Darren Raddysh and playing with Connor McDavid

Growing up, Darren and his brother played hockey at a very young age. Their dad got them rollerblades and they had a hard-wood floor in their basement. “We would shoot pucks, tennis balls etc. We went on from there,” he reminisced. “We started playing club hockey in our hometown of George, Ontario. I went to the Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL“. Darren was eventually drafted and left for the Erie Otters in 2013 after a short stint in the OJHL.

Playing with Connor McDavid is something Raddysh won’t forget. When asked about the Oilers captain, Raddysh is clear that he’s the best player he has ever played with.

“He was one of my best friends growing up. We played 2-3 years before we got to Erie. He’s very humble, doesn’t put himself ahead of anyone else. He is just a stand up guy“, Raddysh said about the 2015 first overall pick in the NHL draft.

“There’s not much media attention in Erie, but that year before he was drafted, all our games were sold out, and the rink was surrounded by reporters every game. It was madness“, he said about the effect McDavid had on the community.

Raddysh’s early career

After four and half years in Erie, Darren Raddysh signed an AHL-contract with the Rockford Icehogs. Going undrafted in the NHL draft, he followed a path similar to Brandon Crawley.

In his first season, he impressed enough to earn an NHL contact with the Blackhawks and while he never played for them, he does cherish the moments he spent with the team in pre-season. “I have gone through camps with their prospects, and their star players. I have had the chance to be on the ice with guys like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. That is something I won’t forget“.

The leap from junior to pro hockey is huge and for Raddysh, it was no different. “The biggest change between junior and pro hockey is the pace. I am not the fastest player on the ice, so the adjustment for me was bigger than I expected. You think you’re ready, and then you make it to the AHL and realize it’s not that easy.”

In 120 regular season games with the Icehogs, Raddysh registered 48 points over the course of 2 seasons before being traded to the Rangers organization in 2019.

Raddysh on being traded to the Rangers organization

Late in the 2018-19 season, Raddysh got a phone call that changed everything. “I was dropping my girlfriend off at the airport and on my way back to Rockford, the GM Mark Bernard called me. I thought I was getting called up so I was excited. Then he told me I got traded and I was surprised.”

Fans often take for granted what a confusing time being traded is for a player. “I asked what happens next? He thanked me for all the hard work and said Chris Drury would give me a call. He called me 5 minutes later and he wanted to get me on the flight the next morning, but I asked to leave the next night. I got to say goodbye to my teammates in Rockford.”

It’s often overshadowed how impactful a trade is for a player. Having to pack everything at a moment’s notice, leave your teammates and friends behind, all because 2 general managers signed off on a trade with your name on it. But the move was a good one for Raddysh.

Raddysh on the Wolf Pack and Rangers

When asked about the differences between Rockford and Hartford, Raddysh mentions the travel aspect. “There are a lot more bus rides with the Hartford Wolf Pack as most opponents are closer. You don’t fly as much as you would do when playing for Rockford. You get to see a bit more of the cities you visit when you fly in the night before, whereas with Hartford, you get off the bus, play the game, and then get back on the bus and drive home immediately after, arriving at 2 or 3 in the morning“.

It’s a different experience but playing in the east comes with the added benefit of playing against his brother Taylor, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning and plays for their affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

After playing together a lot as kids, being on opposite ends of the ice is a new experience for both Raddysh brothers. “Now we play against each other and it’s weird. You want to do well, and you want him to do well. It kinda sucks when he scores with me on the ice, but my parents who attended all 3 games enjoyed it a lot. We are 3 hours away, but with the busy schedule we have not had a lot of options to see each other play“.

Raddysh is just getting better

This season, Raddysh has grown into a solid defenseman for the Wolf Pack and part of the reason he’s more comfortable, is the new head coach. Kris Knoblauch and Raddysh worked together in Erie.

Both joined halfway through the 2012-13 season and both left at the end of the 2016-17 season. “I learned a lot from Knoblauch of course when I was younger, in Erie. Working with him in Hartford feels good. And Gord Murphy, with his experience taught me a lot on how to prepare for games, what is expected of me. They really focus on what you need to do to take it to the next level“.

Gord Murphy who has replaced Lindy Ruff after his departure, has a good 25 years of experience in the NHL as a player and assistant coach. The overhaul in terms of the coaching department has generated some positive results early on, and Raddysh has taken advantage of that as well.

His favorite game came in late October when the Wolf Pack played the Islanders affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Raddysh scored in overtime and despite a late slump, Raddysh and his teammates in Hartford were confident they could have made some noise in the play offs. Unfortunately the play offs were cancelled due to the pandemic, and Raddysh returned home.

Raddysh on being ready to join the Rangers for the playoffs

Back in Toronto, Darren and Taylor Raddysh spent time golfing and of course exercising to stay in shape. Both were told by their team to be ready for a potential call up. “They told us to be ready, be in shape in case we get the call. We kinda go from there. That’s what I have been doing. My brother Taylor and I have both been told to be prepared“, Raddysh explained.

When the Phase 3 rosters were announced, Taylor was missing from the Lightning roster, but Wolf Pack defenseman Darren made the cut. Raddysh isn’t the only one in this quarantine interview series as Steven Fogarty and Brandon Crawley also made the cut.

Hard work gets rewarded by the Rangers organization and considering where Darren Raddysh has come from, what he had to endure to get here, being part of the Phase 3 roster is the icing on the cake on a successful but shortened season.

I’ve reached out to Darren, Steven and Brandon about follow up interviews. We hope that we can bring you some insights from inside the bubble and this Rangers playoff run soon.

Author’s Note: As always, I want to thank the player, Darren Raddysh in this case, for sitting down with me and telling me his story, giving me the opportunity to share it with our readers.

Darren Raddysh was a top blue-liner for the Wolf Pack

Darren Raddysh, the Wolf Pack’s reliable defenseman put up 28 points in 62 games this season. Night in and night out, he was strong and consistent for the Pack blue-line. He is also a right-handed shot and the Rangers will need that just in case injuries mount on the right-side.

The 24 year-old competes and that is all you can ask for when it comes to emergency defenseman. He can chip in some offense and shouldn’t have a hard time fitting in to David Quinn’s style of quick transition of he gets an emergency spot start.

Only Eight Defensemen for Rangers?

The big news is that it seems the Rangers may only take eight rearguards into camp. It does strike me odd that Brandon Crawley of the Wolf Pack wasn’t invited. It should also be noted that Crawley lives in NJ and it wouldn’t take much to make him a late add.

Projecting the Rangers expanded roster on defense

When the action starts, you can expect the same lineup on defense as it was when they played the Colorado Avalanche before the pause.

• Brendan Smith and Jacob Trouba
• Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo
• Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox

After trading Brady Skjei at the deadline, the Rangers moved Brendan Smith back to defense and did not carry a 7th defenseman. Instead they opted to carry three goalies and two extra forwards.

Now the Rangers will take those 20 skaters and add eight more for the playoffs. Let’s focus on defense where I expect the Rangers to carry at least three if not four additional rearguards.

Libor Hajek will be the 7th defenseman

Libor Hajek, now 22 years-old made quite an impression during the 2018-19 season where he played 5 games and scored a great goal before having his season end early due to a separated shoulder.

Coming into this campaign, Libor made the team out of camp and was partnered on left defense with Adam Fox. The two rookies had some puck management issues and were separated with Hajek finding himself playing mostly with Jacob Trouba.

In 28 games this season he tallied 5 assists but struggled at times. He was eventually sent down to Hartford to continue his development. He picked up 3 points playing for the Wolf Pack in 23 games.

That early season stint and familiarity with David Quinn’s system makes him a shoe-in for the 7th defense spot. It’s one I believe Hajek will be ready for.

Darren Raddysh’s gutsy play will earn him a spot

Darren Raddysh, the Wolf Pack’s reliable defenseman put up 28 points in 62 games this season. Night in and night out, he was strong and consistent for the Pack blue-line. He is also a right-handed shot and the Rangers will need that just in case injuries mount on the right-side.

The 24 year-old competes and that is all you can ask for when it comes to emergency defenseman. He stands a good chance of putting up a solid showing and making this roster out of camp.

Brandon Crawley has offensive promise to make the roster

The 23 year-old Crawley is a lefty shooting blue-liner who isn’t afraid to join the play. Although limited to just preseason action he has the poise to step in and step up.

This season he started with Maine in the ECHL but worked his way back. “I dealt with some injuries and setbacks,” Crawley told us in an exclusive interview back in June. “When I was put in that situation, I was forced to think of how to handle this…how to get better“. And that’s what Crawley did and is in a good position to earn a spot on this roster for the playoffs.

Author’s note: Article originally included Mason Geertsen as a long shot but he is on an AHL only deal.

Entering this week, Hartford is 30-14-6-5 for 71 points and second place in the Atlantic Division. That ranks them third in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the American Hockey League. The Wolf Pack are 4-4-2 in their last ten games. In that span, the group lost twice at home and four times on the road.

Scouting The Opponents

Hartford’s biggest rival in the standings is the Hershey Bears. The club has given Hartford fits in the season series and is giving the Pack a run for their money for 1st in the division and possibly the conference. The Bears continue to be a robust and impressive team that is led by quality prospects and veterans similar to Hartford. The difference is the Bears found their game mid-season as opposed to Hartford.

Hershey enters the week 33-17-3-3 for 72 points. The Bears are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. The stakes are high for both clubs if they want dibs for tops in the division. Both fanbases are definitely watching the scoreboard in the upcoming few weeks to see who wins this fight.

The two biggest games of the season will be on March 6th and 7th as the Wolf Pack host the Bears for the final two meetings of the season. That could be a huge boost or killer for the Pack against the Bears.

Playoff Primer

Updated daily, you can check out the magic number for Hartford to clinch a playoff spot. As of Tuesday prior to any games played, the magic number is 32.

Click here to view the latest.

Yegor Rykov Struggles

Through 25 games with Hartford, Rykov is having a rough rookie season. Despite joining the team in December and looking good early on, the prospect has found himself struggling in all aspects of the game. The mix of minor injuries plus healthy scratches has led the prospect out of the lineup, especially as of late.

The young defenseman is still finding his game. Defensively he has made a plethora of mistakes, especially ones ending up back of the net. He is out of position at times, which doesn’t allow him to be effective against opponents. He plays with limited minutes and is still learning how to compete against opponents. The coaching staff is working diligently on the prospect, and progress should be made long term. Considering him joining late in the season, that is difficult on the prospect. He is working to improve his game and has the right attitude.

Rangers Enhance Wolf Pack Roster

Announced on February 19th, Hartford acquired goaltender Jean-Francois Berube in exchange for future considerations listed below.

Looking at the trade as a whole, the move is to benefit Hartford for their upcoming playoff run as Adam Huska and Tom McCollum were unable to fill the void Igor Shesterkin left when he was called up to the Rangers.

You can read more about Huska and Berube in the following links as both articles were written by Greg Markiewicz .

What JF Berube Brings to the Pack’s Playoff Push

Rangers make trade to bolster Wolf Pack goaltending for Playoffs

Vitali Kravtsov Heats Up

The Rangers prospect had himself a great weekend. In the last two games, Kravtsov recorded a goal and two assists. In the last four games, he has 15 shots on net as he is shooting the puck more while in possession. The offense is slowly coming life for the talented prospect. He may not be on the scoresheet nightly, but his play has improved throughout the year. He fights for the puck, he tries to create plays and spark the offense. He has worked on his defensive game as well and has looked better in the neutral and defensive zones. He is still growing as a player and we are seeing the progress.

Check out his breakaway goal last Saturday! That was a beauty as Nick Ebert fed Kravtsov the perfect pass.

2020 Calder Cup Playoff Eligibility

Along with the NHL trade deadline on Monday, the Rangers had the option to assign players to Hartford and call them back up for paper transactions.

Along with the current Hartford roster, the Rangers elected to give Brett Howden and Julien Gauthier an opportunity to participate in Hartford’s 2020 playoff run. However, if the Rangers do make the postseason, the forwards could join Hartford at a later time.

One–Timers

• Captain Steven Fogarty is on a five-game assist streak. Through 48 games, the forward has collected 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points. His career best was last season, registering 52 points.
• Vinni Lettieri recorded three points in the last two games. Entering the week, Lettieri is five points away from tying his career high in points of 48. The forward ranks 16th in the league for points (43) and eighth in goals (24).
• Darren Raddysh has five points in the last four games. The defenseman recorded three assists last Sunday against Bridgeport. Raddysh has 27 points in 55 games thus far and is three points away from tying his career high from last season of 30 points.
• Nick Jones continues to have a solid rookie season with Hartford. Jones recorded two points last Sunday to bring his point total to 18 through 54 games.
• After registering three power-play goals on Sunday, Hartford’s power play percentage jumps to 13.6%. Despite the continual power play struggles, the group found a way to convert with the man advantage after not being able to do so for a while.
• Tim Gettinger recorded a goal and an assist on Sunday. His short-handed goal was beautiful! Check it out.

Upcoming Games

Hartford has 21 games remaining (12 home, 9 away).

Friday, February 28th vs. Binghamton Devils (New Jersey) at 7:05 pm, Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena

• This is the fourth and final meeting in the season series. Hartford leads the series 3-0 and could potentially sweep the Devils. The group outscored Binghamton 12-6 thus far.
• Entering the week, Binghamton is 27-24-4 for 58 points in the North Division. That ranks the club fifth in their division. The Devils have won six of their last ten games.
• New Jersey’s prospect Brett Seney leads the Devils in points (41). Through 54 games, the forward collected 18 goals and 23 assists.
• Listen – Fox Sports 1430 Binghamton. Watch – AHLTV.

Saturday, February 29th vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7pm, Webster Bank Arena

• This is the 8th of 10 meetings in the season series with the Sound Tigers. Hartford leads the series 6-1. Hartford will face Bridgeport once again next Saturday on 3/14. Then both clubs will face each other for the final meetings in the last three weeks of the season.
• Entering the week, Bridgeport is 19-30-5-2 for 45 points in the Atlantic Division. That ranks the group eighth in the division and last in the Eastern Conference. Bridgeport is on a 0-3-0-1 run and has four of their last ten games.
• Defenseman Sebastian Aho leads the Sound Tigers in points (26). The Islanders prospect collected 2 goals and 24 assists in 42 games.
• Listen – Mixr. Watch – AHLTV.

Sunday, March 1st vs. Providence Bruins (Boston) at 3pm, XL Center

• This is the 7th of 10 meetings in the season series against Providence. Hartford lead the series 6-0-0-1 with the lone shootout loss occurring on 11/15.
• Entering the week, Providence is 31-18-3-3 for 68 points in the Atlantic Division. As of Tuesday, three points separate the Bruins from the Wolf Pack. The Bruins are on a 5-0-1 run and have won six of their last 10 games.
• Boston’s prospect Jack Studnicka leads the Bruins in points (41). Through 53 games, the forward collected 20 goals and 21 assists.
• Listen – Mixr. Watch – AHLTV.

Entering the holiday break, the Hartford Wolf Pack sit tied atop the Atlantic Division at 41 points with the Providence Bruins and have the fourth-best point total in the AHL trailing Milwaukee Admirals by 8. Given the results of the Pack’s last four seasons, fans like myself have reason to be extremely positive about the team’s turnaround.

The power play has improved since the beginning of December, finding itself 23rd after nearly being dead last. Players like Steven Fogarty and Vinni Lettieri have found their games after slow starts. Vitaly Kravtsov is back with the team and seems happier now than at the beginning of the season and is more engaged in playing here. Despite the improved special teams, play and morale, one area that has suffered over the last few weeks is playing games away from the XL Center.

Road Woes

In 15 home games, the Pack are 12-1-0-2 and have scored 47 goals while giving up 25. On the road however, the Pack haven’t been as good with a record of 5-6-2-3 while scoring only 39 goals and giving up 56 goals. The Pack’s last two away games saw them outscored 13-4 against the Charlotte Checkers with the Wolf Pack 0-13 all-time playing down in the Queen City.

The Pack habe also lacked the same discipline away from Hartford, despite having the second-fewest PIMs of any team in the AHL, 161 minutes on the road compared to 111 minutes at home. While those numbers appear to make the Pack look like a subpar road team overall, one trend sticks out that makes that number seem even worse: they have yet to win any games outside of New England.

Of that 5-6-2-3 road record, the Pack’s lone win outside of Providence, Springfield or Bridgeport was a 4-3 come from behind win in OT in Binghamton on October 19th. Two regulation losses in Charlotte and one each in Laval, Lehigh Valley, Rochester and Syracuse, OT losses in Lehigh Valley and Hershey and shootout losses Laval and Belleville bring the Pack to 1-6-2-2 at those venues. In New England, the Pack have an OT win thus far in Bridgeport, a win in Springfield and a 2-0-0-1 record in Providence. Numbers that are, for lack of a better term, alarming. But why?

What’s going on?

One could say the reasoning is conditioning. Even during recent home games, the Pack have seemed to cling to leads and the team hasn’t been able to keep up during the later stages. It becomes even more important the further a team travels to play games, particularly when the AHL is still a league where the majority of travel is by bus. It is still early enough that the Pack can condition themselves better for some key games later in the season where every point is going to mean the difference between home-ice advantage or having to play more games in tough environments such as Hershey. This being especially true with several young players who have little experience with the grind of an AHL schedule.

While the Pack has seen their offensive numbers improve slightly, the defense hasn’t been as strong since losing Ryan Lindgren to recall. While players like Joey Keane and Darren Raddysh have made contributions on the score sheet, the holes in the defense have been apparent as they’ve spent many games giving up too many shots over the last month or so. It was noticeable in the Pack’s first game down in Charlotte where they gave up 19 shots in the first period which led to an eventual 6-3 win by Charlotte after they chased Igor Shesterkin from the game early in the second period.

What also hasn’t helped the Pack’s defense was losing Gabriel Fontaine to a shoulder injury for the remainder of this season. A strong penalty killer and defensive forward, his presence has been missed as players like Tim Gettinger have done alright but haven’t quite been able to play to the level that Fontaine had before his injury. Yegor Rykov has been a welcome addition to the Pack after missing three months with an injury and is getting better each game he plays.

The guy?

Another key to the Pack’s road woes could also be the lack of a true go-to player that can finish a play in tough situations. While the Pack has players such as Danny O’Regan, Keane and Phil di Giuseppe that can set plays up as good as any, players like Vinni Lettieri have not been as consistent as in prior seasons. Last season, Vinni Lettieri and Peter Holland were two players who could be counted on to finish plays in key spots. This season, however, Lettieri has been inconsistent and hasn’t seemed to find the chemistry with players like Vincent LoVerde, Boo Nieves or Darren Raddysh to read their movements well enough to set himself for shots. Bottom line, the Pack either need Lettieri, or someone else, to step up and finish plays to score, especially on the road, or Chris Drury will have to look for someone elsewhere.

With just a few games left before the halfway point of the season, it’s clear that the Wolf Pack, despite being in a good position, need to condition themselves to play better on the road. Being tighter on defense while also finding themselves a finisher, whether that player is already in Hartford or management needs to bring one into the organization, will certainly go a long way. With the Pack showing themselves as a contender this season, they have to be able to steal a game or two on the road to compete with some of the best teams in the league. Hopefully, some changes and moves give the Pack what they need to step up away from Trumbull Street.

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Girardi Retires

Dan Girardi, who was a mainstay on the Rangers blueline for parts of 11 seasons has announced his retirement from the NHL.

Girardi was known as a player always willing to give up his body and be physical on the puck. The Welland, Ontario native ranks first all-time in hits and blocked shots. In addition, Girardi was a large part of the Rangers success at the beginning of the decade and has played the most playoff games of any skater in team history.

Dan Girardi went undrafted and was signed by the Rangers as a free agent. Girardi gave everything he had whenever he stepped on the ice and embodied what it meant to be a Ranger. Best of luck, G!

Tony D Signs Contract

The Rangers announced that defenseman Tony DeAngelo has signed his contract.

DeAngelo’s contract carries the same AAV as Brendan Lemieux, as the Rangers have now signed all of their RFAs.

Rangers Trim Training Camp Roster

The Rangers have made the next round of cuts as four players have been sent to Hartford. Defensemen Brandon Crawley, Vincent LoVerde, and Darren Raddysh, as well as forward Jake Elmer, will all join the Wolf Pack when Hartford starts their camp next week.

With the trade deadline just two days away the Rangers still have many decisions to make. Kevin Hayes, Adam McQuaid and even Chris Kreider are all heavily rumored to be on the move to any number of destinations depending on who you believe.

The possible departure of those players will have the Rangers needing to replace them. If we go with the theory that the Rangers will be loading up on picks and prospects rather than roster players, then there will be quite a few Hartford call-ups post deadline. Who are those call-ups going to be? The names that pop out are John Gilmour, Ville Meskanen, Vinni Lettieri and newly acquired defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Defense Call-Ups

Gilmour has proved himself admirably at the AHL level this year. With the trade of Peter Holland to the Chicago Blackhawks, he became the Wolf Pack’s leading scorer. He currently has 16 goals and and 23 assists for 39 points in 55 games. Those are fantastic numbers for the young defenseman and you can make the case he already deserved to be called up.

The Rangers defense has not been good this year with poor play from some players such as Neal Pionk, Brenden Smith and to some extent, even Kevin Shattenkirk. Gilmour deserves a chance to show what he’s got with the big club and show that his solid stint with the Rangers at the end of last season wasn’t a fluke. He was an AHL All-Star this season, has nice skating ability and a shot that can find the net. With the trade of Adam McQuaid a foregone conclusion, Gilmour’s call-up should be on top of GM Jeff Gorton’s post-deadline to-do list.

Besides Gilmour, there is another intriguing Wolf Pack defenseman for the Rangers to call up and that’s the player they acquired from the Blackhawks in exchange for Peter Holland: Darren Raddysh. Raddysh is a former OHL defenseman of the year; he put up 81 points in 62 games as an overager during the 2016-17 season with the Erie Otters. He went undrafted before being signed by the Blackhawks.

After a little over a season and a half with their Blackhawks’ AHL Affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, where Raddysh put up 48 points in 120 games, he was traded to the Rangers and assigned to the Wolf Pack. Gorton could possibly call Raddysh up to see what he has in the 23-year-old Caledon, Ontario native. A rebuild is all about finding which players can stick and be apart of the solution and which ones just don’t fit in long term plans. Raddysh could be a hidden gem of a player, or he may amount to just being a career AHLer. It’ll be up to Gorton to decide if he deserves a test with the big club during the last part of the season.

Now, there are two names that need to be pointed out here as well and those are Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren already had a call up this season and the organization most likely wants him to just play big minutes for the Wolf Pack. He’s a physical defenseman who will eventually carve out a niche for himself in New York. In Hajek’s case, he just flat out isn’t ready for the bright lights of Broadway. Make no mistake, Hajek will be a huge part of the Rangers future and will grow into a top-four defenseman on the Rangers blue line. But for this season, it’s the right call to leave him in Hartford. He needs big minutes, power-play time and a better understanding of the pro game before he gets his shot.

Forward Call-Ups

Now that Zuccarello has been traded and Hayes likely to depart, hat will leave two forward spots open. Two names that absolutely need to be on Gorton’s list to call-up are Ville Meskanen and Vinni Lettieri.

Meskanen, who was signed as a free agent after putting up 24 goals for Ilves of the Finnish Liiga, has had a great first season for the Wolf Pack. He currently has 29 points in 53 games (10 goals, 19 assists) and has looked to be a great pick up for Gorton. While Michael Lindqvist – who the Rangers signed along with Meskanen in the offseason – didn’t pan out, Meskanen has shown flashes of a player who could be a nice middle six player in the NHL within the next few years. Remember, Liiga is a men’s league and Meskanen did very well there. He has the talent but it’s all about putting it all together.

With so many questions regarding lineup decisions, Meskanen deserves a little stint on Broadway to see if he can hang with the big club. Worst case scenario is he ends up not doing much and he goes back to Hartford. Best case: he makes a nice case for himself, chips in a goal here and there and makes a good impression on head coach David Quinn going into the offseason. It just makes too much sense.

Lettieri has to be in the back of Gorton’s mind as well. His shot first mentality is something all fans can appreciate and the kid gives it his all every game. Seemingly too talented for the AHL but not yet ready to truly impact the game at the NHL level, a stint at the end of the season could do wonders for Lettieri’s confidence. If he becomes a nice bottom six winger who can add some offense on occasion and can be sound defensively than the Rangers will have done well with him. He hasn’t looked bad during his previous call-ups, but giving him some more responsibility and ice-time at the end of the season may be good for the kid in the long run.

Moments ago, the Rangers announced that they traded Wolf Pack forward Peter Holland to the Blackhawks organization in exchange for defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Holland has spent the entire season in Hartford after playing 23 games for the Rangers last season. This season, Holland recorded 63 points (25G, 38A) in 68 games with the Wolf Pack.

As for Raddysh, the soon to be 23-year-old defenseman has registered 48 points (13G, 35A) in 120 games for the Rockford Ice Hogs. Raddysh is only in his second professional season, which gives the Rangers another young blue liner that could play a role in the future of the organization.