The Rangers have 3 prospects in the KHL playoffs this season. This week was the final round of the regular season in Russia. Vitali Kravtsov and his team Traktor Chelyabinsk qualified for the playoffs on Wednesday before they even started their game. The only other team in the race for the playoffs, Sibir Novosibirsk, lost which gave Traktor a four-point lead with one game to go for Sibir.

Vitali Kravtsov was scoreless in the last three games of the season this week, which saw his team go 1-2. Kravtsov finished the season first in points, goals, and assists among teenagers on a team that will go down as the worst offensive club to ever reach the KHL playoffs, with a goal-per-game average of 1.64.

Igor Shestyorkin had his tenth shutout of the season in his final regular season game and he finishes the season first in SV%, Win%, and GAA, and is now ranked eighth all-time in shutouts in the KHL, and first in SKA team history. With Shestyorkin expressing interest to come over to North America, and Magnus Hellberg signing an extension, it seems likely SKA will go with Hellberg in the play offs.

Our third and final prospect to reach the KHL playoffs is Yegor Rykov. The 21-year-old defenseman, who was acquired in the deadline trade that sent Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils, finishes the season tied for first in points among defensemen in his age group. Rykov is having a great season, after being traded to Sochi early on, going from a seventh defenseman with SKA to a top-pair blue liner.

The matchups for our 3 prospects are:

Traktor Chelyabinsk vs Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

HC Sochi vs Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

SKA St Petersburg vs Spartak Moscow

In Finland, all eyes seem to be focused on Tarmo Reunanen. His 22^nd point came in Lukko’s only game this week, against KalPa, with Reunanen playing 19:52 min. Lukko is currently tied with Lahti Pelicans and HIFK at 86 points and is just one point behind HPK. Three of these teams will most likely finish in the top-six, which would mean direct qualification for the quarterfinals. The no 7-10 seeds will play in a wildcard round to determine the final two teams in the quarterfinals.

Lauri Pajuniemi, the organization’s other Finn, played one game this week, ironically also against KalPa. He was scoreless in a 2-0 win with both goals scored by 2019 top prospect Kaapo Kakko. Pajuniemi has 13 points (5G, 8A) in 37 games this season.

The last prospect we look at is Dominik Lakatoš who played three games this week with his team Bílí Tygři Liberec, with 1 assist and a +1 with an average TOI of 11:08. This was his first point since his return from loan early February.

First off, Sweden. The Rangers have five players in Sweden.

Nils Lundkvist played in all three games for Luleå HF this week. He did not record any points, but had 14:59 TOI and was a +5 while his team went 1-2-0. Luleå HF is second in the SHL with ten games to go. Despite not scoring, the 18-year old Lundkvist is still leading all U20 defensemen in scoring and has the highest point-per-game average among all defensemen under 21.

2017 seventh-round draft pick Patrik Virta seems to have found his place in Örebro, after starting the season in the KHL with Slovan Bratislava. After walking away from his contract in the KHL due to financial mismanagement by his team, Patrik Virta moved to Sweden. This past week, Virta appeared in three games, notching a goal and an assist, finishing -1 with three shots on goal.

In the second tier of Swedish hockey, we find two defensemen. First, Calle Själin, the fifth-round pick in 2017. Playing on the first pair with Filip Johansson, he had six shots on goal in two games, finishing with one point, an assist against Karlskrona, and an average TOI of 17:36, as his team went 1-1-0, and are currently in third place with a 12-point lead on the ninth place team. The teams ranked third through eighth battle in the playoffs for promotion.

Also active in HockeyAllsvenskan is Jacob Ragnarsson, who the Rangers picked in the third round last summer. The son of former NHL defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson, Jacob is on one of the worst teams in the second tier of Swedish hockey. Almtuna is four points out of the 12th spot, which would keep them in the HA. Ragnarsson had no points and was -1 with two shots on goal as his team went 1-1 this week.

The fifth and final player we look at is goalie Olof Lindbom. After struggling with injury earlier in the season, he joined his team Djurgårdens IF in SuperElit for the Top-10. In SuperElit, the top five teams of the North and South play each other in a round-robin, which is followed by an eight-team playoff season to determine the champion. Lindbom played one game this week, sharing duties with the other goalie, Oscar Walldén. The second game of the week for Djurgårdens IF was Lindbom’s and he had a .968 SV%, saving 30 out of 31 shots against Leksands in a 3-1 win.

Former Rangers draft pick Daniel Bernhardt retired from professional hockey this week.

Next up: Finland, where we look at Tarmo Reunanen and Lauri Pajuniemi.

In fourth place, we find Tarmo Reunanen’s team, Lukko. With a goal and an assist in three games, the 20-year old had a good week. His team went 2-1-0 with the only loss coming against Pajuniemi’s team, TPS. Reunanen had six shots on goal this week, logging an average TOI of 21:41. Not only does Reunanen lead all U20 defensemen in points, he also leads all Lukko defensemen in points. Only seven U20 blue liners have recorded more points in a single Liiga season since 2000.

Lauri Pajuniemi is having a very up-and-down season, but has picked up the pace recently with five points (2G, 3A) in his last seven games. He played twice this past week and scored a goal against last year’s CHL champions, JYP. His team, TPS, has all but wrapped up second place in the regular season, having a nine-point lead on third ranked Tappara.

From Finland, we fly south to the Czech Republic where an often forgotten Rangers prospect just moved back to his own team, after a stint on loan. Dominik Lakatoš spent part of the season at Filip Chytil’s old team in Zlin, registering 13 points in 22 games but is now back up North with Bili Tygri in Liberec. Lakatoš had three shots on goal and averaged 25:32 of ice time, but failed to add any points in his team’s three contests this week.

Last but certainly not least, we head to Russia to look at the organization’s best goalie and forward prospects.

With the news of former Rangers goalie Magnus Hellberg signing a contract extension with SKA St. Petersburg, it seems to be a matter of time before Igor Shestyorkin goes over to North America. Shestyorkin played only one game this week, when SKA beat Severstal Cherepovets – Pavel Buchnevich’s old team – making 28 saves on 29 shots for a .965 SV%. The win brought his stat line to bringing his season total to 22-4 with a .949 SV% and a 1.19 GAA. With 97 points, SKA is three points behind CSKA for the lead in both the conference and the league.

Vitali Kravtsov’s team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, had a week they would rather forget, going 0-2-1 in their last three games. But, with Sibir also going 0-2-1, they failed to take advantage of Traktor’s misstep. Only two points separate the two for the final playoff spot in the East, with Traktor having a game in hand. Traktor Chelyabinsk was the last team to reach the 100-goal mark this season; and with a goals-per-game average of just 1.69, they would be the worst offensive team to ever make the KHL playoffs.

That being said, it hasn’t stopped Kravtsov from contributing with a goal this week, bringing his total to eight goals and 13 assists in 47 games. While that may not look like much, when you account for the team’s lack of offense, he is contributing on over 25% of Traktor’s goals when he is playing.

The final prospect we’ll look at is Yegor Rykov. Having grown into a top-pair defenseman in Sochi this season, he adds value on both sides of the puck. He scored in Sochi’s overtime win over Vityaz last Monday, and now has nine points in 44 games; the most by any defenseman 21 or younger. Sochi has a four-point lead on Dinamo Riga for the last spot in the East. Sochi won all three games this week with Rykov getting the goal and recording a +2 rating.

I cannot remember the last time any NHL team had four prospects leading their age-groups in scoring in some of the top professional leagues in the world, but here we are. The future looks bright.

Honorable Mention – Dominik Lakatos

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/621777664

Lakatos appears to be receiving the AV treatment in the Czech Republic. After putting up back to back multi-goal games in early November, Lakatos began to consistently receive less than 10 minutes of ice-time in games that he was not a healthy scratch. I cannot speculate on the reasons as to why one of the team’s leading scorers was given that treatment, however, it is strange to see someone who seemed to be finding their scoring touch, spend most of his time on the bench or pressbox, especially given Liberec’s lack of scoring. In addition to the lack of ice-time, Lakatos has been bounced up and down between Liberec and their “minor league” affiliate, HC Benatky. Lakatos has not let that slow him down though, as he has put up points in both games for HC Benatky (1G, 1A).  Hopefully, Lakatos will be back with Liberec full-time soon.

3rd Star of the Week – Patrik Virta

Virta continues to be one of the better Rangers prospects flying under the radar. Already this season, Virta has surpassed his assists total from last year,12, with 15 helpers in 31 games. While his goal scoring has dropped off, with only six tallies in 30 games, Virta should easily surpass his point total from last year. Since the beginning of December, Virta has four points (2G, 2A) while continuing to dominate in the faceoff circle and playing a solid two-way game. As one of the youngest players on the team, Virta is third in assists and is tied for third in total points. Virta is beginning to look like a steal for the Rangers as the 207th overall selection this past year and could push for a roster spot as soon as next year.

Adam Ihse / TT

2nd Star of the Week – Lias Andersson

While Lias Andersson’s season has not gone quite as planned, Andersson has continued to show why he was the Rangers seventh overall selection. As a 19-year-old playing for Frolunda, Anderson has scored 14 points (7G, 7A) in 22 games. He is currently fifth on the team in points in fewer games than any of the other leading scorers and is on pace to shatter his point totals from last year while maintaining the highest +/- on the team. What is especially impressive is how Andersson has rebounded since his early season struggles.  Andersson started the season with zero points in his first four games and only four points (2G, 2A) in his first ten games. Since then, Andersson has really started showing his scoring touch with ten points (5G, 5A) in his last twelve games, including this goal. Watch as Andersson scores from the low slot here.

Andersson has shown enough to be named to Team Sweden’s 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. It is expected that he will assume a leadership role and possibly be named Captain. I know that to most fans Andersson’s season will be seen as a disappointment because he is not centering the Rangers third line. However, the Rangers are showing patience and allowing him to develop in the best way they see fit. Who knows, if Andersson continues to play at high level, maybe he will be a depth trade deadline “acquisition” for the Rangers.

1st Star of the Week – Igor Shestyorkin

Igor Shestyorkin, or as I like to call him, Azor Ahai, The Prince that was Promised, was just named to his second straight KHL All-Star team.

Igor Shestyorkin, Patrik Hersley, Nikita Gusev and Ilya Kovalchuk will all participate in the 2018 KHL All-Star Game! Full roster: https://t.co/g68s9jWwGF pic.twitter.com/FiXDaTpEOC

— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) December 8, 2017

This season Shestyorkin has played in 20 games (16-1-3) and has posted a .941 SV% and a 1.57 GAA. Although an injury kept him from playing for most of November, Shestyorkin did not skip a beat when he returned to the net, earning a 3-2 victory on November 29th, stopping 28 of 30 shots. I for one, cannot contain my excitement about the prospect of a seamless transition between the King and the Czar.

Honorable Mention: Vladimir Tkackyov

Vladimir Tkachyov records 3 points, Admiral defeat Salavat at home.#ADMvsSAL – 5:1 pic.twitter.com/6o6TUPlpYP

— KHL (@khl_eng) October 31, 2017

If Tkackyov was actually in the Rangers’ system, he would be in contention for the first star every single week. While he is not in the system, Tkachyov’s connection with the Rangers makes him worthy of note for this post. After his slow start, zero points in his first six games, Tkachyov has rebounded and since September 15th, Tkachyov has 23 points (9G, 14A) in 19 games. In the last two weeks, Tkachyov has six points (2G, 4A) in four games. 

Vladimir Tkachyov scores twice, Admiral defeats Sibir.#SIBvsADM – 2:4 pic.twitter.com/7ccIoseweB

— KHL (@khl_eng) October 12, 2017

This season, Tkachyov seems to be playing with more confidence as he is shooting the puck more and creating offense for Admiral. While his shooting percentage has dropped from 15.4% last year to 12.9% this year, the number of shots that he is generating more than makes up for it. In 49 games in 2016-2017, Tkackyov only had 91 shots on goal. This year, he already has 70 shots through 25 games. As a 19-year-old playing in the second best league in the world, Tkachyov is the team leader in points, goals, and assists. This off-season, Tkachyov will be a coveted commodity and the Rangers should be all in on bringing him to New York.

Third Star: Dominik Lakatos

While Lakatos has not had an incredible season, with only six points (3G, 3A) in 18 games, he did have two goals in Liberec’s victory on Friday. Part of Lakatos’ offensive struggles can be attributed to Liberec. Currently, they are buried in the standings, only three points from the bottom of the league. In addition, only three players on Liberec have more points than Lakatos, and no one has more than nine points. The Rangers 6^th round pick would benefit from having a little more talent around him. Here’s a clip from Lakatos’ first goal this season.

#ChampionsHockey: LW Dominik Lakatos (NYR) bangs home a rebound to give Liberec a 1-0 lead over Davos in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/mLHkgkVOcv

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) October 3, 2017

Second Star: Tarmo Reunanen

Reunanen is often forgotten with the Rangers glut of talented defensemen, however, the young defender could make an impact with the Rangers in a few years. Reunanen has bounced up and down TPS Turku’s lineup, with inconsistent ice time (sound familiar?). While he only has one point (0G, 1A) in 16 games with the main team, Reunanen has found his offensive touch in the games he has played with the Junior team. In three games, Reunanen has six points (2G, 4A) and was selected to represent Finland at the U-20 Four Nations Tournament. It is important to remember that Reunanen is only 19 years old and is in his first full season of professional hockey (he only played two games last year). Keep an eye on him as I believe he could turn out to be a solid if unspectacular, two-way defender.

First Star: Patrik Virta

#Liiga: C Patrik Virta (NYR 7th/2017) scored a PPG in TPS Turku’s 3-2 SO loss to Assat. On fire as of late, with points in 6 of last 9 pic.twitter.com/amej2eAN5F

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) October 18, 2017

Patrik Virta has continued to turn heads as he has scored at a point per game pace following his slow start. In the past two weeks, Virta has played in five games for TPS Turku, while scoring five points (1G, 4A).  The Rangers 7^th round pick is rewarding the Rangers for using their last pick in the draft on him. Virta, 21 years old, is a player that the Rangers believed could be a contributor in the NHL fairly quickly as a depth center. While Virta’s goal pace is down from last year, he is already only an assist short of his total (12) from last season and is on pace to shatter his career high in points. If Virta is able to put the puck in the net a little more, he will quickly appear on the radar of the organization.

Contact FullTilt

Don’t agree with the 3 Stars of the Week? Does someone else belong on this list? Let us know, we want to hear what you have to say. Contact us @BlueshirtBros94 or @NYRFullTiltBlog.

The New York Rangers have not gotten off to the most auspicious start; they were 0-2 until they shutting out the Montreal Canadiens last night. Filip Chytil has clearly ordered the AV special, with Anthony DeAngelo not too far behind. However, there have been a few bright spots. The New York Rangers have a Power Play. Led by Kevin Shattenkirk and Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers have scored four PP goals in two games. Mika Zibanejad seems to be taking the next step, and his line with Kreider and Buchnevich is electric every time they are on the ice.

Prospects 

In addition, the Rangers in the system continue to develop and showcase their talent. This past week was no different. The only question is whether someone could knock off The Defending First Star of the Week, Igor Shestyorkin. I’m going to give you a hint: The answer is No.

Honorable Mention: Lias Andersson

Lias Andersson did not make the Rangers roster for opening night. However, he has and will continue to get top line minutes on one of the best European development teams. The Rangers and Frolunda have agreed that Andersson will play in all situations; on the PK, the PP, and top line minutes while he is on loan. Since returning to Frolunda, Andersson has played in four games in the Champions Hockey League, scoring 2 points (1G, 1A). As long as Andersson continues to play big minutes in all situations, his “demotion” is the best thing for him, especially considering AV’s treatment of fellow 18-year-old, Filip Chytil.

Lias Andersson kommer hem till Frölunda! 18-åringen lånas ut av @NYRangers.https://t.co/iHh0FWDesm

— Frölunda HC (@frolunda_hc) September 28, 2017

3^rd Star: Patrik Virta

Virta continues to put up solid if unspectacular numbers for TPS in the Finnish SM Liiga. In his last game, Virta put up two more points, (0G, 2A) bringing his season total to 8 points (1G, 7A) in 11 games. Virta continues to reward the Rangers for picking him in the 7th round of the 2017 draft with the 207th overall pick. Don’t be surprised to see Virta in contention for a depth spot on the Rangers in the next year or so. 

2^nd Star: Dominik Lakatos

Another under the radar prospect, Lakatos was selected in the 6^th round this past summer.  Since being drafted by the Rangers, he has played extremely well for Liberec in the Champions League.  This past week Lakatos scored 2 points (1G, 1A) in a Champions League Game bringing his total to 4 points (2G, 2A) in 4 games.  While his play in the Czech League has not been as impressive, 3 points (1G, 2A) in 10 games, his ability to step his game up against tougher competition is good to see.  One of the main reasons the Rangers picked Lakatos was his playoff performance prior to the draft.  Lakatos was nearly a point per game player with 13 points in 16 games against the men in the Czech league playoffs.

1^st Star: Igor Shestyorkin

Among Rangers prospects, I put them into four groups. First, there are the players that will never play in the NHL and are there purely to fill out the Hartford and Greenville rosters. The second group of players consists of prospects who have an outside shot of making the Rangers for a season or two if they are able to play well and not make many mistakes. The third group is the prospects we all want to hear about: Sean Day, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Gropp. The final group is Igor Shestyorkin, no more, no less. 

Shestyorkin continues to destroy all competition in the KHL. Shestyorkin remains undefeated and sports a gaudy, .957 SV% along with a 1.17 GAA. It doesn’t matter what league you play in, those numbers are extremely impressive. In his most recent game, Shestyorkin saved 25 out of 26 shots en route to an easy win for SKA St. Petersburg. Shestyorkin’s continued dominance earned him a spot on the KHL’s Team of the Month for September and a Team of The Week nod this past week.

Igor Shestyorkin is the KHL’s best goaltender of the week! He fully deserves that award! https://t.co/yhSIeSAd6t pic.twitter.com/vFQICwP0lN

— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) October 2, 2017

Contact Full Tilt

As always, we at FullTilt want to hear what you have to say. Agree? Disagree? Want to see another prospect on the list? Contact us @BlueshirtBros94 or @FullTiltNYRBlog.

As the season goes on, we will be doing a series of posts highlighting the Rangers European Prospects. This will take the form of a 3 Stars of the Week. Each post will highlight the performances of three Rangers’ European Prospects, along with a number of honorable mentions. In order to be eligible, a player must play for a European Team. Prospects in the OHL, QMJHL, WHL, and NCAA will be covered in a separate series of posts.

Note: the Rangers organization has experienced a significant amount of turnover this past year. In addition, many players do not know where they will be playing to begin the year. With this in mind, the list of “European Prospects” will change over the course of the year. For example, Lias Andersson is listed here, however, there is a high likelihood that he will begin the season in either New York or Hartford. This will remove him from the list of European prospects. As the season goes on, the list for eligibility will continue to change.

Honorable Mentions

While the majority of prospects have not started playing with their regular season teams, the KHL season has begun and a number of tournaments have been going on. While not a substitute for Hockey at the Garden, this does provide a “fix” until October 5th.

Champions Hockey League

Lias Andersson, Dominik Lakatos, Tarmo Reunanen and Patrik Virta all are suiting up for their respective teams in the Champions Hockey League. Andersson and his team, Frolunda, are undefeated at 4-0 so far. While Andersson does not have any points, his play has impressed on a fairly deep Frolunda squad. Dominik Lakatos has 2 points (1G, 1A) to go along with 18 penalty minutes for Liberec. Patrik Virta and Tarmo Reunanen each have zero points for TPS, although Virta has impressed in the faceoff circle winning 65% of his draws.

3rd Star

Filip Chytil has been quite impressive every time he has stepped on the ice this summer. His performance in the U20 Four Nations Tournament has been no different. Chytil opened the scoring for the Czech Republic in the 1st period of their 3-1 victory over Team Finland. He is number 21 in the video below.

Chytil then added two assists in a 6-5 loss to Team Russia. On August 31st, Chytil was added to the Rangers Traverse City Prospects Tournament. However, over the weekend, a report out of the Czech Republic was confirmed by Larry Brooks, stating that Chytil suffered a torn leg muscle in the tournament. While Chytil was not expected to make the Rangers roster this year, the injury puts a damper on a very successful summer.

2nd Star

Nicklas Jensen was the second leading scorer for the Hartford Wolfpack last year with 55 points. However, this off-season, Jensen signed with Jokerit of the KHL. Jensen’s rights are still owned by the Rangers for another season so he is still eligible for this list. The KHL’s regular season began last week, and Jensen has played in 4 games for Jokerit scoring 3 points (2G, 1A). While not normally enough to warrant a 2nd Star selection, it is still good to see Jensen putting up points against tougher competition.

1st Star

Arguably the Rangers most important prospect, Igor Shestyorkin had a very good season last year for SKA St Petersburg. So far this year, Shestyorkin has picked up right where he left off. In three games so far this season, Shestyorkin is undefeated with a 1-0-2 record, along with a 1.45 GAA, .947 save percentage and a shutout. While we won’t be seeing Shestyorkin in New York this year, his development will be something to continue to follow.

Fan Questions

As the season goes on I want to cater to your requests. Let us know who you want to see updates on and who you believe is worthy of a Prospect Star of the Week. Please send all questions and comment to my twitter handle @BlueshirtBros94 or to @FullTiltNYRBlog.

The dog days of summer are almost over (finally!) and training camp is just around the corner. While the current Rangers are finishing up their offseason, there is still plenty of action in the Blueshirts organization. Here is the latest in this edition of Rangers Roundup.

Zuccarello and Lundqvist Team Up For Charity Game

Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello has teamed up with his goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for a charity game next summer to benefit Right to Play. The game will feature teams from Norway and Sweden competing at Norway’s national soccer stadium, Ullevaal. The hope is for the game to sell out, which would mean 25,000 spectators.

Aug 11th 2018, mark it;) Henke&Zucca Summer Classic at Ulevaal stadium in Oslo. Hope to see ALL of you there! @HLundqvistFDN @RightToPlayNO pic.twitter.com/tWJhq5fwn0

— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist30) August 24, 2017

For the last four years, Zuccarello has hosted his charity game in Stavanger. This year, he teamed up with teammates Kevin Hayes, Mika Zibanejad, and Brady Skjei, as well as former Rangers Carl Hagelin and Oscar Lindberg.

Rangers Prospects Starting In Europe

While the NHL season has yet to begin, the Blueshirts in the making have already begun their 2017-18 campaigns. The Champions Hockey League, which pulls all of the best teams in Europe into a year long competition, features several Rangers prospects, including Lias Andersson, Dominik Lakatoš, and Tarmo Reunanen. 

Dominik Lakatoš (#NYR) makes up for 14 first-period penalty minutes w/ the go-ahead goal as Liberec lead Växjö. pic.twitter.com/VWszDcr3sh

— Alex Nunn (@aj_ranger) August 24, 2017

At the U20 Four Nations Tournament, Rangers prospects Filip Chytil and Calle Själin are representing the Czech Republic and Sweden, respectively. Chytil has already scored a goal for his country, at the time of this post, and has looked good all summer long.

Filip Chytil scored a goal in the 1st period in CZE’s first game of the U20 Four Nations Tournament. CZE leads FIN 2-0 after 1 period. #NYR

— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) August 24, 2017

Training camp will be here before you know it, so make sure to keep on following us @FullTiltNYRBlog on Twitter for all of the latest Rangers news throughout the year.

London Knights defenseman Brandon Crawley was drafted by the Rangers with the 123rd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He is a little older than most players in this draft, so that will come with a little caution. This wasn’t the only player Rangers selected at 20 years old in this draft (Dominik Lakatos). This is also another player the Rangers drafted that is probably closer to becoming a pro than most of the other players in this draft.

The 20-year-old from New Jersey has had a solid run in the OHL but that should come with a grain of salt due to his age. He isn’t the biggest defenseman by any means in this draft, but try telling him that because he plays a very physical style and loves to be in the mix during big moments. Another positive to take from this kid is that he has continuously improved defensively and offensively every season in the OHL.

Fun Fact: He won a Championship with the London Knights, much like former Rangers defenseman for 11 years Dan Girardi.