Rangers select Vitali Kravtsov with the 9th overall pick
The Rangers stayed the course and kept their 9th pick in the NHL entry draft.
9) New York Rangers – Vitali Kravtsov – RW – Traktor Chelyabinsk – KHL (6’2”, 183 lbs)
David Quinn said that the Rangers talked about him a lot and raved about his hockey skill and character. Of course the Rangers hand their pick of highly touted defenseman Noah Dobson or forward, Oliver Wahlstrom but decided to go with a player they probably would have gotten much later in the 1st round.
At this point the selection is beyond confusing.
Earlier today, Russell Hartman has the Rangers selecting him at 28.
The Rangers aren’t afraid to take Russian kids. Pavel Buchnevich and Igor Shestyerkin are recent examples of that and with their last pick of the first-round, the Rangers get someone with sky high potential. Kravtsov, according to eliteprospects.com, “can play up and down the lineup and provide scoring in a number of roles,” and “has the potential to develop into a staple top-six forward that can produce at the next level.” Sounds like someone definitely worthy of a late first round pick.
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