GDT: NY Rangers 2018 Development Camp Thread

[Fvital92]

I don't think we've established he prefers to play in the AHL than KHL. If every individual is different, why would we even begin to start comparing him to Chytil? One guy from Eastern Europe did well in Hartford so we should send the next Eastern European there? Absolutely nothing with Kravtsov should be based on Chytil. Chytil and Kravtsov don't even come from a close part of the world. Their hometown are 6,000+ miles away. NYC is closer to both of their hometowns than they are closer to each other. We need to get this out of our minds that Chytil should have anything to do with Kravtsov. Chytil should also stop trying to influence Kravtsov on that. He's not the GM. He's no more qualified to influence that decision than any of us.

And you are right, every individual is different. Andrei Svechnikov looks primed to break the trend of Russians developing in North America. Its not impossible for Kravtsov to develop well in North America. But why all of a sudden have we decided that AHL is the appropriate place for Kravtsov? He didn't move to North America last season, didn't move the season before. He seemingly thought the right place for him to develop was in the KHL. And Traktor developed him into the 9th overall pick. He showed a big improvement as last season went on with his production. Why wouldn't that be the type of thing the Rangers should want?

What specifically about the AHL would be better for him? He already speaks English considerably better than the average Russian. I believe his sister studies in Toronto. Were they educated better with english than the average Russian? How could she qualify for a school in Toronto if she didn't speak considerably better English than the average Russian? He doesn't have the same weight problems that Buchnevich had. He weighed 184 pounds at the combine. Thats not anything out of the ordinary. The culture? Its something he will need to adjust to at some point, but why rush it? Wouldn't it be best to let him experience that when he matures some more? The team is terrible. Kravtsov is not NHL ready. There should be no rush to get him into the Rangers system. He needs to worry about further developing his hockey game, otherwise he won't get to the NHL.

That is why we should Kravtsov decide, he seems to want to come here as soon as possible, why would he entertain the possibility of paying his buyout If not so?
It's pretty naive to think that Chytil is trying to to influence his decision, the probability of Kravtsov reaching out Chytil, a known successfull story of coming to US at an early age, is way higher than Chytil trying to influence him.
Good for his sister, It doesn't mean shit. I speak english, my sister doesn't and we had the same education. And If you don't see the difference between learning a language in a classroom and learning living in another country, you never tried to learn another language in your life.
It's pretty clear he has weight problems, you Just have to look at him, he seems anorexic compared to Chytil at their respective draft year.
Hartford was not terrible last year, they were in the playoff hunt until the Rangers called up their entire defense.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

That really depends on where the deficiencies are.

Agreed. It could be muscle, positioning, acceleration.

 

[NernieBichols]

Some of you seemingly want him to play in the AHL because you want him to play with other Ranger prospects and think that because something worked for one European player it'll work for a different person from the same continent. Is that any better?

I'd hope the management team is basing this on player development, and nothing else.

The decision is all about player development and that’s why he is better served in the current rangers/Hartford culture. Stay, train the summer with everyone, go to training camp, get a taste, maybe play a few games, go play 20 mins a game in Hartford while developing strength/fitness and practice team. Loan him for WJC, and then see where everything looks. But look, this is my opinion, he said he will do whatever the rangers want him to do. If he goes back, the rangers the same way you guys do. We’ll see soon right

 

[gravey9]

I watched most of yesterday's scrimmage. Chytil was by far the best player on the ice. Just controlled the game when he was out there. Interested to see his development at camp and this season. We MIGHT just have a #1 C in our system already. I hope we keep him at center as his combo of skills, size and skating at center is rare.

I was thinking about the last 40 years of drafting and how few top six centers we've found. The best centers we've drafted in my lifetime are Doug Weight, Dave Gagner, Derek Stepan, Mike Ridley, Mike York, Artem Anisimov. Of those, only Weight, Gagner and Stepan ever became #1 Cs for extended periods of time. I think Chytil has as good a chance as any of becoming the best NYR Center draft pick in my lifetime. It's still VERY earily. A lot still has to break right. But the potential seems to be there.

I also thought Georgiev just seemed like an NHL goalie. Handled everything with ease. Or maybe there weren't enough NHL caliber shots? A few rungs below Chytil and G were: Fontaine, Andersson, Lindgren, Ragnarsson, Kravtsov, Miller, Pujiniemi, Keane, and Barron. Ronning was always noticeable but not as effective as he'll need to be. Barron, in particular surprised me with how effective he seemed. His size, agility and skill was a lot for defenders at times. I am curious to see how he develops. I think he has a shot at being a strong bottom 6 forward if he continues to develop.

Finally, the more I watch Andersson, the more I'm convinced he can be used in two different ways. He can be put on an offensive line with really creative wings. And he can end up scoring a lot because he anticipates the game well and puts himself in the right spots. Or, he can be a shut-down 3rd line center with wings like Fast and Fontaine who chips in 10-15 goals and is always out there at the end of games. If Chytil and Andersson are both centers going forward, I think the Rangers should keep Zib. Zib, Chytil, Andersson and Howden in 19-20 and going forward would be a nice combination of centers that can be used in all situations.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

That is why we should Kravtsov decide, he seems to want to come here as soon as possible, why would he entertain the possibility of paying his buyout If not so?
It's pretty naive to think that Chytil is trying to to influence his decision, the probability of Kravtsov reaching out Chytil, a known successfull story of coming to US at an early age, is way higher than Chytil trying to influence him.
Good for his sister, It doesn't mean ****. I speak english, my sister doesn't and we had the same education. And If you don't see the difference between learning a language in a classroom and learning living in another country, you never tried to learn another language in your life.
It's pretty clear he has weight problems, you Just have to look at him, he seems anorexic compared to Chytil at their respective draft year.
Hartford was not terrible last year, they were in the playoff hunt until the Rangers called up their entire defense.

We don't know what he is doing. We have a few quotes through a translator to Rangers media that are inconsistent with whats been said to in Russian media.

Rangers No. 1 pick faces decision on staying or going

“Yeah, we talked about that, but it’s between us,’’ Chytil said. “We talked about that and we’ll see. “I wanted to play here,’’ Chytil said of his own choice. “It was my goal, and I came to the main camp and I wanted to make the team. I think he’ll want to do the same thing, and we’ll see how they deal with it.’’

This is what Chytil said. It doesn't sound like he advised him to play in the KHL, but maybe my interpretation of this was off. And just to be clear, I'm only making the point that I hope Chytil, Andersson, etc are not putting pressure on Kravtsov to play in the AHL. Maybe not knowingly so, but of course they aren't going to tell him to go back to the KHL. He should do whats best for himself, not whats best for getting to know guys he met this week who wouldn't be qualified to comment on that.

Chytil weighed 7-8 points more during the draft combine. Maybe he was a little stronger entering his draft. It doesn't mean that Kravtsov has some issue with his weight. As I said, his weight is nothing out of the ordinary. He doesn't need a special regime or different training that the average prospect doesn't need. I think we are making too big of a deal over players weights because Buchnevich was an unusual case of a very light player while he was developing, and people compare the last two Russian forward we drafted. I'm sure the next good Swede forward the Canucks draft will have their weight talked about incessantly because of Pettersson.

And I'm fully aware of the difference between learning a language in a classroom and learning it in an environment where the language is spoken. But it seems pretty clear that Kravtsov has some additional english language knowledge that the average Russian doesn't have. His first English language interview without having ever lived a day in NY was more coherent than Buchnevich's first interview like four months into living in NY. And Buchnevich isn't someone who started with no knowledge. He said he learned English in school. I don't know the full circumstances, but I think its evident Kravtsov picked up some additional knowledge somewhere. Even if he had no knowledge of the language, it wouldn't matter. He'll pick it up when he decides to join the organization. I believe it was Panarin who said he knew enough to get by within 3-4 months of living in America.

 

[RalphyDanger]

How fixable is skating?

All you got to do is strap on a pair of figure skates, and learn to stop toe picking... lol jk.

I think skating is something that’s hard to improve on, but definitely possible. Brian Boyle is someone who came into the league a pretty bad skater, but was able to improve.

If your not a great skater when your 18, you probably don’t have the ability to be a great skater when your 25, but you can probably still be good. In terms of Pro level skating. That’s my opinion

 

[kovazub94]

I’m glad you got something out of the opening comments. It’s called a joke. Being half serious, half joking. For giggles. You know. That’s how New Yorkers are, we make jokes. See the joke ‘this guy just wants Kravtsov over there so he can take a trip to see him’ see American/ny joke. It’s a joke with a fellow ranger fan from across the globe. Keyword, joke.

I guess this should be an insight into how your posting history around here is perceived, Mr. New Yorker.

 

[NernieBichols]

I guess this should be an insight into how your posting history around here is perceived, Mr. New Yorker.

Mr. New Yorker. Haha something like that. Perceive me whichever your self perceives me. I’m just calling it how i Feel it. Best thing is to bring the Russians over ASAP. They seem to do well if you get them integrated quickly. Of course there are exceptions. But look at the list of guys who were here immediately or shortly after being drafted.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Mr. New Yorker. Haha something like that. Perceive me whichever your self perceives me. I’m just calling it how i Feel it. Best thing is to bring the Russians over ASAP. They seem to do well if you get them integrated quickly. Of course there are exceptions. But look at the list of guys who were here immediately or shortly after being drafted.

Who are these guys? Because when I look at Russian 1st rounders assigned to the AHL immediately, you end up with Nikita Filatov and Anton Babchuk. What list are you looking at? I am genuinely curious who these "successful Russians" are who developed in the AHL immediately after being drafted.

 

[Fvital92]

https://nypost.com/2018/06/30/rangers-rookie-trio-cant-wait-to-take-over-hockeys-biggest-stage/

It seems Kravtsov is a Rangers fans. Nice.

 

[Alluckks]

https://nypost.com/2018/06/30/rangers-rookie-trio-cant-wait-to-take-over-hockeys-biggest-stage/

It seems Kravtsov is a Rangers fans. Nice.

Loved this, thanks

Kravstov and his long time semi Rangers fandom haha

Q: What is your best hockey moment?
Lundkvist: This season when I scored my first goal in the SHL, and when I played my first game with my uncle [Jan Sandstrom]. That was really fun, and I couldn’t even believe it when it happened.
Kravtsov: When I got drafted by the New York Rangers.

Q: What did you know about the New York Rangers?
Kravtsov: When we were kids, we came to the U.S. for a hockey tournament, so I bought a New York Rangers jersey with [Jaromir] Jagr on it, and I always wore it, even for my club practices I would wear it underneath my practice jersey, and my coach would get very upset and sometimes kick me off practice for doing that. So I’ve had a long history with the Rangers (smile).

Lundqvist being self aware he looks like a schoolboy

Q: What’s a funny story about how young you look?
Lundkvist: At the Combine, I was at the meeting for like five minutes and then a GM came in and said like, “Oh … are you the player? You look like 12.” (smile)

Q: How do you feel about that?
Lundkvist: I don’t care about it, it’s just fun.

K'Andre and an apparently long running history with Mike Richter

Q: K’Andre, when you were 10 years old you were in a commercial with Mike Richter, Pat Lafontaine and Neal Broten.
Miller: I used to do modeling when I was younger (chuckle). To do a commercial with NHL greats was a dream come true. I actually have kept in contact with Mike Richter quite a bit, and him going to Wisconsin, he’s given some great feedback.

 

[RangerBlues]

Who are these guys? Because when I look at Russian 1st rounders assigned to the AHL immediately, you end up with Nikita Filatov and Anton Babchuk. What list are you looking at? I am genuinely curious who these "successful Russians" are who developed in the AHL immediately after being drafted.

We can list 50 Russian draft picks that did not work out for 50 reasons.
I believe he will be better served staying in NA

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

We can list 50 Russian draft picks that did not work out for 50 reasons.
I believe he will be better served staying in NA

That's not the point. I want to see that list he is referring to

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

His father said he’s a Caps fan. But I did read that he’s a big fan of Jagr. He also attended a Jagr hockey camp when he was a kid.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Loved this, thanks

Kravstov and his long time semi Rangers fandom haha


Lundqvist being self aware he looks like a schoolboy


K'Andre and an apparently long running history with Mike Richter

Maybe this is a "duh" thing but it seems like all of these questions are given to these kids and are created pre-interview from other off the record interviews. Otherwise who would ask "what's a funny story about how young you look?" randomly? Seems like these guys don't come in cold. Maybe everyone knew that but me.

 

[Chytilmania]

I hear that, and i still don't quite understand. This guy charges 3k for you to have the opportunity to shadow him? Do you even submit a resume or do you just show him the money lmao.

Lmao you have to apply then give dates. I had no idea about the cost they emailed me back and said my dates work just need to pay the $3k then I said whoa hell no can't do that now.
But it will go a very long way on my resume to say I've worked with him and his athletes. The biggest takeaway is knowing program design. If I ever want to work with athletes I need some type of internship or wait until my 12-16 year olds get college scholarships.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Lmao you have to apply then give dates. I had no idea about the cost they emailed me back and said my dates work just need to pay the $3k then I said whoa hell no can't do that now.
But it will go a very long way on my resume to say I've worked with him and his athletes. The biggest takeaway is knowing program design. If I ever want to work with athletes I need some type of internship or wait until my 12-16 year olds get college scholarships.

Is it an educational program that they're calling an internship? Sounds a little scam-y. If it's an educational program then fine, but why call it an internship? You shouldn't be the one paying at an internship.

 

[Chytilmania]

Is it an educational program that they're calling an internship? Sounds a little scam-y. If it's an educational program then fine, but why call it an internship? You shouldn't be the one paying at an internship.

Yeah it's not like I just slap on weights for the guy, it's just me for the week and he shows me how to program for everyone etc. Plus I get to watch him with star NHL/NFL guys. If it was some random person he was training it wouldn't cost much, this is how to train professionals and turn people into professionals.

 

[NernieBichols]

Who are these guys? Because when I look at Russian 1st rounders assigned to the AHL immediately, you end up with Nikita Filatov and Anton Babchuk. What list are you looking at? I am genuinely curious who these "successful Russians" are who developed in the AHL immediately after being drafted.

I didn’t say AHL strictly. Some of these guys were in the NHL from day 1, but they were all in NA very early on. (Make a note, other than this reference, i won’t touch on your sacarasm and ‘tude)

Ovie
Malkin
Tarasenko
Kucherov
Kuznetov
Animisov
Namestnikov
Provorvo
Svergachev

The rest of the list looks like guys who came over later on. Guys who either weren’t drafted or stayed overseas until their draft rights were over and signed. Most of the Russian draftees who make the NHL seem to have been in the NHL or at least NA early on

 

[Alluckks]

Maybe this is a "duh" thing but it seems like all of these questions are given to these kids and are created pre-interview from other off the record interviews. Otherwise who would ask "what's a funny story about how young you look?" randomly? Seems like these guys don't come in cold. Maybe everyone knew that but me.

They are 17 and it is favorable PR lol of course they have some idea of what is gonna be asked

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I didn’t say AHL strictly. Some of these guys were in the NHL from day 1, but they were all in NA very early on. (Make a note, other than this reference, i won’t touch on your sacarasm and ‘tude)

Ovie
Malkin
Tarasenko
Kucherov
Kuznetov
Animisov
Namestnikov
Provorvo
Svergachev

The rest of the list looks like guys who came over later on. Guys who either weren’t drafted or stayed overseas until their draft rights were over and signed. Most of the Russian draftees who make the NHL seem to have been in the NHL or at least NA early on

Provorov, Sergachev, Namestnikov and Kucherov already played in North America. They weren't brought over. Anisimov played a full season in Russia after being drafted. Malkin played 2 full seasons in Russia after being drafted (1 was our lockout year). Kuznetsov played 4 seasons in Russia after being drafted. Tarasenko played 3 years in Russia after being drafted.

The only person that's left is Ovechkin. And I don't know what you are referring to with sarcasm and attitude. There was 0 sarcasm in my post and I was genuinely curious about the list you were referring to.

 

[NernieBichols]

Provorov, Sergachev, Namestnikov and Kucherov already played in North America. They weren't brought over. Anisimov played a full season in Russia after being drafted. Malkin played 2 full seasons in Russia after being drafted (1 was our lockout year). Kuznetsov played 4 seasons in Russia after being drafted. Tarasenko played 3 years in Russia after being drafted.

The only person that's left is Ovechkin.

Whatever. They all developed in NA or were over here by 20. That’s my point. I’m not looking to argue.

Did not know Kuznetsov/tarasenko played 3+ seasons before coming over

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Whatever. They all developed in NA or were over here by 20. That’s my point. I’m not looking to argue.

Did not know Kuznetsov/tarasenko played 3+ seasons before coming over

But we are discussing Kravtsov coming over as an 18-year old in his D+1 year. That's what started all this. There aren't that many Russians who come over immediately, and the ones who do just don't seem to develop well.

 

[smoneil]

I was thinking about the last 40 years of drafting and how few top six centers we've found. The best centers we've drafted in my lifetime are Doug Weight, Dave Gagner, Derek Stepan, Mike Ridley, Mike York, Artem Anisimov. Of those, only Weight, Gagner and Stepan ever became #1 Cs for extended periods of time. I think Chytil has as good a chance as any of becoming the best NYR Center draft pick in my lifetime. It's still VERY earily. A lot still has to break right. But the potential seems to be there.

I agree on Chytil. I'd add Dubinsky (borderline) and Savard (for sure) to your list of drafted Cs.

 

[kovazub94]

Whatever. They all developed in NA or were over here by 20. That’s my point. I’m not looking to argue.

Did not know Kuznetsov/tarasenko played 3+ seasons before coming over

I’m sorry for being rude. Are you serious? Practically all of the guys you listed spent at least some time developing in KHL or its preceding version before coming to NA to start playing in the NHL (not AHL).

You were making a point based on false premises. At least do some minimal research into easily available facts so you don’t look foolish.