Prospect’s Prospering

Let’s have a look at some of the Rangers draft picks and future hopes and how they’ve been doing recently. It’s been a while since we checked in around the junior circuits.

Saintly Returns

Michael St Croix is a plus 30 for the season. Yes, you read that right. It’s because he’s flat out scoring for fun. A mid round pick of the Rangers in 2011, its unlikely many people saw this level of scoring from St Croix. The skilled center has grabbed 77 points in just 48 games in the WHL this season, which given the stingier nature of the WHL (as opposed to other junior leagues) is an exceptional return.

You want progress? St Croix’s offensive return is the two points better than his total points from last season in 20 games less. Clearly, the Rangers have another talented center on their hands. Oh and he’s now been crowned player of the week twice. One to keep your eyes on folks.

Back in Scoring Mode

The Rangers seem to have offensive potential springing up everywhere right now. Joining St Croix in quality offensive production is JT Miller who has recently got back to his scoring ways and now boasts 43 points in 39 games for the Whalers of the OHL.

Miller has learnt a lot this season. From his time with the Rangers to the world Juniors, Miller has been exposed to a variety of levels of hockey this season as well as the exposure to more hockey than he’s been used to. Miller’s another player that looks a great draft pick so far.

Best of the Rest

Honourable mentions in the offensive stakes have to go to Shane McColgan, Andrew Yogan, Christian Thomas and Steven Fogarty who are all close to or above the point per game threshold in their respective leagues. Naturally, each player has a different level of expectancy placed on their shoulders and is in different stages of their development but so long as each one can continue to produce as their respective leagues head to the critical time in their seasons, it bodes well for their immediate futures. With Christian Thomas turning 20 in May, he’s almost certainly one that’s headed for pro hockey next season.

Final Mention

In need of a change of scenery all season has been Scott Stajcer. The Owen Sound goalie has put up solid numbers when called upon but has split the crease with Jordan Binnington. Wins aside, Stajcer has put up the far superior numbers (924% to .890, 2.53 GAA to JB’s 3.38) but it has to be a concern that as an over-ager Stajcer hasn’t had anywhere near the playing time his development needs.

Given the still murky goalie situation behind Lundqvist and Biron, Stajcer still has a shot with the organisation as no goalie with the Whale has shown to have full time NHL potential this season. Stajcer’s destination next season will be an interesting development over the coming months.

Crucial Period Ahead for Christian Thomas

After a season in which he reached 50 goals and played to a level where most considered him a blue chip prospect, it seems odd to suggest Christian Thomas’ next twelve months is almost a cross road for him in regards to his Rangers future. However, Thomas is indeed facing a critical period in his career.

This season has been somewhat of a struggle for Thomas. Playing on a middling Oshawa Generals team, getting a long suspension, struggling with his own form (compared to his previous year); the first half of his season was summed up by his failure to make the Team Canada roster for the WJC – a side that hardly covered itself in glory. Thomas’ season has been anti-climatic.

Thomas is still a good young hockey player. However, he is an undersized scoring winger – the type that usually cannot play in the bottom six. Thomas needs to be on a scoring line to thrive and this is why his future with the Rangers is in doubt. With Marian Gaborik enjoying a bounce back year, Ryan Callahan firmly entrenched as captain (and fan darling) and Brandon Dubinsky very much part of the core, there doesn’t remain much space for players to crack the top six that already reside in New York.

Things get even murkier for Thomas when you consider his competition for the wing spots beyond this season. Chris Kreider is enjoying his best season with Boston College and is widely tipped to be a Ranger next season, so Thomas has at least one elite prospect in front of him.

With JT Miller enjoying a solid WJC for Team USA and having a fine season in Plymouth, Thomas may indeed have two first round talents ahead of him without factoring in anyone else. Tough competition indeed. In fact, because of the apparent prospect depth the Rangers enjoy, Thomas may be a deadline asset the Rangers use if they decide to grab a player for a run this season. The fact Thomas is even in the discussion as potential trade bait speaks volumes about his current status.

Thomas currently has 38 points in 31 games for Oshawa. With 18 goals and 6 power play goals Thomas is still a key offensive contributor for his team, but they are hardly awe inspiring numbers. It may have benefited Thomas to have been traded to a contender at the OHL deadline, but instead Thomas found himself stuck (?) in Oshawa. The smallish winger needs to have a great end to his domestic season. He needs to try and be the reason his Generals team sneak in to the playoffs. He needs to score heavily to remind everyone why he was regarded as a quality Rangers prospect. However, that’s just half the task at hand.

Starting next summer, Thomas needs to have a great camp and make sure he plays a solid role in preseason culminating in either a Rangers spot (absolute best case, but unlikely scenario) or more likely, when he arrives in Connecticut for the 12/13 season. He has to play so well that he forces himself a future in New York. Thomas has a lot of talent, but also a lot of work ahead of him. The path is not nearly as clear as it once appeared. While that is a testament of the depth in the Rangers’ organisation it is clearly a rocky road to New York for Christian Thomas.

Could the Whale and Rangers Both Make Noise?

With potential reinforcements on the way from a multitude of levels the Whale could look quite stacked come regular season’s end and entering the playoffs. The potential for the Whale to win their second Calder Cup is realistic with a bit of luck. Why? Look at the possible line up.

Amid fresh rumours of Sean Avery having another chance at the NHL level the fact remains he’s still a Whale player and according to Glen Sather that won’t change soon. Sean Avery is still an NHL player in terms of ability so over the course of his stay with the Whale it’s fair to expect results.

With his fresh ‘demotion’, one has to assume Erik Christensen can make a solid impact in his conditioning assignment with the Whale and that should help them really strengthen themselves during the regular season. Like Avery, Christensen is an NHL player playing a level below, again one would expect solid results at the AHL level.

Then you have the numbers game that is playing out on the New York defense. While the demoted player may not make it down because of waivers, there is a good chance that the Whale will get one of Stu Bickel, Steve Eminger or Jeff Woywitka to use at some point this season. If (when) Mike Sauer gets healthy the Rangers won’t leave multiple defensemen wasting away in the press box and conditioning stints or demotions become a real possibility. Right now, any of these three – who have all made solid contributions at the NHL level this year – would improve the Whale.

There’s more to come. Looking at the Rangers prospects playing in junior there remains a chance the Whale get reinforcements through this route too. Christian Thomas has improved as the year has progressed (37 points in 29 games) but his Oshawa Generals are outside the playoffs right now and stuck in neutral. A much anticipated prospect, Thomas may find himself with the Whale earlier than he may have hoped this season.

Another junior candidate that could help the Whale and taste pro hockey this year is Shane McColgan whose Kelowna team are close to the playoff cut off line. While they are ‘in’ right now, other teams have games in hand and with a losing record, there’s no guarantee the Rockets can string together enough good performances to stay in the playoff spots.

Perhaps a positive sign for the way Rangers prospect development is trending in recent times is how so many players are currently playing on strong clubs. Mike St Croix, Dylan McIlrath, JT Miller and the Peterborough Petes’ Andrew Yogan and Peter Ceresnak are all battling for top spots in their respective leagues’ conferences. These players, like Chris Kreider with Boston College are unlikely to see time in the AHL because it’s likely some, if not all, could have deep playoff runs at their respective levels.

Meanwhile, the Whale may soon get a player back who is both a former Ranger as well as Ranger hopeful. Chad Kolarik is slowly working his way back to full health and could be a factor this season. Last year, through strong play in Connecticut Kolarik forced his way in to four games for the Rangers (one assist). Should the Whale be able to call on him and the aforementioned list of talented young players, they would have a very deep and talented squad to ice. There’s even still a slight chance of Wojtek Wolski making his way to the Whale at some point too. Not often an AHL club gets to ice a former 60 point NHL player.

It’s early to tell what the Whale will look like come playoff time and with the NHL trade deadline still approaching there’s certainly a lot of moving parts to consider but with a team consisting of established AHL’ers such as Kris Newbury, Mats Zuccarello, Pavel Valentenko and fast developing Jonathan Audy-Marchessault not to mention players such as Brendan Bell, Tim Erixon, Wade Redden and Chad Johnson, adding any combination of the aforementioned prospects and NHL pros makes this a promising campaign the tier below New York. Two Cups in one year? Why not.

Musings: The Final 2011 Edition

It’s a Musings day, the last of 2011 and what a year it has been. The Rangers have given us a lot to smile about toward the end of this year haven’t they? Without further ado, let’s throw ourselves into another post of ramblings

New York Rangers 2011. What do you think of when you think of this year’s edition? I think progress, youth, a bright future and significant change. This team has added quality players like Brad Richards, quality prospects like Tim Erixon and JT Miller and have become a team that looks like it can contend perhaps sooner rather than later. Let’s hope 2012 carries on like ’11 is ending.

It’s the World Junior Championship and that means JT Miller is representing the Rangers on Team USA. So far Miller has a goal and is +2 in 2 games (one win, one loss) for the American team. Being the youngest player on the roster Miller should learn a huge amount during the tournament. In general, it’s becoming a very productive season for Miller who’s having a fine year in the OHL too.

Martin Biron lost a game on Wednesday. That doesn’t happen too often.

Brad Richards is really in a mid season funk isn’t he? I’m surprised the boo-boys haven’t jumped out and questioned the signing yet but it is what it is: a slump and nothing else, even if pointless in 5 games is a rarity for the center.

That said, last year, and many seasons previous, when a big player like Richards slumped there wasn’t people there to pick up the slack. This edition of the Rangers is different. Gaborik has been scorching hot, his line has been consistently productive and guys like Carl Hagelin have provided secondary offense. That’s depth my friends. Richards’ slump simply emphasises it.

Does anyone else think the coach’s comment regarding the Caps’ defensive liabilities was a little controversial? He was clearly frustrated but rarely does he openly criticise the opponents like that. That said, he was right – everyone knows Semin and co. hate going backwards.

I’m not buying in to some people’s suggestion that Dubinsky is back, yet. He’s got a long way to go before anyone can announce his return to being a contributor. If anything he’s needed more now than ever if Richards’ slump continues much longer.

Oh look, another game Brian Boyle didn’t contribute offensively (awkward silence).

So, if the Rangers were to lose to the Panthers Friday and lord forbid, lose the Winter Classic, all of a sudden the Rangers would own a three game losing streak. You just know a bunch of fans would press the panic button. It’s an 82 game season, there’ll be losing streaks. If it happened I’d still be confident in this team going forward.

What’s wrong with Brandon Prust? Are Prust and Boyle’s coinciding disappointing season’s coincidence or do they really affect each other’s games that much?

Question Time:

• First to make the Rangers: Kreider or Miller?
• Who will be the Rangers top scoring center this season?
• Would you rather keep Erixon in the line-up or Woywitka?
• Is Mike Rupp benchable yet?
• Sean Avery anyone?

So, just a couple of days left in 2011. Personally, it’s been an interesting one for me – amongst the highlights, seeing the Rangers open the season in Stockholm and forgetting what happened in the Pens-Rangers game at the MSG in November because Dave and I were that drunk. Well I was anyway. 

On behalf of all of us at the blog, Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2012 is a great one for you, me and the Rangers. Here’s to it. 

JT Miller: Another Reason for Rangers Optimism

The Rangers have drafted very well in recent years and even when going off the board (so to speak) Fans have begun to show full trust in the Rangers power brokers because results are starting to show. Whether it’s the NHL roster, the minor league affiliates of the exploits on junior and college circuits there are countless recent examples of successful Rangers drafting.

A great example is JT Miller. The young forward was recently named to the US WJC roster and follows a growing line of Rangers draftees to don red-white-blue in the January junior showdown. Derek Stepan dominated at the WJC level before establishing himself as a critical young New York Ranger. Chris Kreider was an impact forward at the WJC level and is now dominating for Boston College before he makes the Rangers, perhaps as soon as next season.

Will Miller follow the lead of Stepan and Kreider? All indications suggest he may well be on Broadway sooner rather than later. Miller has had an exceptional start to his first year in the Ontario Hockey League and leads a strong Plymouth Whalers team with 39 points in 31 games. Miller has 13 goals, a +6 rating and has been effective on the power play as his 4 PP goals attest.

Chris Peters of the United States of Hockey Blog recently had this to say about Miller:

He plays with speed and power. Unafraid of physical contact, Miller gets to the hard areas of the ice and makes plays. He was the best forward at the 2011 Under-18 World Championship

Read the above comment carefully. Why should Rangers fans trust the Rangers brass? Going by the lowdown on Miller he is a perfect fit for Rangers style of hockey. That’s why the Rangers drafted him and that’s why they weren’t afraid to go against popular opinion at the time of the draft. Miller is another example of great scouting and drafting in recent times. Unafraid of physical play Miller plays a direct style, with speed and has proven himself at higher levels when tested.

The Rangers are developing nicely at every level right now. Kids like Stepan, Anisimov, McDonagh and Del Zotto are establishing themselves as crucial elements of the Rangers while there’s plenty more on the way at the minor league and junior levels. Miller may be one of the very best.

With Kreider and Miller looking like elite prospects and perhaps close to the pro ranks, the future may not be bright for the likes of Wolski, Avery, Christensen and Fedotenko in New York but the Rangers forward corps looks set to get younger, deeper and even more talented for years to come.

World Junior Championship Begins Today

Today marks the beginning of the 2012 World Junior Championship Tournament, taking place in Edmonton. The Rangers have a big history in this tournament, as current players/prospects Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Ryan Bourque, and many others have participated in this tournament. The Stepan-Kreider-Bourque led squad won gold in 2010.

This year, the Rangers only have two prospects playing in the tournament: JT Miller (1st round – 2011) on Team USA, Peter Ceresnak (6th round – 2011) on Slovakia, . It is assumed that Jesper Fasth would have played in this year’s tournament for Sweden if not for his current injury.

For those in the US, the NHL Network will be covering the tournament this year. In Canada, TSN will be covering the tournament. You can check out the full schedule here.

Prospect Watch: Thomas Returns

This week saw the return to game action of Christian Thomas, who has been sitting out thanks to the ten game suspension the OHL threw his way. His return was in the Subway Super Series against the Russian national team, as Thomas represented the OHL (Team Russia plays against each CHL league).

Thomas did not disappoint, grabbing an assist on the game winner and adding a goal near the end as the OHL team beat the Russians 6-3  in Sault Ste. Marie after racing to a 6-0 lead. While it was a good return to action for Thomas it’s hard to gauge the level of opponents as the Russian team is never the strongest available.  In this instance it didn’t feature some of the quality prospects expected to be lottery picks, or first rounder’s in 2012. Regardless, Thomas will be happy with his return to the ice and will look to kick off from here and be a difference maker once more for Oshawa.

Dylan McIlrath may have missed a few games earlier this season but is putting together a pretty solid season for Moose Jaw in the WHL. Despite being pointless and on the losing side on Saturday (MJ lost 3-2 to Swift Current), McIlrath got in to a fight and played his typical brand of physical hockey. With 5 points (2 goals) in 11 games so far this year McIlrath is already only 3 goals off his total from last year.

Quick Hits:

• Chris Kreider and Boston College got whipped, losing 5-0 to Boston University on Sunday. It’s never good to lose to your neighbours. BC was inept on the powerplay, going 0-8 while Kreider finished the game -1 with just one shot to his name. BC will look to move on immediately next week when they travel for a non conference tilt with Notre Dame.
• JT Miller continues to be both productive and consistent. The first round pick grabbed 6 points and went +5 in 3 games last week for his surging Plymouth side. Miller now has 25 points in 21 games for the season – an impressive introduction to major junior.
• Scott Stajcer may not be winning games but his play is getting better. The goalie is 2-3-2 in 7 games but sits at .922 % and a 2.54GAA. Considering how inflated those numbers were just a few short weeks ago Stajcer is doing all he can to stay relevant in a tricky situation in Owen Sound.
• Shane McColgan may have 20 points in 19 games for Kelowna in the WHL but -9 is never a good thing to have on your record.
• Jesper Fasth has slowed down from his great start to the year as he has 14 points in 18 games with HV71 of the SEL. Fasth is scoreless in multiples games however it has still been a very encouraging season for the young winger already.
• Andrew Yogan and the Peterborough Petes sit second in the East Division of the OHL and Yogan – and Peter Čerešňák – have played their part. Čerešňák has a solid 7 points in 19 games from the blueline while Yogan has 14 in 18 up front. Perhaps more should be expected from Yogan, an over-ager but there is still a long way to go in the season for Yogan to make his case for the pro-ranks next season.

Sunday Reads

Morning all, although only just for me as its almost midday here in the UK as I’m typing this… On a relatively quiet weekend for the Rangers (how often does a team get Saturday AND Sunday off?) its time to take a look around the Rangers universe at some of the more interesting reads.

Nick over at Rangers Tribune makes a very valid point (at least in my opinion, as well as his) at how the league doesn’t give enough attention to the Rangers win streak while he also mentions Tortorella’s comments on the disrespect Dan Girardi has received reference all star balloting.  If the Pens were on a 6 game tear or playing great hockey the whole world would hear about if from the leagues marketing department.

Jess at The Prospect Park looks at some of the junior action over the weekend including JT Miller’s 3 point night as his Plymouth side whipped the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Kevin Delury, on his NY Rangers Blog,  looks at how the Rangers are trying to convince the Great One (obviously I don’t need to write his name) to play in the Alumni game later this season. Number 99 isn’t as opposed as he previously was when he insisted family commitments would be a priority. (Gretz is making me look good as I insisted the Rangers would convince him, eventually).

The CT Whale website  has a very interesting article on the Rangers emphasis on development. Great read and offers some nice insight in to the minor league affiliate as well, for those of you not as familiar with what goes on the level below NY.

I find things like this interesting even when I don’t always agree with TSN. The Canadian site has a look at the top performing free agents so far this season via Scott Cullen. Take note of the top 10: Two former Rangers (one more surprising than the other) and a guy that the Rangers were linked heavily with until he ended up in Dallas.

One more thing: I’m not ashamed to pimp out something deserving. If you like the NFL, are a fantasy geek (like me) and you like hearing a different take or two on subjects then head to Fantasy Pick Six and check out their latest podcast. Yours truly guests starts on it – episode 14 – it’s a great laugh to be involved with. The guys don’t take anything too seriously but offer great insight into the weekly goings on in the NFL. Yes, all the accents you hear are British including my own – British NFL opinion you say? crazy! Go listen.

Anyway, I’m off to the gym to make sure I’m in fighting shape for my next venture to New York in less than two weeks. Wish me luck. 

Prospect Watch: Point Producing Juniors

The Rangers can watch their prospects in Canadian juniors with great satisfaction right now. Around a month in to the season and several prospects are scoring at an excellent rate headlined by Shane McColgan who has an impressive 17 points in 14 games for the struggling Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. With his side sitting second from bottom in their division with a 5-9-1 record, McColgan’s -6 rating is the only blot on his personal stat line this season.

A couple of other players are having great starts in junior. JT Miller continues to impress for Plymouth in the OHL and with 17 points in 15 games he’s showing an impressive offensive side. Leading his team offensively Miller has been at the forefront of Plymouth’s improved form as they have gone 5-3-2 in their past 10.

The third prospect scoring at a fast rate in juniors is Mike St Croix. St Croix has 15 points in 16 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings and is doing it on the power play as well as at even strength.  Of his 5 goals so far this season, 3 have been with the man advantage. The Kings, like the Whalers in the O, have been a team on the rise and have 6 wins in their past 10 to move 4 points behind Kootenay and Medicine Hat in their division.

All three prospects discussed above have something in common; they seem to be offensive go-to guys for their clubs. Scoring at impressive rates, all three seem to be impact players and that is something that bodes well for their professional futures. A few years ago it would have been difficult to find this many Rangers prospects making positive impressions at the same time. The prospect pipeline is certainly in a healthy state right now.

Quick hit time:

• Chris Kreider continued his impressive season this past weekend. BC moved to a 6-1 record last weekend as first beat UMass 4-2 on Friday (Kreider was scoreless) and then thumped the same club 6-3 whereby Kreider was all over the scoreboard. Grabbing 2 goals and an assist, Kreider had 6 shots and went +2 as he had the game winner as well as a PP goal too. Kreider has 11 points in 8 games this season.
• Scott Stajcer continues to improve as the season goes on. The rust seems to be gone as the goalie has improved to a 2-2-2 record but has a strong .920 save percentage and a much healthier 2.62 GAA. Stajcer stopped 39 of 40 shots on Sunday as Owen Sound beat Windsor 4-1.
• Christian Thomas is sporting an ugly -8 rating in just 13 games as his Oshawa Generals continue to play mediocre hockey with a 7-8-0-2 record this season.
• Sam Noreau is off to a nice start for Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL, going 1+7 in 11 games as well as sporting a strong +8 rating.
• Despite being pointless in his last 2 games Jesper Fasth still has 14 points in 16 games for HV71 in the SEL.
• Blueliner Mikhail Pashnin has 2 goals for CSKA in the KHL (in 19 games).

Christian Thomas is currently sitting through a ten game suspension in the OHL for high sticking. The ban began on 24^th October. With high draft picks Boone Jenner and Niklas Jensen in the line-up, Oshawa should have – at least offensively – been able to cope without Thomas but they’ve been whipped 5-2 and 6-2 in their past two games. Neither player has managed to score in the defeats so Oshawa will want to get Thomas back as quickly as possible.

Prospect Watch: Miller Time

He had a good camp and now he’s truly settling in to his OHL rookie campaign. JT Miller scored 2 goals against Sarnia on Saturday night as he played his most impressive game of the young season, offensively speaking. Miller has 9 points in 9 games to begin the year which is no mean feat for the youngster as his Plymouth team has begun the season winning just four of their first 10 games. You may have heard of the name sitting right behind Miller on team scoring: Andy Bathgate. If Miller can show offensive consistency all season Miller will keep his name in the immediate discussion for the professional ranks next season. It will be interesting to see whether Miller has any kind of college wall in junior as the OHL season is similar in length to the pros.

Miller may have left college for the junior circuit but two Ranger prospects are still making waves in college. While Chris Kreider is garnering a lot of attention for his solid start (rightly so) Danny Hobbs has kept pace with the BC winger as both players have 5 points in their first four games. Both players are among offensive leaders nationally. Hobbs’ numbers however may be more impressive on one hand as he has his 5 points in just 2 games however Kreider’s level of competition has been tougher. Kreider however seems to have a case of Rangeritis as he already has 10 penalty minutes on the season, a number he’d do well to keep as low as possible.

Prospect Quick Hits:

• As we mentioned last week (before the bandwagon got rolling….) Jesper Fasth has been enjoying an exceptional start to his campaign in the SEL. How good? With his 11 points in 11 games to start the year Fasth (a 20 year old in the senior league) is 7^th overall in league scoring. With a game winner and a power play goal to his credit, Fasth is getting goals in a variety of situations. America bound next year? At this rate, very likely.
• Peter Čerešňák has had a solid start to the year for his OHL Petes side. With 5 points (1+4) and a +4 in his first 9 games the big defenseman seems to be settling in well to Canadian Junior. He’ll be an interesting one to follow throughout the year as he and Yogan look to lead the Petes.
• Camp try outs doing well? He may not have been with the Rangers long but TJ Foster has been in great form for the WHL Oil Kings of Edmonton. He has 11 points in 11 games as he looks to earn another look from a big club. Maybe the Rangers will look at Foster again?
• Scott Stajcer has had a rough start (rust?) back in the OHL. In his first two games Stajcer has two losses, an inflated GAA of 4.50 and a save percentage of just .859; Stajcer will be hoping to get back on track as he looks to stay relevant in the organisation. It’s hard not to think that Stajcer’s and Chad Johnson’s futures are closely entwined this season.
• Boone Jenner is leading his club but Christian Thomas is slowly heating up. The Oshawa General has started scoring with more regularity and has now hit 7 points (4 goals) in 10 games. It’ll be hard to replicate last year given his start but as many people have said it’s not just about numbers for Thomas this season.

We’ll look in more detail throughout the next week or so at one or two of the prospects making some noise this season. The pipeline is still full folks.