Prospect Info: 2022-2023 Rangers Prospects Thread (Player Stats in Post #1; Updated 06.04.2023)

[McRanger92]

After finally getting to watch Othmann more substantially in the Worlds, I want to share a few observations.

Pros
- He is a much strong passer than advertised. He has above average vision.
- Plays a high IQ offensive game.
- Very good shot
- Has a real physical edge, uses his size well at the Jr level
- Is a legit power forward prospect reminiscent of Dubinsky and Graves
- Can definitely be a lefty one-time threat on the PP
- possessed more defensive awareness than I expected

Uncertainties
- Plays a more thoughtful, skilled game. Meaning he tends to look for open ice in the offensive zone and get open for the pass, rather than be the guy who uses his size and will to go get the puck. As a result, he seems like a complimentary winger on a scoring line as opposed to the catalyst. That may need to change somewhat at the next level. I mean, look at the montage of his goals from Jrs this year, majority are off the pass -- one timers, stretch passes for breakaways.
- Doesn't necessarily play a high motor style. It's really my biggest concern with him. He has decent anticipation and IQ, but the puck doesn't nec find him with the same frequency as an elite forward. MacTavish is a good comp. Not a great skater, but the puck always find him. Always. It could be a matter of position with Othmann a winger. Nonetheless, he's got to become more aggressive at the next level in terms of being a puck hound.
- He floats sometimes without the puck. He's always looking for open ice, which is a good thing, but I think he tends to freelance sometimes looking for a hit or wanting to get a pass. there's a bit of Ryan Strome there.
- He's a fine enough skater, but not a speedster nor a high motor guy -- Will he get to spots quickly enough to be effective at the next level? We shall see.
- He's quite physical, but of the big hits, not as many as I'd like were the type that actually caused turnovers. They were the kind of big hits that happen right after the opponent moves the puck. Good, clean hits, but more of the imposing/intimidating kind as opposed to the possession changer kind. That said, he had one very decent hit at the WJC along the offensive walls that wasn't earth shattering but led to a takeaway and an immediate primary assist. Can he do that more at the pro level? Will his skating/IQ be quick enough to impose his will in the Pros in the same way? I hope so. If it does, he'll be a staple on the team for a long time.

But his physicality reminds me a bit of Laffy in Juniors. Laffy could be quite physical at times, but he didn't necessarily play a high motor game without the puck. He would instead of float and wait for someone to get him the puck so he could take off. It happens to most elite junior players. It's taken Laffy time to figure out that at the pro level you have to keep your feet moving. You can't slow down and conserve energy all over the ice, you need to move your feet, esp without the puck. No more floating. But playing at a more frenetic pace/style can blunt skill/IQ -- at least for a while. It took Laffy like 18 months to figure it out. And its still a work in progress. I see the potential for Othmann to have a similar hitch when transitioning to the Pros.

All in all, I'm excited for Othmann as I ultimately think enough of his game will eventually translate. But I'm uncertain it will be a quick transition.

How is his play in the D-zone? Thats going to determine if Gallant trust him enough to have him stick around

 

[gravey9]

How is his play in the D-zone? Thats going to determine if Gallant trust him enough to have him stick around

I mean, the simple answer is Gallant will likely not trust him regardless of his actual play. That's a bias that Gallant shares with most NHL coaches. But also there tends to be some validity in that way of thinking.

That said, Othmann seemed pretty typical / average in his own zone for a highly skilled junior. Not bad. But then again, Cameron kept moving him around the lineup in a way that made it seem like he didn't trust him. But I didn't particularly like Cameron's coaching perspective. I think he's far too conservative and honestly watching a different game than most everyone else. I think he was judging Othmann based on prior non WJC play.

For instance, in Flint, Othmann had tons of breakaway goals throughout the year in a way that would lead one to believe he's cheating a bit when it comes to flying the D zone. Yet, in the WJC, you really didn't see that from Othmann. He was playing more conservatively than with Flint.

That said, it's very very rare that a player comes out of juniors and immediately earns the trust of an NHL coach in regards to D zone and play away from the puck. Almost all juniors are handicapped in this regard because they're playing against other teenagers. 3rd year college athletes and Euro kids who play pro tend to have an easier time being trusted early on in their careers.

 

[Fitzy]

The thing is that almost every skill player freelances without the puck when playing in the canadian juniors. It's whether they can successful get that coached out of them in pros, or whether they're skilled enough that they never have to learn not to.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I don't remember this last year - when did they start this? Who typically plays in these games?

Yeah, I blocked it out too because they had some intern streaming it from his iPhone at our practice facility (f***ing embarrassing that an original six team can't set up a decent camera)

 

[2014nyr]

The Athletic's Corey Pronman is doing his annual ranking of team's 22 year old and younger players. Today he published his rankings of 9-16 and he rated the Rangers 9th overall.

Here is his ratings, with his projection and comments if a player projected to be better than an average NHL player (+) or worse (-).

One preliminary note. Fiiip Chytil has aged out of his ranking and Bobby Trivigno is 23 and not included.

1. Lefreniere -- NHL All-Star; -Skating, + puck skills, hockey sense, compete
2. Miller -- Bubble Top/Middle of the Lineup ; - puck skills, + compete, shot
3. Kakko -- Bubble Top/Middle of the Lineup; - skating, + compete
4. Schneider -- Middle of the lineup; - puck skills, + compete
5. Lundqvist -- Middle of the lineup; - puck skills, + hockey sense, + shot
6. Othmann -- Middle of the lineup; - skating, + compete, High end shot
7. Jones -- Middle of the lineup; - puck skills, + hockey sense, + skating (the puck skills is odd since his write up says he moves the puck well and is creative passer
8. Kravtsov -- Projected to play in NHL games; - compete, + puck skills
9. Will Cuylle -- Projected to play in NHL games; - skating, - hockey sense, + compete
10 Robertson -- Projected to play in NHL games; - puck skills
11. McConnell-Barker -- Projected to play in NHL games; - skating, + shot
12. Sykora -- Projected to play in NHL games; + compete
13. Berard -- Projected to play in NHL games; + skating
14. Korczak -- Projected to play in NHL games; - skating, - compete, + hockey sense
15. Garand -- Projected to play in NHL games; + skating

Chance to play

Barbashev, Embertson, Skinner

Notable not mentioned: Henriksson, Pajuniemi, Grubbe, Tarnstrom

He made some assessments i dont agree with but ill give him a break when youre trying to rate 32 teams entire prospect pool one by one. The biggest one i thought he made was our overall rating…looking around the league theres maybe 1-3 i liked more just comparing top 10s wrt who id rather have 1 by 1 and total. And dont think anyone had as much depth although that becomes tougher to be certain of as you get down the list and arent overly familiar with our guys nevermind other teams.

 

[RangerBoy]

 

[Thirty One]

ok.

 

[RangerBoy]

ok.

He went back home. He had some ability.

 

[cwede]

He went back home. He had some ability.

If his NYR experience didnt convince him,
playing in 0 of Chicago[AHL]'s 18 playoff games probably did ..

Letunov, NYR's return for Tarmo, per EP, still unsigned, likely hoping for an NHL deal

 

[nyr2k2]

If his NYR experience didnt convince him,
playing in 0 of Chicago[AHL]'s 18 playoff games probably did ..

Letunov, NYR's return for Tarmo, per EP, still unsigned, likely hoping for an NHL deal

A lot of people didn't like trading Keane for Gauthier, and Keane played a total of 2 games for Carolina and just signed in the KHL. A lot of people also didn't like trading Reunanen for Letunov. Same result. I know CAR is well-run, but they don't fleece us as so many seem to think.

Hell, even the Staal for Saarela and two 2nds was essentially a wash, as Saarela did nothing for CAR before going back to Europe, and the two seconds became nothing (random KHL guy and random AHL/ECHL tweener).

 

[eco's bones]

Hartford was a shitshow at the end of last year and neither Letunov and Merkley did much at all to change that.

 

[cwede]

Hartford was a shitshow at the end of last year and neither Letunov and Merkley did much at all to change that.

Yeah, i am a very optimistic guy, but Pack's dismal stretch run diminished my confidence in coach KK

 

[nyr2k2]

Hartford was a shitshow at the end of last year and neither Letunov and Merkley did much at all to change that.

It was so disappointing. So many guys pulled a disappearing act. Gettinger and Ronning were nowhere to be found, the goaltending sucked, the defense generally sucked, everything. Losing Brodzinski was the catalyst for the collapse IMO. It was tough to watch. They went from being a top AHL team to utter garbage.

 

[gravey9]

ok.

Tarmo R is a good example of why I'd never make a good NHL scout. I thought he looked quite good at times. And I really didn't think he looked overmatched when he got a few games. I thought he had more potential to find a bottom 6 job in the NHL. Clearly, it came down to play in his own zone because he really wasn't bad at skating, moving the puck, vision. A very similar prospect to Joey Keane in a lot of ways. Just a bummer when these guys don't make it. The truth is, playing in the Euro leagues, in front of those crowds, is such a better playing experience for guys like Tarmo. It's night and day compared to the AHL. It's a shame there isn't some more fluid way for players to develop in Europe and slide into the NHL mid-season. LIke, imagine how much happier Nils Lundkvist or Kravtsov would be if they were allowed to treat their home country teams as the NYR farm team and come up to the big clubs without having to wait entire seasons. Like, I would love it if the Rangers made their official farm team an SHL team. They could have like 3-5 slots they have to fill each season and then the Rangers could have a few windows during the year to call up the players, almost like the transfer windows that have in Euro soccer.

It's just no fun to play in an empty depressing arena in HFD, especially if you were just playing the night before in MSG.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

How is his play in the D-zone? Thats going to determine if Gallant trust him enough to have him stick around

It was anywhere from average to brutal at times. He needs work there. His positioning is all over the place, that can easily be corrected however. A year in Juniors where he focuses on improving that part of the game will do wonders for him.

 

[Ranger Ric]

Hartford was a shitshow at the end of last year and neither Letunov and Merkley did much at all to change that.

Agree. WIth Hartford hurting to score trading the two defensemen for Letunov and Merkley was worth a shot but neither produced at a rate that was needed.

 

[Ranger Ric]

Yeah, i am a very optimistic guy, but Pack's dismal stretch run diminished my confidence in coach KK

I've written about coack KK. I'm not in the room and perhaps he is well liked but I didn't like how he handled the prospects -- too often scratching the prospects or putting them on the bottom lines so veterans could play -- and after watching Hartford the last two years I really can't think of any player that made a significant jump in productivity. So Hartford didn't win and didn't develop players. That doesn't sound like a much of a record.

 

[cwede]

I've written about coack KK. I'm not in the room and perhaps he is well liked but I didn't like how he handled the prospects -- too often scratching the prospects or putting them on the bottom lines so veterans could play -- and after watching Hartford the last two years I really can't think of any player that made a significant jump in productivity. So Hartford didn't win and didn't develop players. That doesn't sound like a much of a record.

Dressing Skinner as 12th F felt like a red flag each damn time

 

[Ranger Ric]

It was so disappointing. So many guys pulled a disappearing act. Gettinger and Ronning were nowhere to be found, the goaltending sucked, the defense generally sucked, everything. Losing Brodzinski was the catalyst for the collapse IMO. It was tough to watch. They went from being a top AHL team to utter garbage.

After Gettinger was hurt his game really disintegrated. I don't know how much was the injury. Ronning was OK, one of the better players, but not enough from him and little help elsewhere. The Pack collapsed after Brodzinski recalled and it was infuriating to watch him sit on the bench while the Pack desperately needed him.

Dressing Skinner as 12th F felt like a red flag each damn time

Those were games he wasn't going to play and only played because the team was short forwards. Too many games with Skinner and Pajuniemi scratched and Reuschhoff getting third or fourth line minutes.

 

[RGY]

A lot of people didn't like trading Keane for Gauthier, and Keane played a total of 2 games for Carolina and just signed in the KHL. A lot of people also didn't like trading Reunanen for Letunov. Same result. I know CAR is well-run, but they don't fleece us as so many seem to think.

Hell, even the Staal for Saarela and two 2nds was essentially a wash, as Saarela did nothing for CAR before going back to Europe, and the two seconds became nothing (random KHL guy and random AHL/ECHL tweener).

There were many here who went bananas when we made that trade for Eric Staal. Almost as if Saarela was the one who was going to be the next Sebastian Aho

 

[cwede]

... Too many games with Skinner and Pajuniemi scratched and Reuschhoff getting third or fourth line minutes.

Trying not to project concern about Skinner ice time again.But at RHD, they also have Nils, re-signed staff favorite Giutarri (AHL deal), signed Welinski, traded for Emberson. And Pack signed Luke Martin.

 

[RangerBoy]

When asked about Brett Berard, the scout on the other end of the phone took a moment to consider his answer. Then he blurted what was on his mind.

“He's a [jerk] to play against,” he said. “There's no other way to put it.”

That wasn’t exactly how he phrased it, but you get the point – and it was meant as a compliment.

“A lot of teams had him ranked late because there wasn't a ton of points at the U.S. (National Team Development) Program and he’s smaller,” a league source recalled. “He was just viewed as a hard worker, but he's gotten confidence at the college level.”

NY Rangers 2022 prospect rankings: No. 6 is a 'pest' for opponents to deal with

The No. 6-ranked prospect for the New York Rangers has combined swagger, skill and a high motor to elevate his status in the eyes of many.

www.lohud.com

What word was used by the scout? Asshole? Prick?

 

[eco's bones]

Hartford had 25 different forwards and 15 different defensemen suit up for them last year. That's a lot. Their most effective line in the first half was Brodzinski-Greco-Gettinger. Brodzinski was their Zibanejad. He was an all situation threat to score and their leader on the ice. Gettinger was in and out of the the lineup with injury in the second half. Greco played fairly well but he missed Brodzinski a lot. Pajuniemi missed a lot of games with injury. He was a good secondary scorer for them when he could string some games together. Others didn't step up enough (Ronning).....some were too streaky (Rueschoff, Khodorenko) some regressed (Richards) loads of AHL contracts at forward Fritz, Whelan were the best and DiGiacinto added some grit.

On D I think it was a problem with Jones, Lundkvist and Reunanen more or less the same kind of player--smallish puck moving D who have issues with physical play and defending. Jones was the best. Nils didn't respond all that great to his demotion. It might just be he needed a year of adapting to North America. But too much similarity between the three of them and they were all more or less playing their first full year in North America. Losing Schneider hurt Hartford a lot. Robertson was a better defender but his two way game needs work. Another first year pro. Skinner more or less new too. Giuttari's a steady guy. Tinordi and Bitetto are okay AHL guys. Bitetto trying to do too much at times and Tinordi can be an adventure even at that level.

Both Kinkaid and Huska did okay but neither are guys that you want up with your team unless there's a big emergency. Domingue and Garand should be an improvement.

 

[Fitzy]

Soft puck moving defensemen with 3rd pairing upside have a real tough time finding a home in the NHL.

Tarmo topped out at an Adam Clendening level ability, and that's just not enough to get NHL coaches to be okay with having a defensive liability on the third pairing.

He had skill but it was almost always clear the odds were against him, and that Zac Jones represented a better, younger option.

 

[RangersFan1994]

A lot of people didn't like trading Keane for Gauthier, and Keane played a total of 2 games for Carolina and just signed in the KHL. A lot of people also didn't like trading Reunanen for Letunov. Same result. I know CAR is well-run, but they don't fleece us as so many seem to think.

Hell, even the Staal for Saarela and two 2nds was essentially a wash, as Saarela did nothing for CAR before going back to Europe, and the two seconds became nothing (random KHL guy and random AHL/ECHL tweener).

What about Graves for Bigras? I mean they couldn’t someone with a little potential, not some ECHL level player. Graves would look good on the Rangers. Should have been given a chance. It is not like he was not worth giving a chance too. Rangers need to improve their NHL scouting. Hunt and Gauthier would be in the AHL in most organizations. Pro scouting is an issue here. Nemeth perfect example. They signed a player that did not fit our team at all.