New York Rangers prospect report led by key WJC players Brett Berard and Braden Schneider
The New York Rangers have released their prospect report for January 4, 2021. In this edition, Braden Schneider and Brett Berard lead the way with their WJC play.
Below are excerpts from the official report provided to the media via the New York Rangers.
New York Rangers prospects at WJC
The Rangers prospects could be on a collision course to face each other in the championship game. Braden Schneider and Canada will take on Russia today, while Brett Berard and Hunter Skinner will face Finland in the semifinals.
- Braden Schneider tallied an assist on the game-winning goal and posted a plus-two rating in Canada’s win over Finland in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 31, and the assist was his first career assist/point in the tournament. The Rangers’ first round pick (19th overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has registered one assist and has posted a plus-four rating in four games with Canada in the tournament this year.
- Brett Berard recorded an assist on the game-winning goal and posted a plus-one rating in the United States’ win against the Czech Republic at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 29, and he registered an assist and posted a plus-two rating in the United States’ win in the Quarterfinals against Slovakia on Jan. 2. The Rangers’ fifth round pick (134th overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has registered five points (one goal, four assists) and a plus-seven rating in five games with the United States in the tournament. Berard is tied for third on the United States in plus/minus rating and is tied for sixth on the team in points thus far during the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
- Hunter Skinner made his IIHF World Junior Championship debut with the United States in the Quarterfinals against Slovakia on Jan. 2. The Rangers’ fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft also made his international hockey debut with the United States in the contest, and he helped the United States advance to the Semifinals.
New York Rangers prospects on defense
- Zachary Jones tallied a point in each of UMass’ three games during the past week (two goals, two assists); he registered two points (one goal, one assist) and posted a plus-three rating on Dec. 30 at New Hampshire, notched an assist and tied for the game-high with four shots on goal on Jan. 1 at Northeastern, and tallied a goal and led all skaters with six shots on goal on Jan. 2 vs. Northeastern. The Rangers’ third round pick (68th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft extended his point streak to five games, which is a collegiate career-high (three goals, four assists over the span), and he has tallied 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 12 games with UMass this season.
Zac Jones has been red hot for UMass and is showing serious poise with the puck coupled with great offensive ability.
Here’s an exclusive interview we did with Zac Jones late last year.
- Nils Lundkvist recorded two points (one goal, one assist) and posted a plus-two rating in three games during the past week; he posted a plus-one rating and registered four shots on goal in 19:38 of ice time on Dec. 28 against Leksands, tallied an assist and posted a plus-one rating in 23:51 of ice time on Dec. 30 against Djurgardens, and registered a goal and recorded four shots on goal in 20:23 of ice time on Jan. 2 against Linkoping. The Rangers’ first round pick (28th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has tallied a point in five of the last six games (one goal, four assists), in seven of the last nine games (one goal, six assists), and in 10 of the last 14 games (four goals, eight assists). He has registered 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) and 79 shots on goal in 26 SHL games in 2020-21, and he has averaged 20:25 of ice time per game in the 26 contests. Lundkvist is tied for second among SHL defensemen in goals and is tied for eighth among SHL defensemen in points this season.
There is a lot of chatter building up that we could be seeing Nils Lundkvist playing third pair defense on the right side sooner rather than later this season.
New York Rangers prospects at forward
- Vitali Kravtsov registered a goal on Dec. 28 against Avangard. The Rangers’ first round pick (ninth overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has recorded 17 points (12 goals, five assists), a plus-four rating, and 90 shots on goal in 34 KHL games with Traktor this season. In addition, he has recorded a goal/point in each of the last two games (two goals) and in three of the last four games (three goals), and he has tallied a point in four of the last five contests (three goals, one assist).
- Oliver Tarnstrom tallied a point in each of the three games he played during the past week, recording four points (two goals, two assists) in the three contests. The Rangers’ third round pick (92nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has registered four points (two goals, two assists) and a plus-two rating in six games with Hanvikens SK in Hockeyettan (third tier league in Sweden) this season.
- Karl Henriksson posted a plus-one rating in two of three games during the past week. The Rangers’ second round pick (58th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has posted a plus-six rating over the last five games, and he has posted a plus-one rating or better in four of the five contests.
Thank you to the NYR for compiling this great info. Link to full report below.
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