I guess I’m not the only one sold on Scott Glennie, his ability, and his ungodly speed. A Ducks blogger wants the Ducks to draft him, and trade up if necessary. Some Leafs fans want him too, but their position is too high, and they would wind up overdrafting him.
Currently, the ISS top 30 has him listed at #19, which is where the Rangers will pick, but there’s no way he lasts that long in the draft. His stock has risen so much in a month, and barely took a hit with the rough combine.
With the rumors that the Rangers will trade up (although that post is more so directed at Colorado’s desire to trade down), it appears that they are targeting a specific player. If Glennie is that player, and the Rangers draft him, it will be a very, very good day for the Blueshirts.
Update 1:15pm While my draft wants have been for a speedy, skilled winger, the guys over at Blueshirt Banter have a detailed view of some of the bigger players that may fall to the Rangers, specifically top-six power forwards. It’s a great read, so you should check it out.
TSN has a nice wrap up of this year’s draft combine. A few points on the prospects I want the Rangers to draft:
Group #6
3:24 pm et – Schenn came in and did the same thing as Tavares, skipping the upper-body exercises and leaving onlookers to speculate that he may have an upper-body/shoulder injury.
Landon Ferraro (#18) then followed suit, opting out of the bench press and push-ups.
I wouldn’t really look to deep into opting out of an exercise. It won’t really hurt his draft position.
Group #2
10:42 am et – Jordan Schroeder, a top prospect at #5, did his wingate test and vomited once it was complete. He also completed 17 bench presses at 150 pounds, one of the best showings we’ve seen through two groups so far. Schroeder, who measured in at 5’8, seemed to enjoy the Combine experience.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Schroeder told TSN’s James Cybulski afterwards. “A little nervous at first but once you get going into the workout, it’s pretty intense. Everyone will say the bikes are definitely the hardest. You’re a little dizzy afterwards.”
Schroeder was even able to joke about his involuntarily physical response to the wingate, saying, “A little bit came up – I have to admit, a little bit came up.”
Schroeder’s stock has risen considerably since the piece I wrote on the draft. He won’t fall to the Rangers.
Brandon winger Scott Glennie (ranked #7) had a solid vertical, though his upper body strength was questionable, though that could very well be a reflection of his missing time this season with a broken elbow.
This may be helpful to the Rangers, as the poor performance could cause him to slip. However, I don’t think it will make him slide that much, considering the broken elbow.
I’ll still be happy with Ferraro if Glennie doesn’t fall to the Rangers, but Glennie, to me, is the prize of the mid first round. For more of my thoughts on Glennie, read the posts here and here.
The draft positions through the top 26 are set, and the Rangers are picking at #19. In a better development, Scott Glennie, whom I really want the Rangers to draft, even by trading up if necessary, is also the #19 ranked prospect for the May ISS Top 30. Will he fall to the Rangers at 19? I doubt it, but I am hoping he does.
There’s not much more I can say about Glennie that adds on to my original post (first link). The kid is lightning quick, and would probably be top 10 in the NHL in terms of pure speed. He has the offensive talent to match his speed, putting up over a point per game in both the regular season (28-42-70 in 58 GP) and the playoffs (3-15-18 in 12 GP) in the WHL. His play was probably overshadowed by linemate Brayden Schenn (ISS #6), but Glennie matched Schenn stride for stride during the season, showing his high potential. His stock just keeps rising, as scouts are seeing his speed and his talent and realizing that he could be a fantastic NHL player. I’m talking first line talent. His shot is lethal, and incredibly under appreciated, especially when he was dishing the puck to Schenn all year.
If this kid falls past the Oilers, who have the #10 pick, the Rangers have to trade up to get him. There hasn’t been a player like him in NY in a long, long time.
With the Rangers bowing out in the first round, and being a 7 seed, it is a fair assumption that they will have a late teens pick, probably somewhere from 17-20. They won’t have a shot at the top picks, so naturally, you have to look a little deeper into the draft to see who might potentially fall to the to those picks.
As these playoffs have indicated, the NHL is shifting back to a speed and goal scoring game. Long gone are the clutch and grab teams that win Stanley Cups. Young, speedy teams with goal scoring ability up and down the lineup are the ones that are progressing through the playoffs. As the ISS Top 30 shows us, the projected first rounders are just that, speedy players with a natural goal scoring ability.
The Rangers have been plagued by ineffective first round picks, whether it is Hugh Jessiman, the only 2003 first rounder to never play in the NHL, or Al Montoya, who was passed on the Ranger depth chart by Mika Wiikman, and thus shipped to Phoenix, or Lauri Korpikoski, who has yet to show the Rangers why they traded up for him in 2004. In fact, the only first rounder to make a difference on the Rangers in the past decade is Marc Staal. Needless to say, the first round is crucial to the Rangers, as they need to rebuild their offensive depth after the tragic passing of Alexei Cherepanov.
Seeing the logjam at center, and the myriad of solid prospects on the blue line, the Rangers most glaring need will be a goal scoring winger with speed. Here are a few that are first round projections that the Rangers should take a flier on.
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