Prospect Info: Rangers Prospects Thread (Stats in Post #1; Updated 10.17.18) *Part II*

[GeorgeKaplan]

You know, for all the grief Gropp gets, and a degree of it is deserved, the kid has scored at a 19 goal pace over a full AHL season — which he has not yet played.

After a slow start last year, I think he’s scored at closer to a 23 or 24 goal pace since last December.

He’s better than he gets credit for, but not by a whole lot

 

[Edge]

He’s better than he gets credit for, but not by a whole lot

I tend to agree. He’s got a lot of work to do, but this isn’t a kid who looks destined for the ECHL either.

 

[Miamipuck]

The problem with Gropp around here, isn't the fact so much where he was picked, though that's a problem as well. It's more of a problem with the comments afterwards, we had him ranked as the sixth best forward or something like that. If that's the case than the scouting group as a whole really screwed the pooch, unless it was a complete lie to make the pick look good at that time. Either way, this is a pretty big problem, not including how it's also perceived how he rode Barzal's jock.

Whether all of these things are real or imagined, that's the narrative associated with Gropp.

 

[Levitate]

It was weird that Gordie said that, maybe he misspoke, but this scouting group is still the one who wanted guys like Keller and Petterson, nabbed Chytil, swung for the fences with Kravtsov...

They aren’t perfect for sure but I wouldn’t take the gropp comments over everything else either

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

I trust Bobrov with any pick he wants to take

The Europeans he’s done an excellent job on.

He needs to take over for Gordie tbh

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I trust Bobrov with any pick he wants to take

The Europeans he’s done an excellent job on.

He needs to take over for Gordie tbh

Since 2013, we have had very successful draft picks from Europe.

2013: Buchnevich
2014: Shestyorkin
2015: Kovacs, Saarela, Bernhardt, Huska
2016: Reunanen
2017: Andersson. Chytil, Sjalin, Lakatos, Virta
2018: Kravtsov, Lundkvist, Lindbom, Ragnarsson, Pajuniemi, Kjellberg

You can definitely see a shift in where we pick our players. Especially the last 4 years we have picked more and more EU players. Buchnevich, Shestyorkin, Saarela and Virta were all picked after the 2nd round but look really good for where they were selected.

*Not included are Europeans who played in NA when they were drafted like Nejezchleb, Gross, Zborovsky

 

[Phnxldr]

Since 2013, we have had very successful draft picks from Europe.

2013: Buchnevich
2014: Shestyorkin
2015: Kovacs, Saarela, Bernhardt, Huska
2016: Reunanen
2017: Andersson. Chytil, Sjalin, Lakatos, Virta
2018: Kravtsov, Lundkvist, Lindbom, Ragnarsson, Pajuniemi, Kjellberg

You can definitely see a shift in where we pick our players. Especially the last 4 years we have picked more and more EU players. Buchnevich, Shestyorkin, Saarela and Virta were all picked after the 2nd round but look really good for where they were selected.

*Not included are Europeans who played in NA when they were drafted like Nejezchleb, Gross, Zborovsky

He was also pushing for Georgiev.

 

[Matt4776]

How does Lindgren look with the Pack so far?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

He was also pushing for Georgiev.

Yeah, I actually added Georgiev, but then decided to go with just draft picks

 

[Tawnos]

The problem with Gropp around here, isn't the fact so much where he was picked, though that's a problem as well. It's more of a problem with the comments afterwards, we had him ranked as the sixth best forward or something like that. If that's the case than the scouting group as a whole really screwed the pooch, unless it was a complete lie to make the pick look good at that time. Either way, this is a pretty big problem, not including how it's also perceived how he rode Barzal's jock.

Whether all of these things are real or imagined, that's the narrative associated with Gropp.

This, and the feeling that we had used Hagelin to trade up to take him.

 

[Edge]

It was weird that Gordie said that, maybe he misspoke, but this scouting group is still the one who wanted guys like Keller and Petterson, nabbed Chytil, swung for the fences with Kravtsov...

They aren’t perfect for sure but I wouldn’t take the gropp comments over everything else either

They’re going to miss, it’s inevitable. The hope is certainly that they hit for more than they miss though.

But throughout the process, we should try not to make the quest for the perfect be the enemy of the good.

 

[nyr2k2]

Gross scored his first goal.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Gross scored his first goal.

There has to be a gross/net joke in this somehow

 

[kovazub94]

They’re going to miss, it’s inevitable. The hope is certainly that they hit for more than they miss though.

But throughout the process, we should try not to make the quest for the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Every trade has to be a slam dunk in Rangers favor, every draft pick - a top tier first liner or 1D. If not - get the f*** out of here - I could do better is a proper attitude.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Every trade has to be a slam dunk in Rangers favor, every draft pick - a top tier first liner or 1D. If not - get the **** out of here - I could do better is a proper attitude.

People always mention the negative, never focus on the positive.

Nobody expected Chytil to be picked in the 1st round, yet we reached for him at 21. Nobody is mentioning that.

 

[BroadwayStorm]

Riley Hughes looks like a scorer

 

[bobbop]

Gropp’s career to date reminds me a little of James Neal.

 

[Ola]

It was weird that Gordie said that, maybe he misspoke, but this scouting group is still the one who wanted guys like Keller and Petterson, nabbed Chytil, swung for the fences with Kravtsov...

They aren’t perfect for sure but I wouldn’t take the gropp comments over everything else either

It sounds pretty black and white what he said, but sometimes I think we put way to much into comments like this.

There is all kind of room for error with comments like this. Like when Bob M reports that we had X or Y at certain positions.

 

[nyr2k2]

Riley Hughes looks like a scorer

Maybe. His production is about where you'd expect given the league and the fact that he flanks Alex Newhook.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Maybe. His production is about where you'd expect given the league and the fact that he flanks Alex Newhook.

Gropp 2.0

 

[Edge]

People always mention the negative, never focus on the positive.

Nobody expected Chytil to be picked in the 1st round, yet we reached for him at 21. Nobody is mentioning that.

Chytil at 21, Hagelin at 162, Stepan at 51, Fast at 157, Skjei at 28, maybe Keane at 88, our history in the third round.

Hell, in some way the 2016 is pretty interesting when you think about it. The Rangers didn't make a selection until the third round, 81st overall. Yet four of our six selections have signed pro contracts.

Admittedly, most of them face long shots to play in the NHL and aren't projected as stars, but four guys selected after the 80th pick have been good enough to turn pro.

In addition to their own drafting, the Rangers have also been linked to players they correctly identified, but weren't in a position to select --- namely Keller and Pettersson.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Chytil at 21, Hagelin at 162, Stepan at 51, Fast at 157, Skjei at 28, maybe Keane at 88, our history in the third round.

Hell, in some way the 2016 is pretty interesting when you think about it. The Rangers didn't make a selection until the third round, 81st overall. Yet four of our six selections have signed pro contracts.

Admittedly, most of them face long shots to play in the NHL and aren't projected as stars, but four guys selected after the 80th pick have been good enough to turn pro.

In addition to their own drafting, the Rangers have also been linked to players they correctly identified, but weren't in a position to select --- namely Keller and Pettersson.

I was re-reading the Lias thread on the main boards today from page 1. Very interesting to see the observations from people before we picked him, and then the complete 180 after the draft. One thing that stood out to me was this:

He played with Tedenby and Sandberg - both those guys would be between really good/great skaters at the NHL-level and burn defenders with both acceleration and speed - so compared to his linemates Andersson would look slow.

Lias is good when it comes to lateral movements, twists and turns. But average when it comes to top speed. Doesn't remind me of Hagelin at all. Maybe Backstrom is a better comparable when it comes to skating?

Yet all we hear is how Lias is a bad skater all year long. Yeah, he's not the fastest skater but not the slowest either. The negativity to anything the Rangers do in the draft is laughable. Other teams make mistakes as well, but we never focus on those. There's this urge to criticize anything the Rangers do and when you disagree, you are labeled a Gorton apologist etc.

 

[nyr2k2]

It's all just residual mistrust from McIlrath and even Jessiman. We blew two picks in drafts where we could have changed our franchise's fortunes with amazing players. Instead we picked non-NHLers. And it's not to get into a debate on those two selections, as there's nothing new anyone can add there. I just think that the anger lingers there, and then other picks that aren't "consensus guys" cause people to flip out. Until we draft and develop some offensive stars, that's how it will be.

 

[Edge]

Yet all we hear is how Lias is a bad skater all year long. Yeah, he's not the fastest skater but not the slowest either. The negativity to anything the Rangers do in the draft is laughable. Other teams make mistakes as well, but we never focus on those. There's this urge to criticize anything the Rangers do and when you disagree, you are labeled a Gorton apologist etc.

It goes back to something I've said before --- social media tends to generate negative comments and feed on them. This is especially so when it comes to hobbies. I can't really think of any hobby/interest I have where the online crowd isn't substantially more negative.

 

[Edge]

It's all just residual mistrust from McIlrath and even Jessiman. We blew two picks in drafts where we could have changed our franchise's fortunes with amazing players. Instead we picked non-NHLers. And it's not to get into a debate on those two selections, as there's nothing new anyone can add there. I just think that the anger lingers there, and then other picks that aren't "consensus guys" cause people to flip out. Until we draft and develop some offensive stars, that's how it will be.

Generally speaking, this board has a really hard time letting go and moving on from things.

The kids we just drafted were three when Jessiman was picked, we have currently two centers in our lineup who were in kindergarten and preschool at the time. To dwell on 2003 in 2018 is like dwelling on the 1988 draft in 2003.

But based on what I've seen, I'm not sure that would've been the panacea. I mean this is also an organization that made it to the cup finals, and was 3 wins away from making two other appearances.

Looking at many of the comments, you'd never guess we're coming off one of the most successful eras in franchise history and have arguably ranked in the top 10 in drafting over the last 13 years.

Something tells me that even swapping Jessiman and McIlrath for other picks only would've shifted the complaining to a different area.