Rangers Prospect Poll (Summer 2023) - Honorable Mentions Round (CHOOSE FIVE)

[The Crypto Guy]

Rangers Summer 2023 Prospect Ranking

1. Gabe Perreault (F) (2023 Draft - 1st round) [ Not Ranked ]
2. Brennan Othmann (F) (2021 Draft - 1st round) [ 1st / 3rd / 4th / 8th ]
3. Will Cuylle (F) (2020 Draft - 2nd round) [ 3rd / 7th / 9th / 12th ]
4. Adam Sykora (F) (2022 Draft - 2nd round) [ 5th / 9th ]
5. Zac Jones (D) (2019 Draft - 3rd round) [ 2nd / 3rd / 6th / 7th / 17th ]
6. Dylan Garand (G) (2020 Draft - 4th round) [ 6th / 8th / 10th / 15th ]
7. Bryce McConnell-Barker (F) (2020 Draft - 4th round) [ 7th / 10th ]
8. Brett Berard (F) (2020 Draft - 5th round) [ 4th / 5th / 6th / 11th ]
9. Matthew Robertson (D) (2020 Draft - 4th round) [ 8th / 6th / 8th / 7th / 13th ]
10. Ty Emberson (D) (2018 Draft - 3rd round by ARZ) [ 14th / 16th ]
11. Adam Edström (F) (2019 Draft - 6th round) [ 16th / 15th / 20th / 22th ]
12. Jaroslav Chmelar (F) (2021 Draft - 5th round) [ 10th / 23th ]
13. Maxim Barbashev (F) (2022 Draft - 5th round) [ 11th / 18th ]
14. Drew Fortescue (D) (2023 Draft - 3rd round) [ Not Ranked ]
15. Bobby Trivigno (F) (Undrafted) [ 9th / 11th ]
16. Brandon Scanlin (D) Undrafted) [ 18th ]
17. Noah Laba (F) (2022 Draft - 4th round) [ 16th ]
18. Kalle Väisänen (F) (2021 Draft - 4th round) [ 13th / 20th / 22nd / 25th ]
19. Hugo Ollas (G) (2020 Draft - 7th Round) [ Not Ranked ]
20. Ryder Korczak (F) (2021 Draft - 3rd round) [ 15th / 12th / 12th / 20th ]

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[Harbour Dog]

Lamb
Larsson
Mancini
Rempe
Roobroeck

FWIW, I basically haven't been considering Pajuniemi at all, even though as a prospect I would probably have him somewhere in the high teens/honourable mentions. Just doesn't seem like there is any future there right now.

 

[nyr2k2]

Henriksson
Kempf
Lamb
Larsson
Mancini

 

[Savant]

Don’t care about any of these guys.

Interesting Vince has Drew F. at 9 (and Chmelar at 10). Wouldn’t be surprised if Emberson isn’t in his top 10, but a little curious about who else fell out

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Don’t care about any of these guys.

Interesting Vince has Drew F. at 9 (and Chmelar at 10). Wouldn’t be surprised if Emberson isn’t in his top 10, but a little curious about who else fell out

Not really too interesting. He doesn't know anymore than anyone here.

 

[Savant]

Not really too interesting. He doesn't know anymore than anyone here.

Closer to the team than any of us though. Obviously not an authority but he’s getting feedback from somewhere.

 

[cwede]

Boyko, Henriksson, Lamb, Larsson, Mancini
felt obvi to me

thanks TCG!

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Not really too interesting. He doesn't know anymore than anyone here.

While these rankings are subjective, there's a big difference between an average fan giving you a list of 10 guys, and Vince spending time talking to coaches in college, juniors and the minors and dedicating a lot of his day to get this content together.

You're really doing a disservice for the effort he puts into these articles. Don't forget, he spends time talking to these players, watches them every year in prospect development camp (which we as fans don't have access to) and is also spending significant time covering these guys throughout the season because the prospect coverage is kinda of his niche among beat writers.

Closer to the team than any of us though. Obviously not an authority but he’s getting feedback from somewhere.

Yes, he does. You can tell by the effort he puts into these articles. This isn't a Pronman-type article with just a small blurb. Vince has also spent considerable time watching these kids at prospect camps, training camps and pre-season as a beat-writer.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

While these rankings are subjective, there's a big difference between an average fan giving you a list of 10 guys, and Vince spending time talking to coaches in college, juniors and the minors and dedicating a lot of his day to get this content together.

You're really doing a disservice for the effort he puts into these articles. Don't forget, he spends time talking to these players, watches them every year in prospect development camp (which we as fans don't have access to) and is also spending significant time covering these guys throughout the season because the prospect coverage is kinda of his niche among beat writers.



Yes, he does. You can tell by the effort he puts into these articles. This isn't a Pronman-type article with just a small blurb. Vince has also spent considerable time watching these kids at prospect camps, training camps and pre-season as a beat-writer.

Eh, but how much DOES he really watch our prospects? And talk to our coaches about how they are coming along? I'd love to see him put our an interview with them if he is.

I'd put a lot more stock in the opinions of some people here, including you, than him because i know a bunch of posters here watch them play and are really into seeing how our prospects are coming along. When does he have the time to do that? I never see him posting articles over the seasons on how certain prospects are progressing or and type of insight...aside from the 3 day developmental camp.

I just don't put his opinion of our prospects any higher than any other respectable poster here.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Eh, but how much DOES he really watch our prospects? And talk to our coaches about how they are coming along? I'd love to see him put our an interview with them if he is.

I'd put a lot more stock in the opinions of some people here, including you, than him because i know a bunch of posters here watch them play and are really into seeing how our prospects are coming along. When does he have the time to do that? I never see him posting articles over the seasons on how certain prospects are progressing or and type of insight...aside from the 3 day developmental camp.

I just don't put his opinion of our prospects any higher than any other respectable poster here.

Anecdote time:

When my wife and I were in Minnesota and St Louis last year for the Rangers games, we happen to stay in the same hotel as the team and the beat writers in St Paul. It was a nice hotel but the hotel bar closes every night at 9 PM. So, we get back to the hotel after the game and Vince, Mollie Walker and Colin Stephenson are looking for a place to grab a drink before we fly to St Louis the next morning.

Vince asked me if we wanted to join them, so we did. We spoke a bit about the work I do with my prospect coverage, my prospect interviews etc and he asked how I set them up. He told me that he has tried in the past to do something similar but as a beat writer, he HAS TO ask the Rangers for permission even if they aren't contracted to the team like the kids in college. Long story short: For me as a fan it's easier to do these interviews because it's not my job. I am not limited by any press credentials which is a weird thing to say, but that's essentially why he doesn't really do interviews with prospects during the season. He catches them at camp, and can usually ask them 1 or 2 questions. Nothing like my format where I get to spend over an hour just chatting away in a very relaxed setting.

It's not for a lack of trying when it comes to Vince. He's the most dedicated beat writer and while yes, he doesn't watch prospects as much as I do, and some others here, he does spend significant time covering it as best he can, and he regularly has calls with league-wide prospect coverage guys like Chris Peters and such.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Anecdote time:

When my wife and I were in Minnesota and St Louis last year for the Rangers games, we happen to stay in the same hotel as the team and the beat writers in St Paul. It was a nice hotel but the hotel bar closes every night at 9 PM. So, we get back to the hotel after the game and Vince, Mollie Walker and Colin Stephenson are looking for a place to grab a drink before we fly to St Louis the next morning.

Vince asked me if we wanted to join them, so we did. We spoke a bit about the work I do with my prospect coverage, my prospect interviews etc and he asked how I set them up. He told me that he has tried in the past to do something similar but as a beat writer, he HAS TO ask the Rangers for permission even if they aren't contracted to the team like the kids in college. Long story short: For me as a fan it's easier to do these interviews because it's not my job. I am not limited by any press credentials which is a weird thing to say, but that's essentially why he doesn't really do interviews with prospects during the season. He catches them at camp, and can usually ask them 1 or 2 questions. Nothing like my format where I get to spend over an hour just chatting away in a very relaxed setting.

It's not for a lack of trying when it comes to Vince. He's the most dedicated beat writer and while yes, he doesn't watch prospects as much as I do, and some others here, he does spend significant time covering it as best he can, and he regularly has calls with league-wide prospect coverage guys like Chris Peters and such.

Thanks for sharing that story, didn't realize they are restricted with certain things.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Thanks for sharing that story, didn't realize they are restricted with certain things.

Yeah, it's one of the things Vince said makes it easier for me since the Rangers cannot stop me from reaching out to players. It's also a big reason why I never want to work in this industry. Let me do this as a hobby and I will be happier for it.

 

[nyr2k2]

First, I think Vince is wonderful and provides a level of coverage we haven't ever really had. Greatly appreciate and respect him.

That said, I understand Vince has a level of access to the prospects and information and opinions about them from the organization, but I don't really care about that to a large degree and it doesn't really color my own opinions. I mean it's cool to read about the kids and it serves as a nice data point, but the reality is I so often disagree with the team over prospects--who they take or don't take in the draft, where they assign kids, how they utilize them, etc.--that it doesn't mean much to me.

I mean if I read that So-And-So is our scouting department is really impressed with the peogress McConnell-Barker is making, well, that's cool, but I watched shitload of that kid last year. I have my own opinions. Am I a professional scout? Of course not, but I've been watching kids long enough to trust my own evaluations. I think I have a pretty good track record.

Tl;dr I appreciate the information we get from Vince, but at the end of the day a lot of his stuff is fluff like any other beat writer and I'll stick with my own evaluations.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

First, I think Vince is wonderful and provides a level of coverage we haven't ever really had. Greatly appreciate and respect him.

That said, I understand Vince has a level of access to the prospects and information and opinions about them from the organization, but I don't really care about that to a large degree and it doesn't really color my own opinions. I mean it's cool to read about the kids and it serves as a nice data point, but the reality is I so often disagree with the team over prospects--who they take or don't take in the draft, where they assign kids, how they utilize them, etc.--that it doesn't mean much to me.

I mean if I read that So-And-So is our scouting department is really impressed with the peogress McConnell-Barker is making, well, that's cool, but I watched shitload of that kid last year. I have my own opinions. Am I a professional scout? Of course not, but I've been watching kids long enough to trust my own evaluations. I think I have a pretty good track record.

Tl;dr I appreciate the information we get from Vince, but at the end of the day a lot of his stuff is fluff like any other beat writer and I'll stick with my own evaluations.

What annoys me is that the team/org doesn't care enough to put out prospect-themed content. They have made it abundantly clear that they do not want to invest time and money into informing their fans about the prospect pipeline. The longer I follow this team, the more I realise that this team can never go through a proper rebuild but not for the reasons fans think. They can't ever go to a proper rebuild because they only care about the money aspect. Getting rid of Zuccarello was a very unpopular move for people high up in the org because he was the most popular skater on the team and easy to market. That's what it all is, marketing.

A few years ago they reached out to a well-known prospect coverage guy on Twitter who, at the time, was posting a lot of updates on the Rangers prospects etc. The Rangers noticed, even mentioned him on the broadcast a few times and reached out to him, asking him to come on the broadcast. However, they rescinded the offer once they noticed he was affiliated with a certain blog. They were afraid that it might cause backlash if they affiliated themselves, indirectly, with a fan blog.

The Rangers always play it safe. They never take any risks when it comes to this. That's just something we have to accept unfortunately.

Other teams, like the Hurricanes, produce a mini-series covering the 2018 draft where they have the 2nd overall pick. They showed the war room, the combine, the draft selection and then even training camp and the arrival of Svechnikov.

A year later the Rangers are in the EXACT SAME situation (winning a draft lottery, getting a 2nd overall pick) and all we get is a 5-second video of Kakko saying "Wow, it's a nice city". To call it the bare minimum is an understatement. Even that was bold for the Rangers. A player saying something unscripted? That's quite daring for a franchise like the Rangers. It is what it is. The fact that they KNOWINGLY built a practice facility without any room for a camera setup or fans, ties into that. They just don't want to create an environment where fans come to Tarrytown to even watch their roster players practice. Whereas other teams (Seattle Kraken is the most recent example) have a massive practice facility with free admission for fans. Up to 500 fans can sit down and watch practice.

With all that, I am just happy that Vince is covering this part of the game. These kids deserve to get their names out there. Guys like Edström, Fortescue, Korczak, Berard and others are complete unknowns to the large majority of fans. You and I, and everyone else here on HF Boards are the minority. We are the 5% of Ranger fans who care enough to even look up who we drafted in the 3rd round this year. 95% of fans had no idea who K'Andre Miller was until he made his NHL debut in January 2021.

I remember my mother-in-law, typical Rangers fan who gets her information from reading the physical newspaper, listening to Sirius XM and watching MSG Networks, asking who this new guy Miller was. That's the experience for most fans. The audience here, and even on social media, is part of a small subsection of the fanbase, but to us that section seems a lot bigger because we are essentially an echo-chamber. Not so much that we agree on things all the time, but that we talk about the same topics.

Having a guy like Vince Mercogliano taking the time to write these articles, where he talks to coaches, the prospects themselves etc, is something this organisation desperately needs. Sure, we can agree about the validity of his rankings but I rather have a ranking I disagree with, than no ranking at all. My wife is sharing these articles with her mom, whereas normally she would never sit down to tell her who Drew Fortescue is. It's all about these kids getting the name recognition that comes with being an NHL draft pick.