Following up from the prospect-watch reports I post weekly, I thought it was time to look a little closer at Hagelin. Back in 2007 the Rangers drafted an unknown kid called Carl Hagelin in the 6th round of the NHL draft, 168th overall. Hagelin had just finished a relatively productive season in the Swedish juniors but had yet to be seen as a legitimate prospect. Given that their own 2007 draft is looking both tragic and disastrous for the Rangers, fans could now be forgiven for seeing Hagelin as a potential draft saviour. However Hagelin has regularly been forgotten about, lost amongst the high profile picks by the Rangers. Following the tragic loss of Alexei Cherepanov and the disappointing choice of goalie Antoine Lafleur, the Rangers choices that year looked unlikely to provide much in the way of NHL talent. The fact that Ryan McDonagh is now a Ranger and Max Campbell remains Rangers property doesn’t detract from the ‘yield’ or lack of it from the early rounds, rounds where teams expect to find NHL players.
So what has Hagelin done since being drafted (so late) by the Rangers? Every season for the Michigan Wolverines, Hagelin has improved offensively. In 2007/8 as a freshman the Swede had 22 points in 41 games. In 08/09 Hagelin improved to 31 points in 41 games while he really broke out in 09/10 when he had 50 points and 19 goals in 45 games. This season has seen Hagelin continue at over a point/game pace with 38 in just 32 games giving him every chance to beat the 50 he had the season prior. It’s not just on the ice that Hagelin has excelled. IN 09/10 he was named alternate captain which was testament to his leadership skills while this season Hagelin was named captain. Academically Hagelin has received numerous awards over his NCAA career proving this prospect is no bonehead hockey player however it is on the ice that he should be exciting Rangers fans. With 141 career points in 159 games Hagelin is an offensive force yet the 22 year old is just as regarded for his defensive play as his +16 this year demonstrates. With the legendary Red Berenson coaching him, Hagelin also could be better placed to develop as a player.
At 22 and with 4 full seasons under his belt Hagelin will almost certainly turn pro this summer, maybe getting into a few pro games before the end of this season. Either way, the young Swede looks an excellent prospect for the Blueshirts. The Kreider’s, Mcilrath’s and Del Zotto’s may be the ones that received all the headlines each summer but Hagelin appears to have the pedigree, maturity and experience to be a great player when he turns pro. Fingers crossed he’s another Swede that was drafted late and becomes a great Ranger. You may have heard of the other one….
When all is said and done he may not get significant attention but Derek Stepan deserves Calder consideration…if he maintains his play. While this year’s Calder may be heading toward a goaltender (think Bobrovsky, Neuvirth and Lindback) there are a few worthy skaters making waves this season and the Rangers young center doesn’t need to hide behind any of them.
While the Sharks’ Logan Couture has 18 goals – fourth in the league – he is playing on a power house team. With Jeff Skinner playing a key role for a middling Carolina team and Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall trying to take Edmonton back to respectability it’s Stepan who has played a range of roles for a re-building franchise while playing considerably less minutes per game than the four freshman skaters named above. What’s more, Stepan has a better plus/minus than the rest of the top 5 rookie scorers aside from Couture, displaying his now well documented maturity playing well both ends of the ice. Stepan has gained the trust of Tortorella through his play and is showing excellent consistency since his brief dip in play earlier in the year.
Perhaps the most interesting issue worth monitoring is whether Stepan can avoid the college brick wall which many NCAA players hit when going to the longer season (Matt Gilroy faced this last year). The other rookie scorers all played the longer junior schedule while Couture has an additional season of pro hockey (split between the AHL and NHL) already under his belt. Stepan is on course for 22 goals as a rookie and over 40 points. If he can avoid that college brick wall he may get more than 40 as his game and consistency has come on as the year has gone on. Not only that, despite his good college career, Stepan is doing all this as a less heralded player than those around him in the statistics. Taylor Hall went first overall, Logan Couture was top 10 in the draft, as was Jeff Skinner in 2010, and even Eberle was a first round pick – Stepan is the only player of the five forwards that wasn’t a first rounder making his immediate NHL impact even more impressive. Then there’s the goalies, Neuvirth and Bobrovsky are both playing behind legitimate cup contenders making their acclimatisation much easier. Imagine the numbers Lundqvist -as a freshman – might have put up had he played in front of Pronger and Timonen instead of the likes of Jason Strudwick and Thomas Pock.
All this boils down to giving Stepan the due he deserves. His play warrants Calder consideration and if he keeps it up there’s no doubt he’ll be in the mix come the end of the year. It would be pretty appropriate if, in the Rangers transition year, it was to culminate in a rookie of the year award. Here’s hoping.
By the way… Merry Christmas everyone!!!
‘The Undertaker’ had endured a slow start to his season after he was perhaps surprisingly returned to Moose Jaw early by the Rangers. The last week however has seen the Rangers number 1 pick in the 2010 draft start to turn his season around. After going scoreless in his first 8 games Mcilrath has contributed offensively recently which had coincided with Moose Jaw winning back to back games for the first time this season. During those two games Mcilrath contributed 3 assists and had improved his rating to -6.
On Tuesday night Moose Jaw beat the Saskatoon Blades 5-1 with Mcilrath grabbing two helpers and going +2. Prior to the win over the Blades, the Warriors had beaten the Kootenay Ice 6-3, a game which saw Mcilrath get 1 assist, 5 PIMS while going +1. The back to back wins had helped Moose Jaw’s record improve to 4-7. The win over the Blades on Tuesday was a sign that the Warriors may be turning things around because the Blades are leading the division with an 8-2 record so the win was a particularly impressive one. According to the Moose Jaw Times Herald newspaper the Warriors have been suffering through many injuries recently so that may have played a big part in their poor start to their season.
The Warriors also had a second midweek game, playing at home to Medicine Hat on Wednesday. Despite losing 3-2 the Warriors were able to grab a point as they tied it up with 10.3 seconds left in regulation and grabbed the losers point in the shoot-out. Mcilrath wasn’t able to contribute offensively on this occasion. The big D-man went -1, scoreless, whilst taking a minor penalty. Another 2010 first round pick, Emerson Etem scored against Mcilrath’s Warriors.
While Mcilrath wasn’t drafted for his offensive skills if he can contribute offensively and develop his offensive game before he makes it to NY, then the Rangers could have a serious weapon on their hands. At 6’5 and 215lbs and willing to use every last inch of that frame, Mcilrath has the ability to be dominating. Rangers fans will need to patient however as Mcilrath, realistically, is at least 2-3 years away but the wait could very much be worth it.
One of the great unknowns of the Rangers 2010 draft was Swedish winger Jesper Fasth. Many wondered what type of player the Rangers got and with limited exposure thus far, most people are still wondering the same thing.
It might be the dog days of the hockey season for the Rangers but Fasth’s season has already begun. Currently playing for Swedish men’s side HV71 in the European Trophy, Fasth has been playing on the 4th line but still managed to be quite productive grabbing 3 assists in 6 games including 2 in a recent 6-0 rout over Finnish side Karpart. Fasth’s season thus far also took in an under 20 tournament for Sweden where he went 1+1 in 4 games for the Swedes so the 18 year old winger has had a pretty solid start to his year.
So what type of player is the 6ft Fasth, who can play both wings? This is the scouting report from eliteprospects.com;
Fasth is a very good skater with nice acceleration and top speed. He works very hard, forechecks with impressive intensity and also create a lot of offense thanks to his agility and speed. Has decent hockey sense, technical skills and scoring ability, but it perhaps still more likely to develop into a role player.
It sounds like Fasth’s game is consistent with the desire for the Rangers to place an emphasis on speed and work ethic but in terms of scoring ability and skill level the young Swede appears to be a project. Its obvious that Fasth was picked with the long term in mind. He’ll be given all the time in the world to develop in Sweden before the Rangers look at him as a serious, potential NHL candidate.
With many forward prospects close to being ready for the Rangers there is no need to rush the player. His good start this year playing with the HV71 men’s team at just 18 years old, Fasth appears to have a solid future. Drafted 157th overall there was also very little risk in this pick for the Rangers and lets not forget, the Rangers have had some pretty good success with drafting Swedes late……
Every Friday we look ahead to a different aspect of the future of the Rangers organization. This week we take a look at what may be the Rangers #1 prospect. There’s a very good chance that Massachusetts born Chris Kreider is the best offensive prospect the Rangers have even though the Rangers are fortunate to have a few very promising ones coming up the system.
Drafted 19th overall (and looking every bit the steal) Kreider has developed at a rapid pace to the point where he was a teen college player invited to play for the senior USA world championship team and to the point where GM Glen Sather declared Kreider ready for NHL play. On top of that Sather admitted he tried to sign the blue chip talent this summer. The fact Sather even commented publicly on a negotiation of this kind is compliment enough. So where is Kreider at right now and when will Rangers fans a) see him in Ranger blue and b) see him as an impact player?
Kreider has gone on record that he intends to turn pro a year from now. This was backed up by Rangers beat writer Jim Cerny on twitter. Kreider already has the pro physique standing a solid 6’2 220lbs while he is genuinely regarded as one of the most explosive skaters around. His size and excellent speed could, should prove to be a deadly combination.
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Hello all. After a long hiatus, I’m finally back doing posts here. Forgive my almost year-long absence. The recent NHL entry draft seemed like a good enough transition point for me to re-enter the blogosphere, and something about a recent top-10 pick has me pretty riled up…
A lot is being said about the Rangers newest first-round pick, Dylan McIlrath, the brutish teenage defenseman from Moose Jaw (Canadian city names, eh?). While the move perplexed the majority of us Blueshirt fanatics, I quite honestly didn’t know how to feel about it. That was until I did some research of my own over the weekend. After undertaking the usual Google search of our newest defenseman, I decided I wanted to see some full-motion video and went on over to YouTube. I was at first quite shocked to realize that a seemingly obscure 18 year old Canadian junior hockey player had more than one link to his credit on the world’s most popular video site. Then, I was flat out impressed by what I saw. The common theme in these videos: nobody gets the best of this kid. Was particularly moved by the fight with John Stampohar (same build, and 2 years his elder). What’s more impressive is that you see him come to the aid of his teammates in a few of these videos. Maybe Dan Carcillo would have thought twice about mixing it up with Marian Gaborik if a player like this was an established presence on the ice at the time. That to me is equally important than any plus/minus or point total. You can only hope that with NHL level coaching, this kid can one day blossom into what Chris Pronger has been throughout his career
Well that was a bit of a surprising pick for the Rangers, no? With players like Brandon Gormley, Cam Fowler, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Emerson Etem available, the Rangers shocked their fans, and many at the draft, by selecting tough guy Dylan McIlrath. I was at a wedding yesterday, but I got the news from a few texts (thanks guys), and many were pissed at this move.
I have the luxury of not reacting until this morning, as I could not react last night (it’s impossible to get worked up over a draft at a wedding). The two gaping holes on the Rangers right now is scoring and physical defensemen. With players like Artem Anisimov, Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Ethan Werek already emerging as the top prospects in the system, the Rangers seem to be covered for the future with scoring.
Then you have to look at the defense. The Rangers have one of the best defenders in the league in Marc Staal. They have an up and coming star as an offensive defenseman in Michael Del Zotto. They have depth at both of those positions in Bobby Sanguinetti and Dan Girardi. What the Rangers truly lacked was a physical, mean, tough defenseman. In the system they have Ryan McDonagh, but that is really putting all your eggs into one basket.
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Everyone talks about Grachev, Kreider, Stepan, McDonagh and Sanguinetti and rightly so –they’re all important prospects but given the Rangers (lengthy) list of needs one of the prospects that may help the Rangers the most is Canadian Junior, Ethan Werek. Considered first round worthy in his draft year the Rangers were fortunate to have him slip to 47th overall in the ‘09 draft where they gratefully accepted this talented pivot. At 6’2 and 200lbs Werek is a physically sound center that can play both center and wing. Not afraid to use his body Werek could help the Rangers down the middle with his size, style of play and scoring ability.
With a knack for scoring (30 and 32 goals in two years in the OHL, on a young side too) Werek has proven he can fill the net. Better still, Werek has shown development; the left shooting Kingston Frontenac’s player has gone from -5 as a rookie to +14.Werek only didn’t top his career best 64 points because of injury however he reached the same total in 9 fewer games this year. His first playoff exposure on an inexperienced Frontenac’s team this spring saw Werek score 5 points in 6 games playing good 2 way hockey along the way. All good signs.
What may be best for Werek’s development right now is his head coach. Ex Leafs legend Dougie Gilmour left the AHL Marlies to take over in Kingston and since then the team has shown improvement and Werek himself has certainly improved. Not afraid to go to the net or try a fancy move Werek appears to be equally comfortable looking for a rebound or with the puck on his blade. He accepts responsibility on the ice and that trait will serve him well if when he gets to NY.
Some people have been touting Werek to have an inside chance at cracking the roster this summer. With Derek Stepan signed and experience sought, that may be unlikely but not beyond possibility. Werek’s intention is to come to camp and have a good crack. With his size and ability making the team isn’t out of the question and the Rangers should take a long look at him and give him every chance to succeed. Depending on how the 2010 draft goes Werek could find a spot in the line up. With Tortorella’s preference for Dubinsky on the wing, Prospal being equally adept wide and with Drury also being given time on the flank should Werek leave a positive impression one has to feel a roster spot is there for the taking. A lot of variables to contend with but it’s not beyond him.
At this stage of his career Werek is already looking like a good pick, at worst, helping the Rangers depth for the future. Less touted than those mentioned above, he may well leave his mark quicker than expected. Prospect dark horse? Why not?
Ryan McDonagh: NHL ready? Soon to be signed? Unwilling to sign with New York?
UPDATE: Rumours circulating online that the Rangers have signed the promising Defenseman today. More to follow I’m sure….
UPDATE #2.: Now being reported McDonagh has NOT signed today. Let the initial excitment subside.
There are many questions that need answering regarding Ryan McDonagh. Here are the facts. The three years he’s played in Wisconsin McDonagh had totals of 12, 16 and 18 points alongside totals of 5, 5 and 4 goals. Steady yet unspectacular numbers but it’s his style that has fans hoping he dons New York blue this coming season. McDonagh plays a physical style and has good size at 6’1 and 210. Blessed with excellent skating ability McDonagh is considered to be a good two way player. Hockey’s future wrote this on him:
Has the size to be a physical force. He combines that with an ability to contribute on the offensive end of the rink, making the smart pass and keying the rush.
The former Montreal first round pick and Minnesota’s ‘Mr Hockey’ in 2007 has won numerous awards throughout his upstart career. In 2008 he was in the WCHA all rookie team, in 2009 he was named to the academic all – big ten and WCHA all academic teams while the same year he was voted by his team-mates as the most competitive player on the Badgers – speaking volumes about his character and approach. McDonagh has won medals internationally for the USA in 2007 and 2008, has been an alternate captain for the Badgers and recently was named the captain for the forthcoming season – if he returns
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With all the hullabaloo over Derek Stepan’s signing (I am among the guilty parties that has got caught up in the ‘hysteria’) it’s easy to forget that right now The Rangers have a lot of great talent on the horizon. One such player is Evgeny Malkin Grachev. Grachev, who has stated he wants to be like his illustrious namesake could very well be a line mate of Stepan’s next season. Whether that will be in New York or Hartford however, remains to be seen. A little look at Grachev and his development….
A lot of Rangers fans are saying they’d like to see, perhaps even expect to see the talented Grachev make the Rangers next season. The hulking Russian doesn’t appear ready for the NHL. Consider that carefully; The Rangers don’t need to rush (and ruin) another good prospect. Why are the Hawks in the Stanley Cup final? One reason is that they don’t unnecessarily rush their prospects. Likely Norris winner Duncan Keith played 2 full years in the AHL and he didn’t have language barriers to face. Byfuglien played 2 minor league seasons so did troy Brouwer, the list goes on. I could bring up examples of The Rangers rushing their prospects like Jamie Lundmark…. Oh, I just did
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