Prospect Info: 2013-2014 Rangers Prospects Thread (Player Stats in Post #1; Updated 12/17)

[ColonialsHockey10]

The offensive potential he "oozed" has disappeared and his defense is still not good.

He's worse than MDZ and people here think MDZ is the anti-christ. If he wasn't as highly touted as he was, Anaheim fans wouldn't be making excuses for him suddenly turning into this "great two-way defenseman." It goes to show, again, how hard the draft can be to predict.

Couldn't be more spot on.

This is actually similar to MDZ, except Michael is good defensively. People are just very fickle.

 

[Kokoschka]

Never seen Nieves play in person, but from what I read I'm excited about that guy. Hopefully he makes the US squad so I can catch a few games.

 

[NYR Viper]

come on.

i saw the whale play 5 times last season. in person. with mcilrath.

and i watched a ton of moose jaw games via internet after his draft year.

i see a guy whos big, mean, aggressive, and raw. i dont see a kid with alot of natural hockey ability however.

so, you were saying ?

I'm sorry, but if you think he will be John Erskine than I have to question:

a) if you have really seen him play or are just blowing smoke
b) Have a massive agenda to constantly put the player down for no apparent reason in order prop yourself up

because if he were playing in the NHL this season, as a 21/22 year old, he would already be better than Erskine.

The picture you are trying to paint of McIlrath just doesn't portray the player. Maybe Sam Noreau. Not McIlrath.

 

[darko]

At least we don't have to hear about Fowler anymore, considering he's a train-wreck.

ODC knows more than most people who post here, myself included, but I think the vendetta against McIlrath will be one of lifes unsolved mysteries.

True.


And when he loves a player he really loves him. Think Enver Lisin.

 

[offdacrossbar]

True.


And when he loves a player he really loves him. Think Enver Lisin.

who dat ?

contrary to popular belief, i am hopeful mr mcilrath can develop into the player that gordie drafted him to be.

 

[E-Train]

I'm sorry, but if you think he will be John Erskine than I have to question:

a) if you have really seen him play or are just blowing smoke
b) Have a massive agenda to constantly put the player down for no apparent reason in order prop yourself up

because if he were playing in the NHL this season, as a 21/22 year old, he would already be better than Erskine.

The picture you are trying to paint of McIlrath just doesn't portray the player. Maybe Sam Noreau. Not McIlrath.

Exactly. Excellent post.

 

[Miamipuck]

I'm sorry, but if you think he will be John Erskine than I have to question:

a) if you have really seen him play or are just blowing smoke
b) Have a massive agenda to constantly put the player down for no apparent reason in order prop yourself up

because if he were playing in the NHL this season, as a 21/22 year old, he would already be better than Erskine.

The picture you are trying to paint of McIlrath just doesn't portray the player. Maybe Sam Noreau. Not McIlrath.

Pretty much yeah.

 

[iamitter]

Scott McGuire (Scouting Director East) is no longer part of our scouting staff.

 

[Bardof425*]

Never seen Nieves play in person, but from what I read I'm excited about that guy. Hopefully he makes the US squad so I can catch a few games.

From watching him on TV several times, he is big (needs to beef up), sees the ice very well and moves really well for his 6' 3" frame. He had a very strong Freshman year. Let's see if he can continue to grow and develop. You have to be happy with where he is. Making the US team would be a great step forward and a great opportunity for us to see him against the best in the world at his age.

 

[a tribe cq]

I'm sorry, but if you think he will be John Erskine than I have to question:

a) if you have really seen him play or are just blowing smoke
b) Have a massive agenda to constantly put the player down for no apparent reason in order prop yourself up

because if he were playing in the NHL this season, as a 21/22 year old, he would already be better than Erskine.

The picture you are trying to paint of McIlrath just doesn't portray the player. Maybe Sam Noreau. Not McIlrath.

100%

 

[NYR Viper]

100%

And I should note that there definitely things for him to work on. He is by no means above criticism, hell I would like for him to work on his shot and one timer from the point. He has the size and strength to have a rocket of a shot, he just needs practice.

However, I don't agree with some of the negatives people are throwing out there. The kid moves really well for a defenseman. Let alone a guy his size.

 

[LetterJ]

Scott McGuire (Scouting Director East) is no longer part of our scouting staff.

I read this article a couple of weeks ago and went hmmm, given AGM Gorton's former position with the Bruins:

Well, this has to fall under the category of “Rather Odd” when it comes to off-season hockey news. And given everything that has happened since the puck last dropped a month ago, that’s saying something.

Fresh off their appearance in the Stanley Cup final, the Boston Bruins have fired their longtime director of amateur scouting, Wayne Smith.

Smith, who was one of Peter Chiarelli’s first hires after he took over as Bruins GM in 2006, was hired as a scout, then became head scout a year later and oversaw a department that had done a strong drafting job and signed key college free agent Torey Krug, who was an integral piece of the roster that came within a late meltdown of going to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

It seems rather odd, given that Chiarelli admits that Smith is his good friend and is a very good scout. Their prospect list was solid, ranking them 12th among NHL organizations in THN’s Future Watch edition in 2013.

“We wanted to freshen up our amateur scouting and shift things a little bit and we felt this was the way to do it,” Chiarelli said. “Wayne has done a good job and I’ll give him a good reference, but we wanted to inject some new life.”

Changes such as this one are rarely made unless there is a good reason, though. Word among people in the scouting community is that Smith, who has a long history of scouting both in the Ontario League and the NHL, is a very good evaluator of talent and a hard worker, but is more suited to be a regional scout than someone running a scouting department with a multi-million dollar budget and scouts all over the world. (A phone call and email to Smith were not immediately returned.)

Smith is a pure hockey man, perhaps a little rough around the edges, but did a very good job. For example, Smith and his department pushed for promising defenseman Matt Bartkowski to be included in the deal from the Florida Panthers when the Bruins acquired Dennis Seidenberg in 2010.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/52842-Bruins-firing-head-of-scouting-an-odd-move.html

I wonder whether the two moves are connected???

 

[RangerBoy]

Who is Scott McGuire?

There is a Scott McGuire who was a former Knick scout. The Knicks didn't renew his contract and its a big deal because his father is Dick McGuire.

The Rangers scouting staff has been the same for the last 3 years.

Director, Player Personnel Gordie Clark
Director of Professional Scouting Kevin Maxwell
Hockey Consultant Doug Risebrough
Hockey and Business Operations Adam Graves
Head Professional Scout, Europe Anders Hedberg

European Scouts
Jan Gajdosik
Otto Hascak
Vladimir Lutchenko

Amateur Scouts
Larry Bernard
Rich Brown
Brendon Clark
Daniel Dore
Ernie Gare
Peter Stephan
Tom Thompson

Professional Scouts
Rick Kehoe
Gilles Leger
Justin Sather

http://rangers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=54019

 

[wings5]

Any word on why Spelling left Sweden? Seemed to have an SHL roster spot locked up..

 

[AJRanger]

Any word on why Spelling left Sweden? Seemed to have an SHL roster spot locked up..

He couldn't get a "good" contract in Sweden (his words). Says he plans to use this season as a fresh start and then he hopes to return to Sweden for 2014-15.

 

[UlfNilsson]

I think a good portion of the negativity towards McIlrath stems from the moment he was drafted - when everyone shouted out a collective "WHO?...." and the wonderful Mr. Pierre McGuire immediately started tearing the Rangers up, claiming it was a huge flub on the Rangers part.

 

[Beacon]

I think a good portion of the negativity towards McIlrath stems from the moment he was drafted - when everyone shouted out a collective "WHO?...." and the wonderful Mr. Pierre McGuire immediately started tearing the Rangers up, claiming it was a huge flub on the Rangers part.

Big Pun will be a fan favorite here. He isn't Purinton, he is a faster, stronger Beukeboom. There is a better chance he pays on the first pair than third.

 

[offdacrossbar]

Big Pun will be a fan favorite here. He isn't Purinton, he is a faster, stronger Beukeboom. There is a better chance he pays on the first pair than third.

im sorry but you are in the minority here.

outside of the nyr family, there just isnt the love for him and the chances he becomes a 1st pair kid are moderate at best.

i would be very happy if he plays a regular role as a shutdown 3d pair type.

im sure he will be a fan favorite. by all accounts hes a terrific kid and has natural leadership ability. and while his "intangibles" may be high, his tangibles still have a ways to go.

 

[Punxrocknyc19*]

im sorry but you are in the minority here.

outside of the nyr family, there just isnt the love for him and the chances he becomes a 1st pair kid are moderate at best.

i would be very happy if he plays a regular role as a shutdown 3d pair type.

im sure he will be a fan favorite. by all accounts hes a terrific kid and has natural leadership ability. and while his "intangibles" may be high, his tangibles still have a ways to go.

at least we know he wont be another Stu Bickel.. imagine if he turned out to be that bad

 

[JohnC]

I'm gonna have to go ahead and trust the opinion of the guy who watched every Whale game last year on this one

 

[RangerBoy]

The US camp started on Saturday.

Skjei is on team blue. Nieves is on team white.

Blue played Finland yesterday. White played the Swedes.

Best players today for USA Blue IMO: Carrick, O'Regan, Kerdiles, Skjei. Good flashes from DeAngelo, Barber, Lane.

https://twitter.com/chrismpeters/status/364146063474561024

Blue plays Sweden today. White plays Finland. The rosters are cut tomorrow.

Then Canada joins the group on Wednesday.

http://worldjuniors.usahockey.com/page/show/797432-junior-evaluation-camp

 

[Ola]

Any word on why Spelling left Sweden? Seemed to have an SHL roster spot locked up..

If we feel like being synical we can more or less forget about him.

Rögle screwed him over. They are a team just promoted to the SEL, Spelling had many suitors but he opted to go to them. Going from the 2nd tier league to teh SEL is like a team going from the AHL to the NHL. Rögle brought in a bunch of new established players, didn't keep much of the core at all from the team that got them promoted (usually a bad idea), and with 75% new players on the roster they just got nothing going and was instantly demoted again. Their coach was way to insecure to play a unproven young dane. Half the players they had signed in the summer were established scoring wingers and they had zero balance on the roster.

If Spelling had been more established we would have signed him to a AHL deal. If he himself had the fire he would have signed with a 2nd tier team in Sweden. Going back to Denmark is not the option.

This is a kid who got alot of raw talent in him, but no matter what its always extremely hard to make it and if you have bumps along the way its more or less impossible. I just can't see how he can make up for this.

 

[ocarina]

If we feel like being synical we can more or less forget about him.

Rögle screwed him over. They are a team just promoted to the SEL, Spelling had many suitors but he opted to go to them. Going from the 2nd tier league to teh SEL is like a team going from the AHL to the NHL. Rögle brought in a bunch of new established players, didn't keep much of the core at all from the team that got them promoted (usually a bad idea), and with 75% new players on the roster they just got nothing going and was instantly demoted again. Their coach was way to insecure to play a unproven young dane. Half the players they had signed in the summer were established scoring wingers and they had zero balance on the roster.

If Spelling had been more established we would have signed him to a AHL deal. If he himself had the fire he would have signed with a 2nd tier team in Sweden. Going back to Denmark is not the option.

This is a kid who got alot of raw talent in him, but no matter what its always extremely hard to make it and if you have bumps along the way its more or less impossible. I just can't see how he can make up for this.

Do you think he might be salvageable if he comes to North America after a season in Denmark? I think Jannik Hansen actually played one season in Denmark after his draft year, though I believe he was a year younger than Spelling would be.

 

[Beacon]

Do you think he might be salvageable if he comes to North America after a season in Denmark? I think Jannik Hansen actually played one season in Denmark after his draft year, though I believe he was a year younger than Spelling would be.

I think Spelling is no more than an ECHL player right now in North America. Might be good if he went to college here.

 

[NYR Viper]

I think Spelling is no more than an ECHL player right now in North America. Might be good if he went to college here.

NCAA's would be a good route for him to take but I believe he can not as he has already played in a pro league, no?