Ryan Gropp Will Make Rangers’ Fans Forget Carl Hagelin

Gropp (canadian press)

Gropp (canadian press)

When the Carl Hagelin was traded for draft picks and Emerson Etem, all New York Rangers fans wanted to see was how would Hagelin and Etem compare this season. Of course the Anaheim Ducks and Rangers have moved on from the original players involved in the trade, so comparing their seasons would be a waste of time.

It appears the Rangers may have received the diamond in the rough as part of the Hagelin trade. WHL left winger Ryan Gropp had a rough stretch in the middle of his junior season, but over the last couple of weeks he has been white hot.

In his last 28 games Gropp has registered 15 goals and 21 assists and is now the goal scoring leader for his Seattle Thunderbirds WHL team.

Gropp (Photo Credit: Brian Liesse-WHL)

Gropp (Photo Credit: Brian Liesse-WHL)

Gropp’s hot streak has coincided with his teams own hot play. The Thunderbirds have won 12 of their past 13 games and are about to clinch a playoff spot in the WHL. They have moved into first place in their division and are primed for a deep run this postseason.

Since the WHL is far from NHL talent, it was starting to get concerning when Gropp was not dominating, earlier in the season. He is starting to show why the Rangers wanted to move up to grab him with the 41st overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

Take a look at Gropp’s Hockey’s Futures page for an in depth look at a player the Rangers will be excited to see at the next level. He is 19 years old, 6’2″, 185 pounds and is known for his speed and quick release. Hockey’s Futures projects him to be a power forward that should be an offensive force in the NHL.

Who says the Rangers have no talent coming up? Thinking a couple years down the road when we could be looking at a couple left wings by the name of Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Gropp gets this Rangers fan pumped for the future.

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