Prospect Info: Rangers Prospect Thread (Player Stats/Info in Post #1; Updated 1.27.20)

[usekakkorightquinn]

Miller needs to get away from that coaching staff and to Hartford first chance he gets. He's be 20 Jan 21st. A full year in the AHL should do nicely for him. I've said it before. This absurd criticism of Miller IMO has to do with something non hockey related. Sadly, the world we live in.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Leevi Aaltonen was included in the prelim roster for the WJC. Final cuts will be announced later this month

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

Leevi Aaltonen was included in the prelim roster for the WJC. Final cuts will be announced later this month

Had the prelim rosters been announced for other countries?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Had the prelim rosters been announced for other countries?

Not yet. I expect them to be announced this week though

 

[eco's bones]

Miller needs to get away from that coaching staff and to Hartford first chance he gets. He's be 20 Jan 21st. A full year in the AHL should do nicely for him. I've said it before. This absurd criticism of Miller IMO has to do with something non hockey related. Sadly, the world we live in.

Miller's issues as a defenseman pretty much stem from his switching over from being a forward three/four years ago. It's not an easy position to learn to play. Right now Miller is leaning on his athleticism to make up the difference but this is college not the pros. I suspect he'll make the USA WJC team again. He was alright at last year's WJC but he'll need to be better and a leader this time around. If not enough improvement it might be in his best interest to go back to Wisconsin one more year.

We don't need to rush K'Andre. At LD we have Lindgren and Hajek breaking into the NHL this year and Skjei is mid 20's and others like Rykov and Reunanen in the wings.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I appreciate you taking the time to write this up. From the little ive seen of K’Andre it almost looks like a work ethic issue which can either get perfectly cleaned up once he’s in an NHL camp or it could go badly downhill. I personally always viewed him as a boom bust pick due to his lack of experience playing D. The tools are most certainly that of an All-Star, I think all thats left is to set his head straight with regards to his mental approach to the game.

I don’t think it’s a work ethic thing, I think it’s just him still being so new to the position and not being completely comfortable with every situation he’s in as a defenseman

 

[kovazub94]

Pronman just posted his annual prospects “mis-evaluation” analysis. In ranking / evaluating too low (along with Makar and Heiskanen) he had our Lundkvist, while evaluating too high he listed our friend from upstate Mittlestadt.

BTW, there’s a cyber Monday deal right now to get The Athletic annual subscription for a song.

Anyway, Pronman mentioned that one of his lesson from recent mistakes is not too undervalue smaller defensemen. Here’s a bit of what Pronman wrote about Lundkvist:

This season, Lundkvist is on pace to be the best scoring teenage defenseman in SHL history by a wide margin. He’s having an absolutely monster season. When I’ve watched Lulea, it was clear I underrated his skill and speed. He’s an excellent skater with a good but not great skill level, but his hockey IQ is near elite, as well. At the international level he hasn’t been amazing, but as discussed last year, that’s why you watch the club games.

 

[Raspewtin]

Pronman did an article on prospects he was wrong about. There were two sections between rates too low and too high. Nils Lundkvist was 3rd on his list of too low behind Makar and Heiskanen though i can’t tell if this is in any order

No Ranger made the too high list but for fun Mittlestadt split that top honor with Borgstrom

 

[kovazub94]

Pronman did an article on prospects he was wrong about. There were two sections between rates too low and too high. Nils Lundkvist was 3rd on his list of too low behind Makar and Heiskanen though i can’t tell if this is in any order

No Ranger made the too high list but for fun Mittlestadt split that top honor with Borgstrom

Well, now I know whose ignore list I’m on, lol.

 

[Edge]

Miller's issues as a defenseman pretty much stem from his switching over from being a forward three/four years ago. It's not an easy position to learn to play. Right now Miller is leaning on his athleticism to make up the difference but this is college not the pros. I suspect he'll make the USA WJC team again. He was alright at last year's WJC but he'll need to be better and a leader this time around. If not enough improvement it might be in his best interest to go back to Wisconsin one more year.

We don't need to rush K'Andre. At LD we have Lindgren and Hajek breaking into the NHL this year and Skjei is mid 20's and others like Rykov and Reunanen in the wings.

I'm going to start referring to our 2018 class as the Slow Cooker Draft.

There's a lot of skill there, as we've seen, it's just going to take time for aspects of their game to mature --- experience, physical maturity, decision making, etc.

When I look at that class, I don't see a group that was/is going to hit the ground running in the NHL in 2019, or even 2020. I see a group whose real impact may be a little beyond that.

I was looking through my notes/posting on here, and I think this still rings as true today as it did 18 months ago:

"Patience is a virtue when evaluating any draft. However, some drafts reward your patience sooner than others.

This draft is definitely more of a longer-term investment for the Rangers.

In the case of all 3 first round picks, I think you're looking at a little bit longer window until you really see what they're capable of.

Kravtsov probably needs 2 years to really put a good portion of the pieces together.

I think Lundkvist and Miller are probably closer to 3, maybe a slightly more."

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

I think Miller could benefit from 1 more year in college to continue to learn the game. That said I fully expect the Rangers to sign him in the summer, and get him to Hartford on a ATO after his season is over

Lundkvist should stay in Sweden for another year, gives him more time to cook

And Kravstov should be in Hartford once Traktor is done this season and hopefully he can build on what has been a bit of a disappointing season thus far

 

[eco's bones]

I think Miller could benefit from 1 more year in college to continue to learn the game. That said I fully expect the Rangers to sign him in the summer, and get him to Hartford on a ATO after his season is over

Lundkvist should stay in Sweden for another year, gives him more time to cook

And Kravstov should be in Hartford once Traktor is done this season and hopefully he can build on what has been a bit of a disappointing season thus far

Lundkvist is probably closer to being ready than Miller right now. He is having a really good year in the SHL. Still the Rangers have Trouba, Fox and DeAngelo on the right side with Smith sliding back there on the penalty kill.

 

[Edge]

Lundkvist is probably closer to being ready than Miller right now. He is having a really good year in the SHL. Still the Rangers have Trouba, Fox and DeAngelo on the right side with Smith sliding back there on the penalty kill.

It's funny, I think Miller and Lundkvist are almost coming in from two different angles.

With Miller, his physical attributes are closer to the finished product, but he's still putting more skill pieces together as he learns how to apply them and play the position.

With Lundkvist, his skill pieces are coming together nicely, but he still has a ways to go on physical development and integrating that into his tool box.

Right now, I'd be perfectly comfortable with both guys staying where they are until 21-22 season --- so this season and next season.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I'm going to start referring to our 2018 class as the Slow Cooker Draft.

There's a lot of skill there, as we've seen, it's just going to take time for aspects of their game to mature --- experience, physical maturity, decision making, etc.

When I look at that class, I don't see a group that was/is going to hit the ground running in the NHL in 2019, or even 2020. I see a group whose real impact may be a little beyond that.

I was looking through my notes/posting on here, and I think this still rings as true today as it did 18 months ago:

"Patience is a virtue when evaluating any draft. However, some drafts reward your patience sooner than others.

This draft is definitely more of a longer-term investment for the Rangers.

In the case of all 3 first round picks, I think you're looking at a little bit longer window until you really see what they're capable of.

Kravtsov probably needs 2 years to really put a good portion of the pieces together.

I think Lundkvist and Miller are probably closer to 3, maybe a slightly more."

I absolutely remember you posting that. Agreed at the time, and even more so now.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Chris Bigras has played 8 games for Flyers' AHL affiliate

The rangers knew Graves was an NHL dman and traded him to give him a chance somewhere else, happy he took the opportunity and did something with it. He wasnt in our future so kudos to them for giving him a chance somewhere else.

 

[kovazub94]

The rangers knew Graves was an NHL dman and traded him to give him a chance somewhere else, happy he took the opportunity and did something with it. He wasnt in our future so kudos to them for giving him a chance somewhere else.

I don't think that was the case. IMHO they directly or indirectly (as in via words of Hartford's coaching staff) didn't think highly about Graves' ability to make it to the NHL.

 

[Tawnos]

I think Miller could benefit from 1 more year in college to continue to learn the game. That said I fully expect the Rangers to sign him in the summer, and get him to Hartford on a ATO after his season is over

Lundkvist should stay in Sweden for another year, gives him more time to cook

And Kravstov should be in Hartford once Traktor is done this season and hopefully he can build on what has been a bit of a disappointing season thus far

At this moment, you're probably right about Miller, but I'm much more concerned with where he is at the end of the season than in December.

 

[True Blue]

I think Miller could benefit from 1 more year in college to continue to learn the game. That said I fully expect the Rangers to sign him in the summer, and get him to Hartford on a ATO after his season is over

Am expecting nothing of the sort I believe that Miller needs more time to learn his craft at a level where he is not being rushed. As such, I fully expect him to stay in college for another year. I do not see the Rangers being in a hurry here.

 

[Edge]

If I were to guess, right now, I think the Rangers would be quite comfortable with Lundkvist and Miller staying in Sweden and Wisconsin respectively for another season.

While we've already started debating which of ADA, Fox and Lundkvist is likely to remain in the organization over the long haul, the reality is that in some ways ADA and Fox being here is a pretty good thing for Lundkvist.

There's no reason to rush him. He can continue to push his game to the next level. There's not as much impatience to get him over here and into an NHL lineup, and frankly, the Rangers could use the extra time to see where all three of the young RHDs go over the next two years.

 

[eco's bones]

It's funny, I think Miller and Lundkvist are almost coming in from two different angles.

With Miller, his physical attributes are closer to the finished product, but he's still putting more skill pieces together as he learns how to apply them and play the position.

With Lundkvist, his skill pieces are coming together nicely, but he still has a ways to go on physical development and integrating that into his tool box.

Right now, I'd be perfectly comfortable with both guys staying where they are until 21-22 season --- so this season and next season.

I agree but Lundkvist is kind of tearing up the SHL and I respect college hockey a lot but IMO the SHL is a bit tougher. Miller's absolute upside to me is someone like Seth Jones--whether he reaches that high remains to be seen but Wisconsin is known for turning out defensemen---it won't be a disaster if he has to spend another year there. Back to Lundkvist--looking at him back on draft day he looked like a 14 year old. The other thing to think about is there is only so much room for pretty much the same kind of player and what I'm saying here is that you can't just have a defense of smallish offensive minded D. Both Fox and DeAngelo fit into that category now. This is one reason why I think DeAngelo will get moved in the next couple seasons more or less when Lundkvist is ready.

 

[Edge]

I agree but Lundkvist is kind of tearing up the SHL and I respect college hockey a lot but IMO the SHL is a bit tougher. Miller's absolute upside to me is someone like Seth Jones--whether he reaches that high remains to be seen but Wisconsin is known for turning out defensemen---it won't be a disaster if he has to spend another year there. Back to Lundkvist--looking at him back on draft day he looked like a 14 year old. The other thing to think about is there is only so much room for pretty much the same kind of player and what I'm saying here is that you can't just have a defense of smallish offensive minded D. Both Fox and DeAngelo fit into that category now. This is one reason why I think DeAngelo will get moved in the next couple seasons more or less when Lundkvist is ready.

He undoubtedly is, and ADA very well could be the one who's moved. At the end of the day, it's a hell of a "problem" to have.

The one thing I would caution with Lundkvist, is that physically I think he would struggle in the NHL right now. I think the SHL, though a tougher league than college hockey, is kind of the right place for him to be for this stage of his development.

If I had to guess, I think we're probably about a year and a half out from having to cross this road --- unless a deal comes along that the Rangers absolutely want to jump on. So the timing, for all involved, might actually work out pretty well.

 

[Ola]

I am not worried at all about Miller. With all due reports from people that watch him in College, I’ve seen him so much now that I know what he has and what areas he is short in.

Hockey sense, defensive positioning and stuff like that is no big issue at all. I am fairly certain the hick-ups reported about is more about team break downs than Miller causing them.

It might come across as a bit douchy, but it’s very common that Ds get a little too much crap, due to just being close to the net and in picture when bad stuff happen.

I don’t know who is the coach for the US junior national team — but Miller should certainly be a lock for a big top 4 role at the least, if not the No 1 guy.

 

[LaffyTaffy]

Can someone who keeps an eye on Liiga tell me more about KalPa and Leevi Aaltonen. I was okay with the pick in June because I am always down for a small speedster, but he has seriously had trouble putting up points in his bottom 6 role. I am aware that he is a teen in a top5 pro league, and I am aware he had an injury. I am really asking for someone with more knowledge than me whether or not it is worrisome what he has accomplished (or hasn't) so far this season.

 

[UnSandvich]

Can someone who keeps an eye on Liiga tell me more about KalPa and Leevi Aaltonen. I was okay with the pick in June because I am always down for a small speedster, but he has seriously had trouble putting up points in his bottom 6 role. I am aware that he is a teen in a top5 pro league, and I am aware he had an injury. I am really asking for someone with more knowledge than me whether or not it is worrisome what he has accomplished (or hasn't) so far this season.

Your best bet is to ask @Amazing Kreiderman. That said, he did make the prelim roster for the WJC, though that's obviously no guarantee he makes the cut

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Can someone who keeps an eye on Liiga tell me more about KalPa and Leevi Aaltonen. I was okay with the pick in June because I am always down for a small speedster, but he has seriously had trouble putting up points in his bottom 6 role. I am aware that he is a teen in a top5 pro league, and I am aware he had an injury. I am really asking for someone with more knowledge than me whether or not it is worrisome what he has accomplished (or hasn't) so far this season.

I think the expectations should be low. If he was good enough to be an impact player in Liiga at age 18, he would not fall to the 5th round. Players in that range are a project.

I think Aaltonen's trajectory should be viewed in similar fashion as Fast and Arvidsson. Not saying he will be that good, just saying it will take 3 years for him to be close to ready. Aaltonen playing in Liiga at age 18 is a good sign. I wish he would be loaned to Mestis for a handful of games to see how he'd do there. It worked out well for Puistola.

Puistola was one of my favorite players in the 2019 draft. Great kid, lethal shot. But he needs to work on his overall game. Same goes for Aaltonen.