Which Rangers Prospect Has Greatest Expectancy Next Season

While Evgeny Grachev wasn’t the top rated Rangers prospect last season he was perhaps, given all the circumstances surrounding him (and his career progression – or lack of it) the one player with the most eyes on him among media and fans alike. Grachev was (and still is, until the new season draws closer) our recent most ‘Prospect Watch’ player on the website – see the Grachev Watch box.

From being drafted to dominating in the OHL to making a quick ascent to the pro ranks many, many fans expected Grachev to quickly establish himself in the system and indeed, as a Ranger. Prospect websites were touting him a blue chip prospect and he was routinely expected to firm up a place in the NHL, but that never happened. Today, Grachev is no longer a Ranger and perhaps a victim of the burden of expectancy.

Next season the Rangers have numerous prospects potentially taking the next step. Where those next steps take them however – at this stage – is anyone’s guess. Among the prospects with a ton of expectancy surrounding them are Swedish pair Carl Hagelin and Tim Erixon (straight to NYC?), as well as prospects JT Miller (given the controversy surrounding his league move), Oscar Lindberg, AHL mainstay Dale Weise (last chance saloon?) and WJC stars Jesper Fasth and Chris Kreider.

Which player will be most closely watched? Which prospect do you want Blue Seat Blogs to follow the most? –using the prospect watch section. You may be most intrigued by recent draftees like Shane McColgan (can he get back to the level which had him tabbed as a first rounder) or Mike St Croix and/or Steve Fogarty.

The Rangers are in a great situation these days. The above named group of prospects are just a small handful of Rangers prospects worth monitoring over the coming season. The Rangers are blessed with depth in almost every position both at the NHL level and below. We’ll be keeping tabs on all the Rangers prospects including Dylan McIlrath and Ryan Bourque as well. Just let us know who you’re most interested in the comments section. Have at it, we’ll check in a few times ahead of training camp.

J.T. Miller Press Release

RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH 2011 FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK J.T. MILLER

New York, July 28, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward J.T. Miller.

Miller, 18, was selected by the Rangers with the 15th overall choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on June 24. The East Palestine, Ohio native led Team USA in scoring with 13 points in six tournament contests en route to capturing the gold medal at the 2011 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship in Germany. He tied for third among all tournament skaters in points, fourth in assists (nine), sixth in goals (four), and seventh with a plus-eight rating. Miller was selected by tournament coaches as Team USA’s top player during the elite tournament after leading Team USA in points and assists, and finishing second on the team in goals and plus/minus rating.

Last season, Miller skated in 48 games with the U.S. National Under-18 Team (USHL), registering 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points, along with 80 penalty minutes. He established USHL career-highs in games played, assists, points, and penalty minutes, and ranked third on the team in points, and second in assists and penalty minutes. Miller also established career-highs with two shorthanded goals and three game-winning goals, and notched a USA U-18 career best, two power play goals. His two shorthanded goals tied for the team lead, while his three game-winning goals tied for fourth on the club.

Internationally, Miller registered three goals and eight assists for 11 points in eight contests at the Four Nations Cup in Sundsvall, Sweden and the Five Nations Tournament in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. He notched two goals and three assists for five points in four games at the 2010 Four Nations Cup from November 10-14. In addition, Miller tallied six points (one goal, five assists) in four games at the 2011 Five Nations Tournament from February 7-13. He led all tournament skaters with five assists, and ranked seventh in scoring with six points.

The 6-1, 200-pounder has appeared in 95 career games over two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team (USHL), registering 26 goals and 42 assists for 68 points, along with 159 penalty minutes. In 2009-10, Miller established USHL career-highs in goals (15) and power play goals (four), and finished with 31 points while skating in 46 games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team (USHL). He also helped lead Team USA to a first-place finish at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ontario, tallying a team-high, five goals, and finishing second on the team in scoring with nine points during the tournament.

Please refer to the attached file for J.T. Miller’s complete amateur record.

Rangers Sign 2011 First Round Pick J.T. Miller

As per Andrew Gross, the Rangers have agreed to terms with J.T. Miller, this year’s first round pick.  Miller was selected 15th overall this year, and was a bit of a surprise pick by Gordie Clark and company.  This month, Miller decided to renege on his verbal commitment to the University of North Dakota and play for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL this season.  Players in the OHL, WHL, or QMJHL are considered to be “professional” and lose their NCAA eligibility.

If you followed my discussions with Kevein DeLury (NYRangersBlog) and Mike Gleich (Bleeding All Blue) on Twitter a few weeks ago, then you noticed that Miller –who was not a Canadian Juniors draft pick– is eligible to play int he AHL and the CT Whale this season (for those keeping track, I was wrong in that discussion).  That is highly unlikely, as Miller playing in the AHL means the Rangers lose a year on his entry level deal.  If Miller goes to the OHL, his contract will slide, and his entry level clock won’t start.

The deal is a standard entry level deal, thus it is a three year, two way contract. Dollar amount has not been disclosed.

Musing’s Day; Everyone has a deal day

I was going to pen today’s Musings much like Dave did with Dubi last week, as ‘Cally-day’. Then the future Rangers captain went and ruined it all by signing up on Wednesday instead. Anyway, onwards!

My thoughts on the Callahan signing: Obviously he was always coming back and the cap hit is fine. In an ideal world he’s no more than $4m/year but even I won’t argue with $300k difference. Disappointed by the length a little though, although I also understand why it’s not longer. That said, here’s a poser for you: Does Callahan see in his 30^th as a Ranger? Will he be too expensive for their liking after 3 years are up? Just a thought….

Get Jealous: Every facet of my Stockholm trip is finally booked. Yours truly will be seeing Henrik in Henrik land and the official debut of the latest greatest Rangers center, Mr B Richards. Good times.

Get Jealous II: A very kind twitter follower/Rangers fan informed me that there is a beer/food festival in Stockholm the same weekend as the Rangers games. Seriously, that weekend couldn’t be more promising!

How you like them apples: I’m making a prediction that the Rangers have three 30 goal scorers next season. Big call as not many teams even get two. I’ll let you think who I’m referring to.

Ex Rangers done good? I’m happy that Vinny ‘the tan’ Prospal landed in a good situation. I liked him as a person and as a player and personally felt he could have still contributed in NY but I also don’t blame the club for moving on. With the right line mates, (Nash and Carter) Vinny could very well hit 55 points next season.

Ex Rangers done not so good? I’m disappointed Nigel Dawes’ career has resorted to a short term deal in the KHL. Hopefully, like many others have, he uses the league (and a good season) as a way back. I always thought he had the tools to be a regular 20 goal scorer in the NHL. He made the Rangers a couple of years too early.

Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky will all be in the 50 point club next year. Given that none of them will be on the top line I think it’s another bold call on my part. They could form to become the best second line in the league. Wow… I’m full of boldness today.

Funny moment: Yesterday a woman came into my bar and told me that I look like Cristiano Ronaldo. I tried not to laugh. My riposte? If he’s fat, un-tanned, and has a team-first ethic I’m your man. Clearly, CLEARLY I look nothing like him. Dave will surely attest! (be nice Dave…)

• Where do you guys think Brad Richards finishes in league scoring as a first year Ranger?
• Quick poll: Over/Under on Gaborik’s total games played? I’m going with over 70.
• Henrik Lundqvist over/under for total wins? I’m going for over 40. For the first time.

Which prospect is likely to be the first call up during the season? I think there are So many genuine candidates it’s impossible to predict and that’s a great thing. The point here: Depth baby, depth.

Not beyond the realms of impossibility: The Rangers AND the Whale making the conference finals.

Rangers I’m most intrigued at seeing in October: Brad Richards (obviously), Tim Erixon (hopefully) and Mats Zuccarello (maybe).

Film time: I recently watched the chick comedy Bridesmaids. Not bad at all but if they remove the fat chick it’s not a funny film. I’m watching Horrible Bosses tonight. Guarantee it’ll be funnier.

Has the Rangers summer arrived – are all their moves made? I think they are done until camp but maybe it depends on who becomes available. Think it also depends what Torts has planned for Dubinsky and Wolski. If he’s happy to begin the year with the two of them as his top left wing pair I think they are definitely done. It might all rest on WoWo.

Prospect Talk; Do you guys think JT Miller (and other NYR prospects) would be better off in college or with Plymouth of the OHL? Personally I like to see prospects play as much as possible if they are physically at an advanced stage already. Miller is apparently in good physical shape for his age so 70+ games in juniors is my preference. Would Miller’s chances at a WJC spot be damaged by heading to the CHL?

And the grandstand finish: Glen Sather is a good general manager.

see you’z all next time.

Who Is J.T. Miller?

When the Rangers selected JT Miller during the first round of the NHL draft many, probably the vast majority of Rangers fans were caught off guard. Many expected (many hoped) Mark McNeil’s name to be called as the much fancied center was still on the board. However Gordie Clark and the Rangers went back to a well they have visited a lot recently.

The Rangers went with another college bound and US NTDP prospect in JT Miller. Chris Peters, editor of the fantastic United States of Hockey blog (and former US hockey PR guy) took time out of his busy schedule to give his unique insight (thanks to his extensive US hockey experience) into the Rangers latests first round hope. A big thanks to Chris for offering his opinion, we’ll let him tell you the rest.

Greetings, Blue Seat Blogs readers. I’m Chris Peters, editor of The United States of Hockey, and I’m here to tell you more about the young man your beloved Rangers drafted with the 15^th overall pick on Friday night.

First off, I’ve seen J.T. Miller play a ton over the last two years as the former PR coordinator at the National Team Development Program and as the play-by-play broadcaster at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and have always been a fan of his game.

I know there was some concern out of Blueshirt nation regarding passing over Mark McNeill and the like, so allow me to put your mind at ease some.

As far as I’m concerned, the Rangers didn’t really make a reach, though the pick is not without risk. J.T. Miller is a physically gifted hockey player who plays an exciting brand of hockey. He skates well, hits a bunch and has enough offensive skill to put the puck in the net or set up a teammate.

The biggest concern with Miller is a valid one, and that’s his consistency. I’ve written on more than one occasion that his consistency is probably indicative of his inability to decide what kind of player he is supposed to be. There were too many times in the last two years that Miller has gotten away from what makes him successful, and that’s focusing on his strengths as opposed to forcing a certain style of play on himself.

When he focuses on the offensive side of his game as he did at the World Under-18 Championship, he’s easily a Top-15-caliber player. Usually in those games, he’s also solid in his own end, because he’s playing a more controlled style at that point. When he decides to run around hitting everything that moves, he’s prone to penalties and bad decisions with the puck. That’s not the style of game he needs to be playing. He can’t lose the physicality, but should be more selective in how he uses his size and strength.

The challenge is reining him in, but the good news is he’s going to an excellent school for pro-hockey development. The University of North Dakota is probably one of the best schools you could hope for your prospect to go to due to their track record of developing players. I don’t know, but perhaps you’ve heard of Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise. Additionally, he should have some time to mature off the ice and bring that level of maturity to his game.

Miller looks like he could be a top six guy, but perhaps more realistically will be a third liner with scoring punch. He can play a two-way game well enough and brings energy to every shift. He’s tough to play against and at times overpowers his competition. I really believe Miller is more versatile than he’s shown so far and has more to unlock yet.

The reason I like the pick for the Rangers is because it has home-run potential. It’s not a sure-fire hit, but the way that Miller has progressed over the years leads me to believe he’s still got a ways to go before we see what he becomes at the next level. That’s what should have Rangers fans excited. We haven’t seen J.T. Miller hit his peak and may not for a few more years. He’s good now, but he can and likely will get better, much better.

Miller will require some patience as he has a lot to learn yet, but our very last viewing of him was at the World Under-18 Championship, in which he looked like a future star.

If he builds off of that momentum and continues on this track at North Dakota, it won’t be too terribly long before he’s playing under the bright lights of New York City.

So there you have it. An insight into the Rangers latest first rounder. It appears that Miller’s issues are things many prospects experience – consistency, ability to focus on his own strengths and perhaps decision making (like choosing when to make a hit etc). Given his apparent upside though, and the facts that he brings a combination of skills that the Rangers could do with, Miller sounds like a good solid pick that could add to the Rangers young core in the future.

Once again, thanks to Chris for taking time to contributing to the blog and providing some great insight into someone that hopefully becomes a big part of the Rangers future. Be sure to follow Chris on twitter at @chrismpeters

Rangers Select J.T. Miller With The 15th Pick

Last night, the Rangers surprised a lot of people when they selected J.T. Miller of the US NDTP. With players like Mark McNeill, Joel Armia, and Tyler Biggs available, most people assumed the Rangers would select one of that trio. However, they went “off the board” a bit when they selected Miller. The initial reaction on Twitter was a combination of controlled outrage and shock, which turned into a general trusting of Gordie Clark and his great staff that have rebuilt this farm system.

I wrote a draft preview on Miller, which you can read here. This actually marks the first time I have actually written a preview for a player that was actually picked. I don’t want to re-hash everything there, but Miller carried the U-18 US Team to gold at the World Championships, netting a whopping 13 points (four goals), and leading the team in scoring. Miller was dishing the puck to Rocco Grimaldi most of the time, but Clark was quoted saying that if Miller wasn’t dishing the puck to Grimaldi, he would be able to finish just as easily.

For the past two drafts, many fans have been relatively shocked with who the Rangers have selected in the first round. This was the third year in a row where most fans had to Google who they drafted just to read up on him. Miller is a beast of a player, who knows how to get in the dirty areas. He is also a solid two way center who is great on face offs. He was clearly someone the Rangers coveted heading into the first round.

If it were my choice, I likely would have gone with McNeill (#18 overall) or Armia (#16 overall). But then again, that’s why I don’t work in the business, and I write a blog. We have trusted Gordie Clark for this long. Have faith. Just because it isn’t what you would have done, doesn’t make it a bad pick. Miller will hopefully continue to develop.

2011 Draft Watch: J.T. Miller

The 2011 draft is a little more than a month away, and we all know that Gordie Clark, Glen Sather, and the collection of Rangers scouts are holding many meetings to discuss potential players on their draft boards. The Rangers have the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, and while most of the prospects on people’s lists will be gone (Nugent-Hopkins, Larsson, Courturier, etc), there are a good amount of prospects that would help the Rangers in the long run. Today we look at #16 in the ISS Top-30, J.T. Miller of US U-18 National Team. Miller is committed to the University of North Dakota, with teammate Rocco Grimaldi, starting next season.

The 6’1″, 190 lb forward out of Ohio finished up this season with a strong performance. Miller was instrumental in the US winning its third straight gold medal at the U-18 World Championships, leading the team in scoring with a whopping 13 points –including four goals– in just six tournament games, finishing with more than two points per game. His nine assists in the tournament, with the 13 assists in 21 non-tournament games, really illustrates how much of a play maker Miller is.

His passing and vision are phenomenal, and they are great compliments to his superb skating, shooting, and shear hockey knowledge. A strong two-way center, Miller is also very strong in the face-off circle, winning key draws in all situations, specifically on the power play and penalty kill. Miller is a great skater who uses his size to protect the puck, and has the tools to be very successful in the future.

What many scouts point to as his downfall is that he hasn’t produced the way people think he should. Outside of the U-18 tournament, where he was the leading scorer, Miller netted 15 points (3-12-15) in 21 games this year for the U-18 team. While that was still good enough for one of the top producers on the team (fourth), people expect more from someone with his skill set.

Miller appears to be a high risk, high reward type of player. He certainly has the tools, but his production is what is scaring many scouts. Just three goals in 21 games is a bit disappointing for someone like Miller, and it has scouts thinking that he may be no more than a bottom six forward. Tools and skills mean nothing if you can’t produce. That is going to be Miller’s biggest challenge as he develops with the Fighting Sioux. He will likely be a first round pick, but he will definitely be a project pick.

Previous Entries:
Niklas Jensen
Mike McKee
Boone Jenner
Sven Bartschi
Rocco Grimaldi
Mark McNeill
Joel Armia