Rangers Roundup: Zuccarello In Tanzania, Chris Drury Discusses Draft & More

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Here is the latest of what’s going on in Rangerstown.

Mats Zuccarello In Tanzania

We all know that Mats Zuccarello is a fan favorite in New York and back in his native Norway, but “Zucc” doesn’t limit his love to his two homes. This week, Zuccarello, who is an ambassador for the Right To Play organization, traveled with some of his hockey friends to Tanzania to spend time with the local children.

Drury On The Draft

Rick Carpinello of The Athletic spoke with Rangers Assistant General Manager Chris Drury and here are a few highlights of their discussion.

• On the overall feel of the draft: “I think there are a lot of good players at every different level of the draft. I think the trick is, obviously, finding them and finding the right ones for your organization, both short-term and long-term.”
• On the draft philosophy: “I think it’s always “best player available.” Obviously, a lot of it is projecting, and the scouts are just trying to do the best job they can to see what’s going to happen when they get onto the ice as NHL players. You try to project them as playing in the league at some point and I think that’s the philosophy.”
• On using all three picks in the first round:  “You never know what the next phone call is going to be or what happens, so you have to be prepared to pick in case there are other picks we’re able to acquire, and vice versa. You just have to be prepared, take it day by day, and be ready for whatever situations are presented.”
• On the importance of the 2018 NHL Draft to the organization: “It’s important. There’s no question. We were obviously active at the trade deadline to acquire all these picks and prospects – the (Brett) Howdens, the (Ryan) Lindgrens, the (Libor) Hajeks – to acquire them along with the picks was kind of the first step, I think, in the re-tool here. And following that up with a great draft will be another step. That’s our goal going in, to get a lot of really good players who will be really good Rangers for a long time.”

Editor’s Note: To read the full interview in The Athletic, click here

David Quinn On Hockey Central

AP

The Rangers head coach also spoke with the media this week, as he hopped on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central show to discuss the upcoming season.

When asked about player development, Quinn channeled his inner Bill Belichick saying: “if you get dialed in and focused on the moment, get better on a daily basis and create an environment where people want to come to the rink, I think you have a chance.”

Quinn discussed his coaching philosophy, saying that he obviously wants to play a fast game, but that isn’t the only thing he intends to preach to his players. “We want to play a fast, puck pursuit, puck possession game built around good structural defense.” Quinn would go on to add that he feels these three pillars of play are the keys to having success as a hockey team.

Editor’s Note: For the full interview, listen below

Rangers in Russian Top 50

Russian news site Sport-Express listed their Top-50 Russian hockey players across all leagues, and a few members of the Rangers organization cracked the list. Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich comes in at 28, goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin was ranked at number 30, and restricted free agent Vladislav Namestnikov placed 35th.

That’s all for now. As always, make sure to check out Forever Blueshirts for all your Rangers coverage.