Prospect Info: 2022-2023 Rangers Prospects Thread (Player Stats in Post #1; Updated 06.04.2023)
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gravey9
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RR, this is pretty accurate.
- Hajek is a better skater, at least straight ahead skater. Hajek’s biggest issues are between the ears and how he processes the game. But his size, skill and speed are unquestionably NHL level. It’s the hockey IQ. The first pass. The lack of confidence that holds him back.
- Harpur. Not a great skater. Tentative in the o zone and like Hajek can hurt offensive zone time. But Harper keeps his game very simple. And really is decent at winning board battles and making a first pass or comfortably going D to D. His downside is, has trouble handling the faster NHL teams.
- Scanlin is closer to Harpur re:skating. It’ll be tough to know if he can hang at NHL speed skating wise. Not just speed but possibly agility. Just hard to know. His strengths are very similar to Harpur’s. Pretty physical. Decent first pass. Not a great set of wheels. I would say, he makes more plays with the puck in HFD than Harpur did. But He too knows his game. Doesn’t go crazy trying to pinch. Not a lot of panic in his game. It’s hard to know if he can handle the pro pace. If he makes it, it’s as a Girardi type. May or May not possess the skating chops to stick at NHL level. But only a long opportunity would answer that. I am a fan of his and would love to see him mature into our bottom pair D.
ElLeetch
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GAGLine
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NYR Viper
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Amazing Kreiderman
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Adam Sýkora is AHL eligible next season. This rule only prohibits assignment during the first year of the ELC. "may not be assigned to a minor league team during the first year of their NHL contracts".
The Crypto Guy
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When was the last time we had a young player come over from Europe and actually develop properly the AHL? Chytil? That's pretty debatable since it's taken him 3 years in the NHL to start to flourish a bit, don't think the AHL did anything for him.
I'd rather keep Sykora in Europe or the WHL next season than play in the AHL. The Pack has been a dump for ages.
I'd rather keep Sykora in Europe or the WHL next season than play in the AHL. The Pack has been a dump for ages.
Amazing Kreiderman
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From the moment we drafted him, I've said I prefer the Lehkonen path for a kid like Sýkora.
Similar draft positions, similar style. Lehkonen spent 2 full seasons in the SHL after a post draft year in Liiga.
2022-23: Tipos
2023-24: SHL
2024-25: SHL
2025:26: NHL
GAGLine
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It's always debatable. If he had produced right away, people could argue that he's just that good and the AHL did nothing for him. There's no way to actually quantify it, though by his second stint in the AHL, it was pretty evident that he didn't really need more time at that level.
Lias Andersson, on the other hand, didn't progress much at any level. Maybe he would have been better off staying in Europe longer, but again, who can really say?
Anisimov entered the AHL at 19 and did really well. He never hit the heights we hoped for him, but he was a good player.
The Crypto Guy
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I’m in the menality you want to develop your kids in a winning environment, and since the rebuild started the Pack have year in and year out been in the bottom of the standings. Absolutely no playoff/big game experiences. Haven’t sniffed the playoffs since 2015. The rep it gets is well deserved IMO.
Sure, the team has sucked for a while. No disputing that. I'd obviously prefer the team be better, too.
Individual player development? I don't think it's nearly as bad as some people portray it. It's not great, but it's not terrible.
Fitzy
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McRanger92
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Just when I said they should keep Cuylle in HFD for the season, he gets the call-up. Seems like he deserved it and im excited to see what he can do.
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I missed last nights game, did someone get hurt? Or this is something Cuylle "forced" with his play?
McRanger92
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The 4th line was ass last night and i think Cuylle has earned it as well.
kovazub94
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They had enough of Kravtsov floating and needed to send Blais to Hartford on conditioning assignment. My expectations are low - don't think he sticks around long term at the moment but it is a nice reward for his performance in Hartford and also a chance to see how he measures at a higher level. Then again - he might stick and never look back ala Hagelin some years ago.
gravey9
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There's just so much that goes into development. A player needs to develop in so many different ways in order to be successful and make it to the NHL. It really helps if you have a few elite physical traits as they can help you get to the highest levels on sheer physicality or athleticism alone. From there, you still have to plenty to develop still, but you can get to the highest levels faster. Doesn't mean you'll stay there, at all.
From what i can tell, here are the ways in which every player needs to develop:
Individual Skills
- stickhandling
- shooting
- passing
- skating (agility, speed, edgework, power, balance - unlike say Basketball or Football where you can only work so much on running, in hockey working on your skating is never over.) Every prospect I've ever seen has had to work on their skating in at least one or two of these areas -- even a guy like Hagelin.
- on-ice awareness/vision
- 1 v 1 skills (offensive and defensive)
Size/Strength/explosivness/health
- gym stuff
- diet stuff
Team Skills
- positioning (in all zones)
- overall hockey IQ (vision, instincts)
- improving spatial awareness, Often translates
- Having a deeper sense of what to do in different situations and spots on the ice. As the game gets faster and more structured, this aspect is key to becoming effective and gaining coach's trust), This is a thing most prospects no matter how elite struggle with mightily. It appears as if players aren't making good decisions or are not hustling when this area is suffering.
Personal skills
- learning to cope with failure and pressure
- dealing with loneliness and being a professional. dealing with the business.
- making smart decisions with money, lifestyle, social life, drinking and partying
- knowing how to ask for help when going through rough emotional spells
- dealing with the emotional weight of expectations.
- being stuck in a foreign land where you don't speak the language. Spending time in the minors where you're traveling from one tiny city to the next that are almost all predominantly filled with english speakers.
I'm sure there is a lot more than this, but this a sense of just how many ways a kid needs to develop. And we're asking 18 an 19 year olds to do this. It's fairly extraordinary stuff. It's in part why keeping them in a place where they can just get a ton of ice time and just focus on their next shift is often the best thing for them at a young age. It gives them less time to dwell on all the ways they need to improve. It's daunting. Most of us on here would fail miserably at this -- at least in terms of getting to the largest stage. That's not a knock on anyone reading this. It's just the nature of things.
Keep in mind, compare this list of things to, say, your typical 18 or 19 year old. Most college interns I've worked with couldn't handle a list of responsibilities like this or come close to it. Even the real go-getter ones. And they're usually 20-22 years old. An 18 year old hockey player that's been head and shoulders above their age group for years who's had people treating him like he's a star since he was 14 has A LOT to adjust to. It's absolutely a job and one in which, when you're hired, you're not actually qualified for (yet).
It's tough because you look at things lately, and have guys like Miller, Kakko, Lafreniere, who were all high picks and skipped Hartford completely (even if the latter two probably could have used some time there, honestly). You have Kravtsov--his situation is what it is; I think it's a failure on the player's part and also somewhat on the organization, but it wasn't a problem with development in Hartford. Andersson is similar, in that at the beginning he was actually coming along nicely in Hartford, but then ran into personal issues. Maybe you can argue that Hartford should have done more to support him, but again, Hartford's GM at the time was an AGM with the Rangers and it's really incumbent on the parent club to make sure their prime assets are taken care of.
You also have guys that did spend time in Hartford, but not much. Braden Schneider, Filip Chytil, Nils Lundkvist. Those guys. Chytil seemed to be helped by Hartford IMO, and Schneider was definitely better in his last game with Hartford than his first game. Lundkvist didn't progress really, but it was clear he didn't want to be in the AHL at all.
Zac Jones? I think Hartford has helped him. He's a better player than when he first turned pro. Will Cuylle is developing nicely. Garand is picking it up. You have guys like Matt Rempe who have already exceeded expectations. Matt Robertson has his issues, but it's becoming clear to me that he just might not be the player I thought he was. You can see he's being coached up, and working on adapting his game, but I'm not sure if he has it. Joey Keane was a guy who was doing great in Hartford. Morgan Barron is a solid contributor in the NHL and he worked on his game in Hartford.
Some guys, like Tim Gettinger, are interesting cases. Tim Gettinger is objectively a better player now than he was when he broke into the league. The Hartford staff has done good work with him. He's just not an NHL caliber player. That's not a development failure, it's reality. Same for someone like Ty Ronning or Tarmo Reunanen.
When I look back to the 2016 draft--right before that was that awful stretch where we never had picks and were excited by guys like Keegan Iverson--the closest thing I see to a development failure is Robertson, and as mentioned I'm not sure if he's even actually that good. Maybe Hunter Skinner? He's a fringe guy but I think they should be utilizing him more. But that's really it. I think Hartford has been a fine place for the kids to develop, we just haven't sent many impact NHL players down there recently (that weren't nuts). If you want to develop NHL-caliber players with your AHL affiliate, you need to send the AHL affiliate NHL-caliber prospects.
You also have guys that did spend time in Hartford, but not much. Braden Schneider, Filip Chytil, Nils Lundkvist. Those guys. Chytil seemed to be helped by Hartford IMO, and Schneider was definitely better in his last game with Hartford than his first game. Lundkvist didn't progress really, but it was clear he didn't want to be in the AHL at all.
Zac Jones? I think Hartford has helped him. He's a better player than when he first turned pro. Will Cuylle is developing nicely. Garand is picking it up. You have guys like Matt Rempe who have already exceeded expectations. Matt Robertson has his issues, but it's becoming clear to me that he just might not be the player I thought he was. You can see he's being coached up, and working on adapting his game, but I'm not sure if he has it. Joey Keane was a guy who was doing great in Hartford. Morgan Barron is a solid contributor in the NHL and he worked on his game in Hartford.
Some guys, like Tim Gettinger, are interesting cases. Tim Gettinger is objectively a better player now than he was when he broke into the league. The Hartford staff has done good work with him. He's just not an NHL caliber player. That's not a development failure, it's reality. Same for someone like Ty Ronning or Tarmo Reunanen.
When I look back to the 2016 draft--right before that was that awful stretch where we never had picks and were excited by guys like Keegan Iverson--the closest thing I see to a development failure is Robertson, and as mentioned I'm not sure if he's even actually that good. Maybe Hunter Skinner? He's a fringe guy but I think they should be utilizing him more. But that's really it. I think Hartford has been a fine place for the kids to develop, we just haven't sent many impact NHL players down there recently (that weren't nuts). If you want to develop NHL-caliber players with your AHL affiliate, you need to send the AHL affiliate NHL-caliber prospects.
eco's bones
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Cuylle is big and strong. He has a thick body. He can be mean. He will fight if pushed. He also has pretty good hands. 13 goals as a rookie in a little over half a season on an offensively challenged team is really good. The question will be about his keeping pace and not being a defensive liability. Whatever his call up brings though he’s not all that far from making the NHL. I don’t think he’s top 6 material though. I see a comparable in a larger version of Goodrow in the coming years….maybe with better goal scoring though.
Fitzy
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gravey9
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gravey9
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The thing with Cuylle is -- I haven't necessarily seen him be a particularly edgy or aggressive player that goes out of his way to make a hit. He'll use his size effectively, but, at least in HFD or even in Juniors, he's shown a bigger desire to be offensive and make plays.
I think he will need to adjust to the speed of the NHL. And I think he may have to play a fair bit more aggressively on the 4th line. He's not bad positionally. In more recent games, he's beginning to just be around the puck a lot because he's getting to that place where he's figuring out the AHL and where to position himself to be most effective. Which has been a nice thing to see develop in his game. It shows that overtime he develops his approach using his mind. That alone makes me think he will be a future NHLer. No idea how he'll do at first. He will yet again need to adjust his play style as he's had a bit more offensive role in HFD. He has been PKing in HFD, so that's a real bonus compared to guys like Blais and Gauthier or even VK. Long term, he'll have more value as a bottom 6 player for us than anyone on our current 4th line.
gravey9
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He's better than Weise I would say. More skilled. Smarter player.
Someone else mentioned Goody. It's an interest comparison that I've made as well. But the comparison has actually made me re-consider what Goody brings. And it's interesting. Goody is what I would call a high hockey IQ defensive player. He possesses a high IQ but due to this physical skills, he focuses his IQ on being a defensive forward. These sorts of players used to be more common on Rangers teams, but the big club has gone through a period of not having these types. Jan Erixon, Carl Hagelin, Dom Moore. Fast was maybe the last guy we had prior to Goody that was this kind of player. Goody is rarely in the wrong place. Whereas a guy like Vesey has skating and size and decent hands (at times) but is still transitioning into a bottom 6 player. He's not always where he needs to be. Whereas Goody is usually in the right place.
I think Cuylle could maybe become this. But straight up, I think Karl Henriksson is this player. He doesn't ahve the size and his offense and skating may hold him back, but Henriksson's hockey IQ is pretty high and he tends to use it to play a solid defensive game. I look at Cuylle and I see someone who has a higher ceiling re: his physical ability, big, strong, decent offensive skills, but whose IQ is not necessarily as high as Henriksson or a Dom Moore or a Goody. But that's more my sense than anything else. I could be wrong here. I think Cuylle has more than enough hockey IQ, but will he be elite defensively? Or more of a thicker, stronger Vesey who can PK -- I think maybe at this moment, he's closer to that. Over time, once he's sorted out how to play in the NHL, he could become more of a defensive specialist who is always in the right place, but right now, I see him as a kid who has always been relied on to score goals at every level. And so, his game is not necessarily focused on D. He's what GG called a "200 ft player." Which seems to be code word for -- yeah, he'll score some goals, but he'll play hard anywhere on the ice, but he's not nec a defensive specialist either. I would think it's still TBD exactly what kind of bottom 6er Will Cuylle will become. A hybrid guy with surprising skill who ends up playing netfront on PP2. Or will become a shutdown guy who needs to carry a lucky charm around to score. My guess is the former. But we'll see.
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