Draft Round 6 #178 Dylan Roobroeck - Center - OHL

Granted this is a 20 year old against 16 and 17 year old kids, but that highlight is why I think the Rangers took a chance on him. His skating and size give him a shot at making the NHL one day.
 
Granted this is a 20 year old against 16 and 17 year old kids, but that highlight is why I think the Rangers took a chance on him. His skating and size give him a shot at making the NHL one day.
Roobroeck is 19, but yes, the guy he beat is 17. He moves well for a big guy, but I don't see him beating many defenders that way at higher levels. Hopefully he's learning to use that size to create room for himself and his linemates.
 
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That goal was very junior hockey. Honestly Roobroeck wasn't even skating that fast, and he caught a young kid flat footed. The kid made it worse by getting caught in between and then stumbled when he pivoted.

It's encouraging that he has the instinct to try to blow past a guy on the outside and take it hard to the net. Whether he has the ability to do that as he gets older and the competition gets better is doubtful, but you never know. I'll be rooting for him and he's certainly worth following.
 
2k beat me to the punch, that's the most OHL goal I think I've ever seen
 
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2k beat me to the punch, that's the most OHL goal I think I've ever seen
Yup. Evgeny Grachev scored a ton of similar goals. It is worth noting that Vince, I think, did say that he turned some heads in the early days of camp in the sense of "whoa, who's that guy" kind of way. Would be nice if he can develop into a checking line forward.
 
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Yeah I mean he put together a solid season last year, there could be something there. Let's hope so.

Sometimes you do have to remind yourself when watching junior hockey that most guys on the ice have no NHL skills and won't even end up as ECHL-caliber players, or play professionally at any level. A smaller percentage will be decent pro players and a very small percentage will become NHL players.
 
Yeah I mean he put together a solid season last year, there could be something there. Let's hope so.

Sometimes you do have to remind yourself when watching junior hockey that most guys on the ice have no NHL skills and won't even end up as ECHL-caliber players, or play professionally at any level. A smaller percentage will be decent pro players and a very small percentage will become NHL players.

You've gotta love how he's developed so far. As said in some other threads, I love the idea of taking these giant somewhat skilled guys and just trying to make something out of them. You can't teach size. Going after a big guy who can skate (Rempe, Roobroeck, and Edstrom are all at least NHL-average skaters) with a bit of skill?

Yeah, I love that as a draft strategy.
 
Edstrom, Rempe, Roobroeck all 6'7 or bigger....all 6th rounders and all willing to play physical and they all can skate though a couple might still have to work on smoothing it out a little better. I'm expecting Rempe to make the team next year and very possibly Edstrom. Roobroeck had a really strong second half and a very good playoffs.

Might add that Chmelar 6'5 220 and Mancini 6'4 220 have played well since signing with Hartford. Mancini very arguably has been Hartford's best defenseman in the playoffs.
 
Rempe is still only 21. He's made some massive improvements since we drafted him and his skating and balance will improve and he will probably get heavier. He's not close IMO to being a finished product.

That said the kind of game he plays it's going to be a ride. He's going to incur the wrath of other teams. He's going to get suspended from time to time. He's going to have to fight. Rangers fans who don't like these things all that much are going to have to learn to live with them. The Rangers need to work with him also to not only smooth out his skating but his game in general. But there are lots of teams, fanbases that are jealous we have him and they'll be looking to find players like him if they can.

Roobroeck and Edstrom are more normal hockey player types. Edstrom's skating is so good for a player his size. He has a very good grasp of the game away from the puck. He's physical as well but he's not as physical as Rempe or a fighter. Roobroeck may have the most offensive upside. I suspect he will jump well into the pros but that jump is not to be taken for granted. There are lots of guys who killed it at the CHL level who couldn't hang a year later or even 2, 3, 4 in the AHL. Some players do unexpectedly well, some do fine and some fall flat on their faces. The AHL isn't an easy league.
 
I was a bit skeptical of the pick, seemed maybe they drafted a guy just for the sake of size...the write ups were eerily similar to our old pal Timmy Gettinger. Identical sort of numbers. Huge guys, decent skaters, lean more toward their offense. Gettinger was a guy where despite being a giant he didn't really have any strengths. He wasn't imposing with his size, not physical enough. The skill wasnt enough to be a factor. A guy like Roobroeck really needs to play with an edge as he continues to move up if he has any NHL aspirations, because honestly the offense likely won't do it. People have mentioned Boyle, that's a guy he needs to model his game after. Big, hard working 2-way center. If he can buy in and the organization can foster his development in that direction he could be an asset

Its obvious Drury and Co's drafting philosophy. Outside of the first round they're looking for players they feel can fill a role. Size, physicality, character... I dont have a problem with those picks. But I'd still like to see them target some more upside with those later picks as well
 
He had some brutal decisions with the puck in the London series but he’s got a chance.
 

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