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Duclair, Graves lead New York Rangers prospect awards

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HF Article

Registered User
Nov 16, 2005
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When the New York Rangers drafted Anthony Duclair in the third round of the draft last summer, they were hoping that the young Quebec Remparts left wing would bounce back from a mediocre sophomore season and become a really good prospect. But even the most optimistic scout could not have predicted how successful Duclair would be in his 2013-14 season.



Other Rangers' prospects were up and down. In his first professional season, Danny Kristo showed flashes of skill, but was inconsistent at both ends of the ice. At the NCAA level, defenseman Brady Skjei make unexpected strides on the Minnesota Golden Gophers' blue line.… read more



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All this talk of Duclair's speed makes you wonder if he might earn a bit of time with the Rangers next year if they decide he doesn't have anything more to learn in Juniors.
 
Brady Skjei ...McDonagh part Deux...can't wait!

I hope that Duclair makes no first rounder for 3 years, palatable.
 
slipknottin said:
And Kristo was named the top prospect last time.

Its meaningless.
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Not the prospect rankings overall. Leslie has good info inside the org, and she is basically starting to throw some cold water on the situation with that comment, adjusting expectations.

Obviously, still development time left.
 
HatTrick Swayze said:
Not the prospect rankings overall. Leslie has good info inside the org, and she is basically starting to throw some cold water on the situation with that comment, adjusting expectations.

Obviously, still development time left.
Click to expand...

If we were to rank McIlrath vs. Skjei in terms of potential, Skjei has a top 2 ceiling, while McIlrath does not.

I do think, however, that McIlrath (who is not only close to becoming a regular NHL defenseman as is) was not 100% from his knee injury from last year, and his improvement was impeded.

I haven't soured on him. I think he can be a 2nd pair defenseman and give a similar effect to our team like Douglas Murray has had on any team he has been on.

I'm expecting a mid-season call up where he sticks next year.
 
Fitzy said:
All this talk of Duclair's speed makes you wonder if he might earn a bit of time with the Rangers next year if they decide he doesn't have anything more to learn in Juniors.
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Damn, thinking of the speed of Kreider-Hagelin-Duclair on the left side of the ice makes me drool a little bit.
 
HatTrick Swayze said:
Not the prospect rankings overall. Leslie has good info inside the org, and she is basically starting to throw some cold water on the situation with that comment, adjusting expectations.

Obviously, still development time left.
Click to expand...

Not a fan of her eye for players but I respect her professional opinion. Good article.
 
Fitzy said:
All this talk of Duclair's speed makes you wonder if he might earn a bit of time with the Rangers next year if they decide he doesn't have anything more to learn in Juniors.
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Yeah, and I am not saying that anyone is wrong, but I want to see it before I believe it.

Its a big jump from the Q to any other level.

To put it like this, from what I've seen from Duclair I am expecting him to be able to come in a player a good game in the AHL down the road, with hopes for him to just possibly even get into the NHL. That is good from an organizational point of view, because if you gather enough prospects like that like 10-20% actually become good NHLers. Callahan, Dawes, Grachev and Thomas are pervious players in this mold.

All those players needed a lot of time, and only one really became a good NHLer long term. Dawes made it but couldn't quite establish himself. Grachev and Thomas probably never will make it.

What we are talking about here is Duclair coming in way way way faster than any of those 4 names mentioned and doing a lot better than any of them. I've just not seen him perform in a way that makes me believe that is possible. But OTOH I've not seen that much of him.

I like Duclair better than I liked Thomas. I don't quite think Grachev got a fair shot at it, he went from playing with Duchene to playing for us under Torts "its-forbidden-to-pass-the-puck-terror-regime", Grachev had awsome size and some talent. Was Russia's first line center in the WJC's. Before he got here, I always talked down the expectations on him. But I still believe that he ought to have potential in his body to play in the NHL in kind of a Benoit Pouliot role. So I am not quite sure on how to rank Duclair vs Grachev. Nigel Dawes was an amazing player in juniors, but its important to remember that he is a hard piece to fit into a puzzle in the NHL. A small sniper that wasn't much of a threat from a distance, that had little playmaking ability and wasn't that fast. All in all a darn fine hockey player though, awsome instincts.

What Duclair has is awsome wheels. But the overall level of shape players are in at this level can't just be compared to a junior league. That would undoubtedly stand out the minute Duclair hit the ice in the NHL. I would bet that he will need 2-3 of grate development and building up his body before he is ready to skate at this level. It would be amazing if he could come in and play a few games a early as next year, but I don't see that in the stars to be honest.
 
Ola said:
Yeah, and I am not saying that anyone is wrong, but I want to see it before I believe it.

Its a big jump from the Q to any other level.

To put it like this, from what I've seen from Duclair I am expecting him to be able to come in a player a good game in the AHL down the road, with hopes for him to just possibly even get into the NHL. That is good from an organizational point of view, because if you gather enough prospects like that like 10-20% actually become good NHLers. Callahan, Dawes, Grachev and Thomas are pervious players in this mold.

All those players needed a lot of time, and only one really became a good NHLer long term. Dawes made it but couldn't quite establish himself. Grachev and Thomas probably never will make it.

What we are talking about here is Duclair coming in way way way faster than any of those 4 names mentioned and doing a lot better than any of them. I've just not seen him perform in a way that makes me believe that is possible. But OTOH I've not seen that much of him.

I like Duclair better than I liked Thomas. I don't quite think Grachev got a fair shot at it, he went from playing with Duchene to playing for us under Torts "its-forbidden-to-pass-the-puck-terror-regime", Grachev had awsome size and some talent. Was Russia's first line center in the WJC's. Before he got here, I always talked down the expectations on him. But I still believe that he ought to have potential in his body to play in the NHL in kind of a Benoit Pouliot role. So I am not quite sure on how to rank Duclair vs Grachev. Nigel Dawes was an amazing player in juniors, but its important to remember that he is a hard piece to fit into a puzzle in the NHL. A small sniper that wasn't much of a threat from a distance, that had little playmaking ability and wasn't that fast. All in all a darn fine hockey player though, awsome instincts.

What Duclair has is awsome wheels. But the overall level of shape players are in at this level can't just be compared to a junior league. That would undoubtedly stand out the minute Duclair hit the ice in the NHL. I would bet that he will need 2-3 of grate development and building up his body before he is ready to skate at this level. It would be amazing if he could come in and play a few games a early as next year, but I don't see that in the stars to be honest.
Click to expand...

I think he's an undeniable talent, more so than Grachev, Thomas, and Dawes. None of those players had the ceiling nor the consistency that Duclair has shown. Nor do they have the speed that will put him amongst the fastest players in the NHL if he came up.

Putting up the numbers that he did in the Q is unreal. Mantha is considered Detroit's top prospect and he only put up a marginally better season. Mantha was also a year older than Duclair.
 
Interesting thing to note about Duclair is that he will have almost 6 months between his injury and the Traverse City, so that gives him plenty of time to work out and put some muscle mass on.

IMO he is just physical maturity away from the NHL... yes he is that fast, and yes he has a pair of hands at that speed. He would have to push someone out of the line up to get a 9-Game trial, but I don't think that is out of the question.

With Quebec hosting the Memmer next year, he will see some great hockey... especially if he makes the world junior squad. If Duclair deserves it, he'll get a look, play in the WJC, and memorial cup. Should be a hell of a year for him next year.

On McIlrath, I always though he would need about 120-160 games in the AHL and physical maturity before he was ready for the NHL. I think he's another half a season away from the NHL as a number 6 defenseman that can kill penalties. He just has to play a mistake free game, and he will replace Klein the season after next. Should be a part timer next year.
 
Ola,

Dawes would be like The Duke if he were 3 inches taller and much faster.

Dawes was just one tiny step below being a quality NHL second liner. I suspect if he were either 3 inches taller or significantly faster, he would've been a second liner. I am certain that if he were faster AND taller, he would've been a 50-60 or better player.

I am very hopeful about The Duke, though I don't expect him to make the team next year.
 
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