New York Rangers prospect report highlighted by Vitali Kravtsov and Nils Lundkvist

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The New York Rangers have released their prospect report for February 1, 2021. In this edition, the Blueshirts top prospects take center stage.

Below are excerpts from the official report provided to the media via the New York Rangers.

New York Rangers Prospect Report: Kravtsov and Lundkvist lead the way

VITALI KRAVTSOV (RW – 21 y/o, 1st Rd 9th overall 2018 Draft)

Season Stats – 43 GP, 15-7-22, +6, 12 PIM

  • Named to Russia’s roster for the Beijer Hockey Games (also known as the Sweden Hockey Games), a four-team tournament between Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic as part of the Euro Hockey Tour
    • Was named to Russia’s Men’s National Team roster for the first time in his career (had previously represented Russia in international tournaments as a junior player)
    • The Beijer Hockey Games take place from Feb. 11 – Feb. 14
  • Tallied a goal/point in each of Traktor’s two games during the past week (two goals)
  • Has established KHL career-highs in several categories this season, including goals (15) and points (22), and has tied his KHL career-high in shots on goal (114)

NILS LUNDKVIST (D – 20 y/o, 1st Rd 28th overall 2018 Draft)

Season Stats – 37 GP, 9-14-23, E, 14 PIM

  • Tallied an assist/point in two of three games during the past week (0-2-2)
  • Has tallied a point in eight of the last 13 games (4-5-9), in 11 of the last 17 games (4-8-12), in 13 of the last 20 games (4-10-14), and in 16 of the last 25 games (7-12-19)
  • Is tied for first among SHL defensemen in goals and is tied for ninth among SHL defensemen in points this season
  • His 69 career SHL points and his 44 career SHL assists are each the third-most by a defenseman while in his U21 season or younger in league history

Lauri Pajuniemi continues to impress

LAURI PAJUNIEMI(RW – 21 y/o, 5th Rd 2018 Draft)

Season Stats – 20 GP, 7-7-14, +5, 8 PIM

  • Tallied a goal and registered seven shot attempts on Jan. 27 against HIFK; led all skaters with a single-game season-high 10 shot attempts (six of which were on goal) on Jan. 29 against HIFK
  • Has registered a point in 12 of the last 13 games (6-6-12); posted a 12-game point streak from Nov. 21 against HPK to Jan. 27 against HIFK, which was a Liiga career-high
  • Since the start of last season, has recorded 54 points (33 goals, 21 assists) in 69 games in Liiga; is tied for the league lead in goals over the span

ZACHARY JONES (D – 20 y/o, 3rd Rd 2019 Draft)

Season Stats – 19 GP, 5-11-16, +6, 4 PIM

  • Tied a single-game collegiate career-high with a plus-three rating on Jan. 29 vs. UMass Lowell; recorded an assist and registered four shots on goal on Jan. 30 at UMass Lowell
  • Has tallied a point in nine of the last 12 games (3-10-13)
  • Has notched at least one point in 12 of 19 games this season; UMass has posted an 8-3-1 record in those 12 contests
  • Since the start of his collegiate career in 2019-20, is tied for fourth among NCAA defensemen in points (39) and ranks fifth among NCAA defensemen in assists (31)
  • Is tied for second on UMass in points, assists, and shots on goal (55), and is tied for fifth in goals in 2020-21

BRETT BERARD (C – 18 y/o, 5th Rd 2020 Draft)RARD

Season Stats – 10 GP, 2-2-4, -4, 12 PIM

  • Registered a goal on Jan. 31 against New Hampshire
  • Has recorded a point in four of eight games with Providence College following his return to the team after winning a gold medal with the United States at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship (2-2-4)

Editor’s Note: Thank you to the NYR for compiling this great info.

By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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