
After that, who knows?

I love following the prospects, but it seems to me there's a lot more hope than evidence with these guys.

We dont know if Kristo, DuClair or St.Croix have the two-way game or the strength to be succesful small NHL'ers,
if Hrivik or Yogan will be consistent,
if Boo's freshman year was as good as he'll get (my friends in Ann Arbor were down on him at season's end),
how Buchnevich will develop, or if he'll even leave Russia,
if Nicholls or Haggerty have good enough all-round game
McCarthy I know little about
Kantor has that same shot as lots of physical guys, to be 4th liners for a few years

Sometimes i think the best hopes are
Tambellini, who i think was slowed by changing teams last season, but has size, skill and pedigree
or Fogarty as righty 3rd-4th line center with size, faceoff ability and a rounded game.

i hope I am wrong many times here.
fire away and tell us why.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

My answers in line below.

sad to say, i dont know that any of our forward prospects are sure things to be difference makers for NYR.
Define "difference maker". I think plenty of them have shots at being good NHLers and a couple could develop into first liners.

None have consistently shown the upside potential of Kreider or Hagelin
Give guys a little time to develop. Hagelin is 25 and hasn't broken 40 points. And did you see Kreider in HFD as recently as last season?

I expect Lindberg is as likely as Miller or Fast.
Lindberg's last season in Sweden, and his 2d half w HWP, were stellar.
After that, who knows?
All three have a shot at being legitimate 2nd liners in the NHL. If things break 100% right, one of them might even make it to first liner status. Remember that JT is only 21 (and scored over a PPG in his AHL games last year), while Fast and Lindberg are both 22 and coming off their first years in NA hockey (and Fast has shown he can play the NHL's defensive game).

I love following the prospects, but it seems to me there's a lot more hope than evidence with these guys.

We dont know if Kristo, DuClair or St.Croix have the two-way game or the strength to be succesful small NHL'ers,
Size is not an issue for Kristo - and shouldn't be for Duclair. Neither is extremely tall, but both have solid builds. For St. Croix you may have a point. As for the two-way game, Kristo's failures there have everything to do with his head and nothing with his shoulders. Regarding Duclair, after his amazing season last year, it almost sounds like you're inventing reasons for him to fail. Sure, he could - but his trajectory went about as well as could have been hoped had he been a top ten first round pick!

if Hrivik or Yogan will be consistent,
You may be right here. At this point, I have a lot more hope for Hrivik than Yogan, but certainly neither is better than a 50% shot (likely 20% for Yogan).

if Boo's freshman year was as good as he'll get (my friends in Ann Arbor were down on him at season's end),
Definitely a disappointment, but again young. Let's see if he bounces back this year before we call him a bust. But, yes, that risk is definitely there.

how Buchnevich will develop, or if he'll even leave Russia,
Ok, this is just silly. You could use the first point about ANY prospect and the second one about ANY Russian prospect. Again, it sounds like you're inventing reasons for him to fail - like Duclair, his season went about as well as it could have gone considering he was playing as an 18 year old in the KHL. (And don't forget he was a PPG in the U20s.) Why are you not happy about them?

if Nicholls or Haggerty have good enough all-round game
Not sure how you group Nicholls and Haggerty in the same group when Haggerty has never played a pro game. Of course he COULD be a bust, let's see him play a bit first before we judge, eh?

McCarthy I know little about
Me neither. Curious to see him in rookie camp and at Traverse City. As with Haggerty, I want to see him play in the pros before I start making predictions about him.

Kantor has that same shot as lots of physical guys, to be 4th liners for a few years
Agreed.

Sometimes i think the best hopes are
Tambellini, who i think was slowed by changing teams last season, but has size, skill and pedigree
or Fogarty as righty 3rd-4th line center with size, faceoff ability and a rounded game.
I put Tambellini at about the same level of riskiness as Boo. Fogarty... eh, maybe he eventually turns into a Brian Boyle type IF everything breaks right? He's one I'm actually much more down on than you are.


i hope I am wrong many times here.
fire away and tell us why.

 

[cwede]

RE: "how Buchnevich will develop, or if he'll even leave Russia,
Ok, this is just silly. You could use the first point about ANY prospect and the second one about ANY Russian prospect. "

You're absolutely right, what I meant is you can doubt the NHL future of ANY Russian prospect. The # of Russians in the league has been trending down for the last few years.
Until the last few years there was never a genuinely viable alternative to the NHL. But the KHL pays better, has a shorter season, and lets the Russian kids be closer to home, have no language barrier, and play with their heroes, mentors, and peers.
I am not against drafting Buchnevich, he's obviously talented. But he's no sure thing.

And Duclair, well he had a great scoring season in a scorers league. The roadside is littered with QMJHL 100-point scorers who never made a dent in the NHL. And he had a head injury.

The draft is always a crapshoot.
Yes I have faith in Gordie Clark's staff to find guys with genuine POTENTIAL. But most never make it.

Look at NYR '04 draft. 13 picks, Top 2, Montoya and Korpikoski have had acceptable NHL careers. Then 3 never-weres, then Dubi. Then 2 more nobodies, the Cally. Then 4 more trivia answers.

That crapshoot is why its so smart to supplement the draft signings like Hrivik and Haggerty.
The best aspect of our forwards after Miller, Lindberg, Fast and Tambellini is quantity.
The qualities that get them considered won't always translate into NHL success, only sometimes.
If 3 of those guys become legit NHL'ers as Rangers, we'll have done fine.

My main point is that, unlike others here, i am not overly impressed.

And i have NO faith in Hartford coaching to develop NHL'ers.
The only full-time NHL player that wasn't a blue-chip propect coming in (ie NOT McDonagh, Kreider, DelZotto, Hagelin, Zuccarello) that Gernander has developed into an NHL regular - Dale Weise!

 

[NYR713]

I've been hearing some good things about Mat Bodi, who NY signed as NCAA UFA. While smaller sized for NHL defense, I have read a lot of good things about him. He was captain of the NCAA championship winning team, a great puck mover and compared to the likes of Torey Krug. Speaking to people who have watched a lot of his games, as well as Krug when he was in college, the consensus was that he is a better player than Krug. I'm interested to see how he handles himself in camp.

 

[Mikos87]

I've been hearing some good things about Mat Bodi, who NY signed as NCAA UFA. While smaller sized for NHL defense, I have read a lot of good things about him. He was captain of the NCAA championship winning team, a great puck mover and compared to the likes of Torey Krug. Speaking to people who have watched a lot of his games, as well as Krug when he was in college, the consensus was that he is a better player than Krug. I'm interested to see how he handles himself in camp.

I only saw the frozen 4 where Union played, I don't know much about him but I thought Shayne Gothisbere was Union's best defenseman.

On Krug, I don't watch much college hockey so I never really knew anything about him until he got to the AHL. When I saw him play for Providence I knew he was the real deal after 2 games. If Bodie is anything like that, then it is a major plus. I'll keep an eye on the kids in HFD next season. Bodie didn't have nearly the same amount of hype as a Folin, so I don't know what to make of that.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

I've been hearing some good things about Mat Bodi, who NY signed as NCAA UFA. While smaller sized for NHL defense, I have read a lot of good things about him. He was captain of the NCAA championship winning team, a great puck mover and compared to the likes of Torey Krug. Speaking to people who have watched a lot of his games, as well as Krug when he was in college, the consensus was that he is a better player than Krug. I'm interested to see how he handles himself in camp.

I was just about to post about Bodie. I mean at the end of the day NCAA FAs are a real long shot. But if he can be the NYR version of Krug that solves a LOT of issues if Stralman walks. Would inject much needed offense on te blueline.

A tall order? Definitely. But it's something in the pipeline at least.

 

[Zil]

I was just about to post about Bodie. I mean at the end of the day NCAA FAs are a real long shot. But if he can be the NYR version of Krug that solves a LOT of issues if Stralman walks. Would inject much needed offense on te blueline.

A tall order? Definitely. But it's something in the pipeline at least.

Bodie's another leftie. I don't see what he does to potentially replace Stralman.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Bodie's another leftie. I don't see what he does to potentially replace Stralman.

He would bring a puck-moving element to a defensive group that sorely lacks it. To me the RH/LH infatuation is overblown at times.

 

[Zil]

He would bring a puck-moving element to a defensive group that sorely lacks it. To me the RH/LH infatuation is overblown at times.

He's not likely to be able to carry the second pairing minutes that Stralman did. Also Bodie's reputation is based in point production, we haven't really seen how good of a breakout passer he is, which is what makes Stralman so effective.

 

[aufheben]

This is gonna sound stupid, but do "crease clearers" even exist anymore? I feel like this is an old school thought because usually when I see someone defending space in front of the net they get called for cross checking or tripping.

Of course, it's just not like in the 90's where they were allowed to mug anyone who came with 10 feet of the goalie. This was a huge issue for us against LA, defensively AND offensively; They were allowed to set up base camp in front of Hank, literally had complete freedom. On the other side, the Rangers couldn't accomplish anything in front of Quick 5-on-5.

 

[cwede]

I've been hearing some good things about Mat Bodi, who NY signed as NCAA UFA. While smaller sized for NHL defense, I have read a lot of good things about him. He was captain of the NCAA championship winning team, a great puck mover and compared to the likes of Torey Krug.

I got see Bodie a lot during his Union career, thanks to good timing of a connection on campus during these years of success.
He's got great hockey smarts and instincts, strong passing, an accurate if not scary shot. I love the kid, its great NYR signed him.
But 1 maybe 2 years in the minors might be needed for him to bulk up some and adapt to the consistently bigger and better players he'll see every night. But if he make the jump, yeah he's got a game like Krug-Dan Boyle-Brian Campbell

 

[GregSirico]

What bout the thought of Ryan on this team moving forward?

 

[Zil]

I'm excited at the thought of a big right handed shot on the powerplay. I'd appreciate it if any of our resident scouts could give me a breakdown on him, especially his speed. Is this article that says he's a powerful skater accurate?

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/104605/carey-morrison-among-top-available-ncaa-free-agents/

 

[EpicDing]

I'm excited at the thought of a big right handed shot on the powerplay. I'd appreciate it if any of our resident scouts could give me a breakdown on him, especially his speed. Is this article that says he's a powerful skater accurate?

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/104605/carey-morrison-among-top-available-ncaa-free-agents/

Looking at that list, we signed Chris McCarthy too. Scouting report? He hasn't been mentioned much.

 

[Ola]

Who do you guys see being a bigger impact player ... Skjei or McIlrath?

Its good if one of them becomes a impact player to start with.