DeAngelo Issues a Statement

K’Andre Miller issued an amazing and powerful statement last night. It is worth a read. A few hours later, Tony DeAngelo who does not shy from voicing his opinions publicly also released one on the state of the world today. The Rangers leading scorer on defense called George Floyd’s death “undeniably wrong” and “horrible”. He continues by voicing his support for players he’s played with like Darnell Nurse, Anthony Duclair, and soon to be teammate K’Andre Miller.

James Dolan emails employees

Gross finished the year with 33 points in 53 games for the Generals.

Brendan Lemieux Suspension

In the Rangers last game against Colorado, Brendan Lemieux hit an unsuspecting Joonas Donskoi. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety deemed it a blow to the head and suspended him on March 13th. Due to the NHL pause no official games were handed out and now the Rangers are awaiting the decision. Could the Rangers lose Lemieux for as many as three games as some suspect? Or will the weight of the games matter and reduce it to one or two? There has been no word of when the DOPS will determine the length.

Rangers Prospects

For the Rangers’ five WJC participants — defensemen K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones, Nils Lundkvist, and Nico Gross, plus center Karl Henriksson — their respective ups and downs throughout the tournament was somewhat of a microcosm of their parent club’s current season — a little bit of good mixed in with a little bit of bad. But how exactly does an up-and-down tournament, or even a poor or dominant one, give someone the ability to predict what that player will like like in the NHL five or 10 years down the road? Is Miller habitually backhanding passes into the middle of the ice for opponents to pick off and score? Of course not. Is his puck management an area the Rangers should monitor moving forward? You’d like to think so, no? Whether the individual’s efforts at the world juniors ranged from laughably poor to marginal; impressive to jaw-dropping, the post-tournament time frame with their respective club teams is one way for observers to add a thick layer or perspective to any assessment derived from WJC play, regardless of how much stock you put into a prospect’s performance at the tournament. At a minimum, we should all agree that such a collection of future stars and the subsequent microscope they are placed under make the event a must-see for hockey fans. The problem is we can’t seem to find middle ground on whether or not the competition is an accurate way to predict what these players will be in three or five years. What I like to do is couple WJC performance with the immediate period thereafter in league play to get an clearer picture on two important aspects of player development — resiliency and consistency.

The knee-jerk reaction the common observer is to use individual stats as their litmus test for player performance (and unfortunately, long-term NHL potential). The reality for these 17 to 19-year-old prospects, however, is that even a high-profile showcase like the world juniors is nothing more than a blip on their development trajectory. Can it be a benchmark achievement at the top of their resume or provide them with an unforgettable shining moment? Absolutely. Can a poor performance destroy a career? That would be tough to prove, but Marc-Andre Fluery, Tukka Rask, Nathan MacKinnon, and Elias Pettersson (among many, many others) all seemed to rebound just fine from their own unforgettable WJC performances.

Nonetheless, here are the breakdowns of how the Rangers’ five world-juniors participants have played since the tournament ended on Jan. 5.

LHD K’Andre Miller; Wisconsin, Big-10 (1st Round, 22nd overall, 2018 NHL Draft)

If anyone needed a quick rebound performance after the world juniors it was Miller, who logged top-pairing minutes for Team USA but had an inconsistent tournament. In the four games since returning to Wisconsin, however, Miller hasn’t taken his foot off the gas. He’s easily one of the most active defenders in the offensive zone in all of college hockey, not only for how many plays he keeps alive via pinches, but also for his end-to-end rushes, joining odd-man situations as a trailer, and consistently slipping into openings near the high slot for a chance at the net. There simply is no hesitation to his game, which is a rarity for a sophomore when it comes to making the right reads in the neutral or defensive zone. Although we’ve seen Miller have minor issues with puck management and telegraphing his intentions, he also makes multiple passes that were calculated and delivered properly. Miller seems to be a fan of the high flip and he adds a soft touch to his lobs. What makes this important, especially for a young defenseman, is that he isn’t looking to hammer fire-and-forget passes simply to relieve pressure. Miller keeps his head up and identifies the right options the majority of the time, so his costly error against Canada at the world juniors that led to Alexis Lafreniere’s game winner should be seen as nothing more than an outlier at an inopportune time.

Wisconsin up 13-1 in shots at home against a very good Michigan State team. Cole Caufield (MTL) with a couple of chances from the left circle. K’Andre Miller (NYR) with 5 smart pinches and joined 3 rushes and we’re only 8 mins into a scoreless 1st.

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) January 18, 2020

Surprisingly, Wisconsin opted not to use Miller as the power-play quarterback as frequently as they did in the first half of the season (they used Flyers’ prospect Wyatt Kalynuk instead), but part of that could be Miller logging well over 25 minutes a game and not having the extended Christmas break like the rest of the Badgers’ defense corps. His post-WJC stats may indicate only one assist in four games, but Miller clearly handles all the tough situations with a high success rate and has earned the trust of his coach to be the team’s No. 1 defenseman. One critical yet impressive aspect of his recent play that was scrutinized at the world juniors was his slot play during the penalty kill. Miller does like to roam from the slot quite frequently, but this month he’s been far more reserved and has kept his positioning. Furthrmore, he was utilizing his long reach and quick feet while letting his forwards do most of the running around and chasing above the hash marks. Opponents went 4-for-15 on the power play in the four games with Miller anchoring the top penalty-killing unit, but only one goal was scored with him on the ice. 

RHD Nils Lundkvist; Lulea, SHL (1st Round, 28th overall, 2018 NHL Draft

Few defensemen had a better wire-to-wire world juniors than Lundkvist, who was one the tournament’s top scoring defenseman and was entrusted with critical matchups. Nothing has changed for the youngster since he returned to Lulea, which not only owns the Swedish Hockey League’s best record but advanced to the semifinals of Europe’s Champions Hockey League before bowing out to Frolunda last week. Lundkvist is one of the key cogs that keeps Lulea’s engine churning, and the stats more than back it up. Not only does he play over 20 minutes a game (and in all situations), but Lundkvist is leading all junior-age players in SHL scoring with 21 points in 28 games. In the CHL, the 2018 first-round pick was second in defense scoring with 11 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 12 games. Keep in mind that Lundkvist is playing in games with a lot at stake and he’s been a busy boy from both a schedule and workload standpoint. Starting with Sweden’s opening game at the WJC against Finland on Dec. 26, Lundkvist has played 13 games in 24 days — seven in the Czech Republic, two in the CHL, and four in the SHL. He’s played 20 minutes or more in nine and played less than 19 only twice.

Sweet home run pass to Nils Lundkvist who finishes off the play in style.#PlayLikeANewYorker pic.twitter.com/Qrd8JF4Yt0— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) January 18, 2020

The biggest takeaway should be that premier teams at both the national team and club level entrust a teenage defensemen with the critical role of top-pairing defenseman while delivering points on a near-unprecedented level for his age bracket. It’s quite a sight to see so many SHL veterans, some with NHL experience, constantly defer breakout control and offensive-zone possession time to a neophyte like Lundkvist. There are few limitations to his game, and although the biggest knock on him was size related, it doesn’t seem to limit Lundkvist’s abilities to either prevent or create scoring chances against bigger, heavier forwards from North America’s teenage ranks or grizzled veterans from Europe’s premier circuits. All things considered, Lundkvist is the best defense prospect in Europe, which puts him in the running for the best teenage rearguard not playing in the NHL.

Lundkvist has tallied 21 points in 28 SHL games this season. His 21 points are tied for the 2nd-most by a defenseman as a U20 player or younger in one season in SHL history (Tim Erixon – 24 in 48 games; Victor Hedman – 21 in 43 games; Gustav Forsling – 21 in 48 games). #NYR https://t.co/t71npqeniP

— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) January 18, 2020

LHD Zac Jones; UMass-Amherst, HE (3rd Round, 68th overall, 2019 NHL Draft)

It’s been an impressive run for one of college hockey’s top freshman defensemen. Not only did Jones reward Team USA for his WJC selection with a solid tournament, but he continues to log significant minutes for one of the best teams in the nation. Since he returned from the Czech Republic in early January, the Minutemen went 3-2 during a tough portion of the schedule that included two-game sets against ranked teams in Denver and Boston College. Things got a little easier this weekend with the Vermont Catamounts, who UMass limited to just one goal during a sweep. Jones notched a pair of assists in his first game back on Jan. 4 at Denver but was held off the scoresheet in the four games since. Still, there is an identifiable air of confidence in Jones’s game and his contributions for such a solid team go well beyond goals and assists. He and Marc Del Gaizo work the points on the top power-play unit, which has struggled in the new year (2-for-23). Still, the chances created by Jones from keeping plays alive plus the accuracy of his shots on net remain a constant in his game. Additionally, Jones was on the ice for only two of the 12 goals UMass surrendered in the last five games and four of the 16 goals they scored.

Bunch of dudes on UVM who are 4-5 years older than UMass LHD Zac Jones (NYR 3rd/2019) but he’s not flinching under pressure. If you’re a frosh PPQB/minute eater on a No. 10-ranked squad in January, you’re doing several things right. Always see him communicating before draws.

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) January 19, 2020

Jones is a very hard passer and is a fan of the quick “up” during retrievals or defending against the chip and chase. He’s not the biggest guy, but he also is not afraid to turn his back on a forechecker near the boards in order to cleanly collect the puck for a hard rim or spin move towards open ice. Jones doesn’t seem to be intimidated by bigger forwards in the low slot and his decisions to release are timely and in concert with his partner’s positioning. His quick stick is something he’s been known for, but hitting the weight room has given him enough upper-body strength to shove opponents off the puck as well. Good things happen when he’s on the ice and you have to go through every second of every shift two or three times to pinpoint anything remotely resembling a moment of indecision on or off the puck. 

C Karl Henriksson; Frolunda J20, Superelit (2nd Round, 58th overall, 2019 NHL Draft)

The only pure playmaking center the Rangers have picked in the last two drafts, Henriksson experienced a special moment in his development on Jan. 16 when he made his SHL debut for Frolunda in a 5-1 loss to lowly Oskarshamn (he played only 7:49 and centered the fourth line, going 2-for-5 on draws). Although the decision didn’t go Frolunda’s way, Henriksson’s addition to lineup after his dominance of the J20 Superelit is the first step towards making him an SHL regular for the 2020-21 season. He’s currently back with Frolunda’s J20 squad in the Superelit’s “Top-10” portion of the schedule, and through Saturday was tied for the assist lead with seven in four games.

#NYR prospect Karl Henriksson registered three assists today with Frolunda’s J20 team, and he recorded five assists/points in two games with the team this weekend. He has tallied 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 21 games with Frolunda’s J20 team this season.

— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) January 19, 2020

Henriksson centers the top line with 2020 draft prospects Daniel Torgersson and 2001-born Isac Andersson. Both wingers know how to finish and they allow Henriksson to run the cycles and dictate play from the right half wall. The same applies while they operate the top power-play unit, a group that clearly runs through Henriksson. He’s also been money in the faceoff circle — Henriksson has won a staggering 71.4 percent (55-for-77) in his four games since the WJC, and all three of his assists in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Orebro came immediately after clean wins in the offensive zone. The fact that he’s taken 77 draws in four games tells you how frequently he’s being used. It’s a safe bet that Henriksson will center prized 2020 draft wingers Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz on Sweden’s top line if all three participate at next year’s world juniors.

LHD Nico Gross; Oshawa, OHL (4th Round, 101st overall, 2018 NHL Draft)

A positionally-sound defender who plays for one of the better teams in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, Gross missed the back end of the world juniors for Switzerland with an upper-body injury but since has returned to help Oshawa win three of four games. He’s been paired with fellow 2000-born defender William Ennis, who plays the left side while Gross man the right. The Generals have utilized Gross as the lone defender on their primary five-man power-play unit and it’s worked out — they own the OHL’s fifth-ranked group with the man advantage (24.5%) and were 5-for-12 in Gross’s last four games. 

He didn’t have a good game in a 6-4 win over Peterborough on Friday night but few rearguards will find it easy defending against the duo of Nick Robertson and Akil Thomas. Gross was directly responsible for the Petes’ first two tallies — one from an intercepted clearing attempt and the other from overcommitting  away from Robertson for a one-timer near the goal. Gross bounced back on Saturday with a strong effort in a 4-2 loss to Mississauga and was named the game’s third star. 

Much like fellow 2018 draftees Miller and Lundkvist, Gross is on his team’s top pairing and logs the most minutes while being utilized in all special teams and late-close situations. He’s taken a big step in the production department as well, as his points-per-game average is up from 0.36 in 2019 to 0.65 through Saturday. Part of the spike is from more power-play time (11 power-play points in 2020; only 2 in 2019). He has always had a hard shot that he keeps on net, but his shot totals are low (58) mostly because he stays within himself and lets his forwards do most of the heavy lifting in the offensive zone. Gross is not a flashy player so it’s imperative that he maintains his solid one-on-one play and poise under pressure with occasional offense via clean stretch passes and shots from the point.

Editor’s Note:

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have someone of Steve’s caliber bringing you prospect reports on Forever Blueshirts. Follow Steve on Twitter here and check out his website TheDraftAnalyst.com. – Anthony

The first of the two games was between the Swedes and the Fins for the Bronze medal. Finland jumped out to a 1-0 lead nearly nine minutes into the first period. A shot from the left dot went off Carolina Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola’s foot and ended up in the back of the net. It was only four minutes later that the Swedes went on the power play and tied it up. Maple Leafs prospect Rasmus Sandin ripped a wrist shot home off an assist from Rangers prospect Nils Lundkvist.

With each team exchanging chances, the game was knotted at one with a little over a minute left to play in the first period. It was then that Canucks prospect Nils Hoglander tossed a pizza across his own blue line to the middle of the ice that was intercepted by Matias Maccelli. Maccelli walked in on a breakaway and buried the go-ahead goal making it 2-1 at the end of the first period.

The second period started with the Fins having momentum from the end of the first. After 10 minutes of play with no scoring, Canucks prospect Nils Hoglander came down on a 2v1 with WJC leading goal scorer, and Kings prospect Samuel Fagemo. Hoglander shot for the far pad, and a rebound came right out in front of the Finnish net. Fagemo, trailing on the backside, came in and finished the play, tying the game at two. It was just a few minutes later that the Swedes took a 3-2 lead on a power-play goal by Linus Oberg.

The Swedes closed the game in the third period, beating the Fins 3-2 and claiming the Bronze Medal.

Notes: Nils Lundkvist was fantastic for the Swedes finishing the tournament with seven assists, and eight points. Karl Henriksson centered 2020 top prospects Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz throughout the tournament as he typically does internationally. Holtz and Raymond will be potential targets for the Rangers in the upcoming 2020 draft.

The second of the two games was between Canada and Russia for the Gold medal. Coming into this game, the biggest story was whether or not Team Canada’s captain and Coyotes prospect Barett Hayton was going to play. In the semi-final game the day before, Hayton took a nasty spill and slid into the boards, crunching his shoulder. Many thought that the injury was going to hold him out, but the captain was not going to miss this one.

Another major story in this game was that Russian goaltender, and arguably the top goalie prospect in the world, Yaroslav Askarov, was benched for this game. Askarov will likely be a top-10 pick in the upcoming 2020 draft. Before recapping the game, I just want to add that this was one of the best WJC Finals that I have seen in quite some time.

The first period kicked off with a lot of juice for both teams, as well as the fans. The arena was loud, the fans were into it, and the game got off to a great start. An exciting first period that included a post hit by Blue Jackets prospect Liam Foudy, Barett Hayton playing with an injury, and a plethora of penalties, ended in a 0-0 tie. Like the first period, the second period was much of the same; a ton of excitement but both teams kept off the score sheet for quite some time. It wasn’t until Yegor Zemula took a shot from the point that got deflected into the back of the Canadian net and gave the Russians the first goal of the game.

After consecutive penalties by the Russians moments after their goal, the Canadians found themselves on a 5v3. Just 20 seconds into the two-man advantage, Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens put away the tying goal, cleaning up a shot from 2020 top prospect Alexis Lafrenière. It was just three minutes later that the Russians took back the lead on a goal from Grigori Denisenko. At the end of two, the Russians went into the room with a 2-1 lead.

The third period began with the Canadians on the power play, and a chance to tie the game but they failed to do so. Nearly nine minutes into the second period, the Russians extended their lead to 3-1 on a goal from Maxim Sorkin. The Canadians had their backs against the wall and needed their big guns to step up.

In less than one minute, the Canadians cut the lead in half on a goal from Connor McMichael. A shot from the dot bounced around and went off McMichael and into the back of the Russian net. Soon after, the Canadians found themselves on the power play. It was at 8:38 when captain Barett Hayton tied the game. Hayton, who was battling a shoulder injury, played and gave his team much needed life.

Just four minutes later, the Canadians scored what would be the Gold Medal clinching goal. Kings prospect Akil Thomas received a stretch pass that he caught up to in front of the Russian netminder, and buried on the doorstep. It was an incredible game, as well as tournament. The Canadians claimed the Gold medal, with the Russians claiming Silver, and Sweden Bronze.

Five Rangers prospect played in the tournament: K’Andre Miller (USA), Zac Jones (USA), Nils Lundkvist (Sweden), Karl Henriksson (Sweden), and Nico Gross (Switzerland).

To me, Zac Jones and Nils Lundkvist were the standouts. Lundkvist finished the tournament with eight points, while Jones was extremely impressive throughout. K’Andre Miller had his lumps defensively but showed the flashes of brilliance we all know about.

Future 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière is as good as advertised. He was the tournament MVP, and deservedly so. He finished the tournament with a 4-6-10 line in five games.

The much anticipated and eagerly awaited Word Junior Championship hockey tournament has come and gone.

Rangers fans were finally able to get an elongated look at all three of the team’s 2018 first-round draft picks, Vitali Kravtsov of Russia (9th overall) K’Andre Miller of the United States (22nd overall) and Nils Lundkvist of Sweden (28th overall). In addition, Rangers fans got a quick glimpse at 2018 fourth-round pick Nico Gross of Switzerland.

Our talented staff of fantastic writers did a wonderful job covering those four future Rangers as the international showcase progressed. The aforementioned Rangers-to-be have returned to their respective junior, college, and European club teams to finish the 2019 season.

Normally, we’d give statistical updates of players when we do our prospects features. At the risk of being redundant and complacent, we will change course just a bit and, instead of just throwing around a bunch of stats, we will opine about the importance of having a viable pipeline of talented, young players to fall back on. In a league where injuries are commonplace and unavoidable, and where a hard salary cap forces teams to jettison veterans who haven’t lived up to their contracts, being able to, hypothetically speaking, replace a Dan Girardi with a Neal Pionk, is what can separate contending teams with perennial bottom feeders.

The lack of quality organizational depth has hung around the neck of the Ranger franchise like an albatross for several years. The trading away of young players and first-round draft picks for an opportunity to fight for a Stanley Cup came at a price, a steep price in fact. The go-for-it mentality from Blueshirts management increased their odds of going all the way, but it also meant that the proverbial pipeline of prospects to replace aging veterans would be nonexistent. And, unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened.

When the likes of Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Ryan McDonagh and Michael Grabner were traded away, the Rangers did not have any young NHL level players in Hartford primed and ready to take their places. You want to know why a team like the Detroit Red Wings was able to maintain a two decades long stretch of playoff qualification and Stanley Cup aspirations? It was because their general manager and scouting staff did an incredible job of making sure the cupboard was continuously stacked and replenished whenever the big club needed to replace an aging veteran. Out went Steve Yzerman, in came Pavel Datsyuk. Out went Brendan Shanahan, in came Henrik Zetterberg. It would behoove Jeff Gorton and his staff to follow the Red Wings template for both short term and long term success.

Being a Ranger fan over the last calendar year has been challenging. The team isn’t only losing, but they’re being consistently outplayed, out-coached, outclassed and outmuscled. To say that it has been painful to watch the Rangers flounder over the last six weeks or so would be an understatement. We are seeing the excruciating effects of not having a replenished farm system to replace the stalwart Rangers who helped the franchise make several deep playoff runs.

As we approach the 2019 NHL trade deadline at the end of next month, the prospect of obtaining more prospects and high draft picks is paramount to the continued rebuilding of the franchise. The debate on what to do with Kevin Hayes has become almost as heated as some of the political conversation in the United States. If the current players played with the amount of angst and vigor that the fans are having when debating whether or not to trade Hayes, I don’t think the Rangers would be in the midst of a seemingly endless freefall. My opinion was, is, and always will be to trade Hayes, and Chris Kreider for that matter, and continue to stock pile young talent and future first-rounders.

Rangerstown believes that Igor Shestyorkin is the rightful heir to Henrik Lundqvist in goal. But what if Shestyorkin decides to stay in Russia? Or, what if his incredible numerical success was primarily a product of the juggernaut team he plays on and he underwhelms when he takes his talents to Broadway? Having youngsters like Adam Huska, Tyler Wall, and Olof Lindbom in the pipeline to fall back on is quite the insurance policy. The same theory applies if Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil end up resembling Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark. The team needs to make sure that other blue-chip prospects would be at the ready to step in.

The Rangers will have at least three selections in the first two rounds of June’s draft. That number will likely increase once “Roster Purging, The Sequel,” gets released to a theater near you some time after President’s Day. It’s the law of averages, folks. The more talented, young players a team has in their arsenal, the more likely that some of them will develop into NHL All-Stars. After all, Nikita Kucherov was selected 58th overall in his draft year and Johnny Gaudreau went 103rd overall in his.

Jeff Gorton must continue to stockpile top-tier prospects like Brett Howden and Libor Hajek and he must continue to acquire future first and second round draft picks; and if that means trading away fan favorites, so be it. The more talented neophytes the Rangers have in their pipeline, the higher the chances of having one of them develop into Kucherov or Gaudreau.

To start the game, Gross was on the ice again like he was in Switzerland’s opening game. It is really nice to see the confidence the Swiss coach has in the 19 year old to play big time minutes and start games. Unlike against the Czech’s on Wednesday, Gross was not given the job of going against Canada’s top line centered by 2017 Vegas first round pick Cody Glass.

That line also consists of 2017 Panther first round pick Owen Tippett, and Ducks pick/Canada’s captain, Maxime Comtois. Gross found himself on the ice for most of the night against Canada’s third line. This is not a typical third line for this tournament being that it consists of 2017 Flyers first round pick Morgan Frost (who had a hat trick in 35 minutes against Denmark in Canada’s opening game), 2018 Coyotes first round pick Barrett Hayton, and 2019 draft eligible Brett Leason.

As for Gross’s game, he had another solid one. Gross continues to display his own zone ability, and good gap control. I really like the way that Gross plays in his own end, and understands how to play in a zone system (a system that Rangers coach David Quinn runs). His head is constantly on a swivel, understanding his assignment every shift. There were a few negatives that stood out in Gross’s game.

In the first minute of the game, he was on the ice for the first goal. It was only 36 seconds into the game, and a turnover along the wall by the Swiss left Gross in no-mans land. Nick Suzuki with a phenomenal pass through Gross’s legs that ended up on Cody Glass’s stick, and in the back of the net. There was honestly nothing Gross can do, so I will not knock him for this. The couple of things that I will knock Gross on are the following:

1. In the early stages of the first period, Gross made a bad decision on a rush by Owen Tippett and let him fire a shot from the dot. This led to a high percentage scoring chance.
2. Later in the shift, Gross had the puck behind his own net, and turned it over on a terrible pass. The turnover ended up on, yet again, Tippett’s stick as he ripped a shot on net as he was very deep but no damage was done.
3. There were two more instances that I did not like Gross’s gap control.

Aside from these three things, I would say Gross played a similar game as he did against the Czechs. The only difference was he played this “solid game” against a far better team from Canada in a 3-2 effort in which they lost. Canada is BY FAR the best team in this tournament. They beat the Danish by two touchdowns the other night and were nearly slain by Gross and the Swiss.

Overall grade – I would give Gross a “B+”. As mentioned before he again played a solid game, but against a far better opponent. Gross looks like the kind of guy who won’t blow you away with his speed and skill, and will not make insane breakout passes. He understands own zone assignments, has good gap control, and what I like most, and is an extremely tough player. He is not afraid to play with a little sandpaper and grit. I am satisfied with Gross’s play thus far against two VERY good opponents in the Czechs and Canadians.

P.S. – Barrett Hayton, Arizona Coyotes 2018 first round pick is someone who jumped off the page for me. He is going to be a very nice NHL player in the near future. Not to mention the plethora of first round picks including Cody Glass, Owen Tippett, Nick Suzuki, Morgan Frost, Barrett Hayton, Joe Veleno, Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, and Ty Smith…..oh and what will be the first overall pick in 2020 Alexis Lafreniere.

With the World Junior Championships kicking off on December 26th, the New York Rangers have four players taken in the 2018 draft participating in the tournament; including all three first-round picks.

For Russia, Vitaly Kravstov, for Sweden, Nils Lundkvist, and who I will be covering, for the US, K’Andre Miller, and for Switzerland, Nico Gross. Let’s take a look at how Gross and Miller did in their opening games of the tournament.

Nico Gross – Switzerland vs. Czech Republic

Gross played a solid game against a high-powered Czech team. Here are some of the things that I noticed about Gross after Switzerland’s opening game of the tournament.

In the first period, Gross made a few noticeable plays. I noticed that Gross was chippy in front of his own net, protecting his netminder, which is something that the Swiss pride themselves on. Gross had a big-time block with seven minutes left in the first period. Overall, his first period was pretty good with the exception of two ill-advised plays (his only two of the entire game). In two separate instances, Gross made ill-advised plays in his own zone which turned into A+ scoring opportunities for the Czechs; more specifically the dangerous Zadina.

In the second period, Gross wasn’t on the ice all that much. The Czechs took five penalties in the period, keeping number 16 on the bench, being that he does not kill penalties. During the limited time that he did play in the second period, Gross had another big block against Colorado Avalanche first-round pick Martin Kaut Nico broke his stick while the Czechs had sustained pressure. After Gross broke his stick, he hung in tight and came up big on the dangerous Kaut with the block.

As for the third period, Gross was pretty quiet making the necessary plays in his own zone. The biggest thing he did in the third period was drawing a penalty late in the game giving the Swiss a chance to win. The Swiss eventually lost in overtime picking up one point out of a possible three.

Overall thoughts – Gross played a solid game on the back end for the Swiss team. He made the necessary plays in his own zone, maintaining good gap control and making good plays along the boards. Gross did not show much in the offensive department. He only had a couple of good breakout passes that led to offensive zone time. I was impressed by his play in his own zone. He did make the two mistakes as mentioned before. The two mistakes ended up on the stick of the lethal Zadina, but no damage was done. The most impressive thing to me about Gross was that he was consistently matched up with the Czech’s top line that includes, yes you guessed it, Filip Zadina. It shows the confidence that his coaching staff has in him. I would grade Gross’s performance a “B” – a solid game with only two mistakes.

K’Andre Miller – United States vs. Slovakia

I will start with this, K’Andre Miller is a WAGON and Rangers fans should be very excited about this kid. Here are my takeaways from Miller’s first game of the tournament.

In a game where Quinn Hughes was not only the highlight of the backend but the whole game, K’Andre Miller had his fair share of noticeable plays. Miller displayed why Jeff Gorton and the Rangers brass made the move up to draft him. The announcers described him as a “freight train,” and he is just that. His phenomenal skating ability was on full display tonight. Also, Miller’s stick was active the entire night, making a handful of great plays in his own zone. He was up and down the ice all night, getting involved in the offense, and making great plays in his own zone. Miller’s gap control was sound, and his play along the boards and behind his net was great as well. He was involved in 3-4 great scoring chances. Miller had a couple of big shots from the blue line that got through and were good scoring chances.

He was also involved in a number of very good passing plays. The highlights of Miller’s night were a couple of plays he made in the third period. First, he intercepted a pass at center ice as Slovakia tried moving the puck north. The interception nearly led to an odd-man rush for the United States. The second was to me, the best shift of the game for the 18-year-old Wisconsin Badger. With a little over six minutes left in the game, Miller jumped into the offensive play and had an A+ scoring chance. After a juicy rebound, the Slovaks moved out of their zone quickly. Miller skated nearly 200 feet back the other way to disrupt a blossoming play. This play is what Rangers fans should be excited about. It showed his ability to get involved offensively, his tremendous skating ability, and most of all his willingness to not give up on a play. I know it is extremely early, but Miller is really looking like something special.

Overall thoughts – Miller played a heck of a game in not a whole lot of ice time. If you watched the game, you understand why Quinn Hughes was on the ice as much as he was – he was the best player on the ice, plain and simple. Miller did great things in his own end, got involved in the offense, and as mentioned many times previously, displayed his unbelievable skating ability. I would give Miller’s performance an “A“ – even though he didn’t get on the score sheet, he was extremely noticeable in all three zones when he was on the ice.

P.S. – Quinn Hughes was number one on my draft board in the 2017 draft for the Rangers to draft (obviously they weren’t getting Dahlin or Svechnikov), and he displayed his extreme talent level tonight. Also, his brother Jack, the projected number one overall pick in the 2019 draft, wouldn’t look too bad in the Broadway Blueshirt.

My friends, the date is almost here. The date that has been circled on the calendar for months. The date that is filled with hope, expectations, and promise. The date that should be a crystal ball into the future. The date that Rangers fans and management have been eagerly awaiting and anticipating. Which date am I referring to? Well, I am talking about December 26th and the commencement of the World Junior Championships taking place in western Canada.

Yes, the day after Santa and his reindeer have made their rounds giving out gifts to the “nice” kids, the most talented teenage hockey prospects in the world will congregate, clad in their country’s respective colors, competing for Word Junior supremacy. Normally, this tournament means very little to the Rangers. Normally, the Rangers would be lucky to have one or two marginal prospects selected for the WJC. Normally, Rangers fans would be apathetic to this annual competition. Normally, Rangers fans would be on the outside looking in watching other franchise’s top prospects strutting their stuff in this international showcase. Kind of like that lonely kid who, on a Friday night, stares out of his or her bedroom window while others take part in jocularity and debauchery.

In this space, we have mentioned the World Juniors quite often and for quite some time, mainly because Ranger fans can finally get an extended look at the upper echelon prospects that they have only read about or caught brief highlights of. We have followed the progress of Russian forward Vitali Kravtsov who has turned more heads in the hockey world than a car accident. We have kept track of the University of Wisconsin’s outstanding defenseman K’Andre Miller who could end up being the steal of the 2018 draft. These two high-end talents are, without question, the Rangers top two teenage prospects and will almost certainly fulfill those lofty expectations once they don the Ranger sweater.

The Rangers have four other prospects playing in this tournament. Team Sweden’s preliminary roster has the last of the 2018 first-round picks in defenseman Nils Lundkvist, who is enjoying a wonderful season playing for Lulea HF in the Swedish Elite League. His six points in 24 games were deemed good enough to be selected by his native country. Joining Lundkvist in the Team Sweden camp is a fellow defenseman, and 2018 third-round pick (70th overall), Jacob Ragnarsson.

Team USA will not only feature the exciting K’ Andre Miller, but it could also have Illinois native and New York Rangers third-round pick from the 2018 draft (88th overall), defenseman Joey Keane. Keane has 20 points in 29 games and has accumulated 46 penalty minutes. Anyone who has watched the Rangers over the last several years knows how desperately they need blue-liners with an attitude to patrol the area in front of Henrik Lundqvist’s crease. Keane’s point total is impressive, however, the amount of time he spends in the “sin-bin” could be what separates him from the crowded defensive prospect field.

Nico Gross, the Rangers’ 2018 fourth-round draft pick (101st overall), will compete for his native Swiss national team. The 6’1″ defenseman, like Joey Keane, plays in the Ontario Hockey League and is enjoying a fine season. Like Keane, Gross can provide offense, tallying twelve points in 30 games and can absolutely stand his ground with his 51 penalty minutes. The Rangers need for toughness on their blue-line is tantamount to Popeye’s need for spinach.

Victoria Grizzlies

In other prospect news, our buddy Igor Shestyorkin keeps rolling along. The 22-year-old acrobatic netminder has continued his impressive run of great goaltending for Team Russia in the 2018 European Hockey Tour. A 0.50 GAA and a .982 SV% shows that the heir-apparent to King Henrik’s throne can have success outside of his dynamic KHL team. And hey, Riley Hughes, the Rangers’ seventh-round pick from last June’s draft, is starting to get more and more recognition. His 35 points in 31 games playing for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies is earning him some well-deserved adulation. In addition, Hughes represented his native Canada in the World Junior A Challenge, helping bring home a bronze medal. Perhaps, the skilled forward can be one of those diamond-in-the-rough type late round draft picks?

Yes, several key pieces to the future of the New York Rangers will be on display during the World Junior Championships. Ranger fans can see for themselves what the scouts have been promising them. Make sure you have an ample supply of coffee at the ready because, on Saturday, December 29th, at 10:30 pm Eastern Standard time, Team USA will take on Team Sweden. Miller, Keane, Lundkvist and hopefully Ragnarsson will represent their respective countries and the Rangers organization.

While the big club in Manhattan is meandering through what will assuredly be a second straight non-playoff year, Ranger fans can feel good about the future of the franchise even as the current team resembles a cross between the Keystone Cops and the Bad News Bears. For the first time in a long time, a very long time, in fact, the Rangers have a bountiful supply of legitimate prospects that will only continue to grow if, as expected, there is another purge of veterans from the current roster in exchange for highly touted prospects and future first-round draft picks. Rangerstown should keep their collective chins up. The future is bright, and yes, it’s bright enough to wear shades.

Ten nations are heading to this year’s World Junior Championships. And in making their final preparations for the tournament, each country has released their respective preliminary rosters. And when we take a look at those rosters, we’ll see some names that should be familiar to Rangers fans.

Russia – Vitali Kravtsov has been lighting up the KHL so far this season. At just 18-years-old, Kravtsov is tied for the team lead in points with 17, 11 of which are assists. In addition, he is the leading KHL scorer for players under the age of 21. When Kravtsov was drafted with the ninth overall pick back in June, there was a lot of questions regarding his selection. Now it appears as though the Rangers may have gotten a steal with Kravtsov.

Sweden – “The Three Crowns” will be sending two Rangers prospects to the international tournament, both of which were taken in the 2018 NHL Draft. First-round pick Nils Lundkvist, has six points (G, 5A) in 22 games with Lulea in the SHL, along with two points playing for Lulea’s U20 team in the SuperElit league. The six points lead the SHL amongst U20 defensemen.

In addition to Lundkvist, third round choice Jacob Ragnarsson will also be headed to Western Canada to represent his country. Ragnarsson has just two points playing for Almtuna in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-best league. With the talent on the Swedish blue-line, Ragnarsson is likely to be the proverbial seventh defenseman for the Swedes.

Switzerland – Though the Swiss haven’t officially announced their roster for the upcoming tournament, it’s hard to imagine that Rangers fourth-round pick Nico Gross will be left off the roster. The 18-year-old has recorded 12 points (3G, 9A) playing for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Gross will be looked upon as a steadying force on the Swiss blue line.

USA – Like the Swedes, two blue-liners will don the Red, White, and Blue at the upcoming tournament. Joey Keane, who is playing for the Barrie Colts in the OHL, has 18 points (3G, 15A) in 25 games from the back end. While he’s having a very good season so far for the Colts, it’s a bit up in the air if he’ll make the tournament roster.

If Keane’s status is in question, the other Rangers representative, K’Andre Miller, is almost a guaranteed lock to make Mike Hastings’ squad. Miller has been tearing up the NCAA this season as the Saint Paul, Minnesota native has recorded 15 points (3G, 12A) in 16 games for the Badgers. And, oh, by the way, he’s just a freshman. Depending on how the rest of his year shakes out, we could see K’Andre leaving school early to turn pro and join Hartford.

Czech Republic – Though it’s highly unlikely that Jeff Gorton, David Quinn, and Rangers management will loan 19-year-old Filip Chytil to the Czech team, one would have to assume that Chytil will be honored to have been nominated to represent his country.

Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. The turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and apple pie leftovers are long gone. The Hanukkah and Christmas decorations are ready to be displayed. It is time to turn our attention back to hockey, specifically, the New York Rangers European prospects.

We’ll start this week’s piece about the 2018 first-round draft pick from Russia, forward Vitali Kravtsov. General Manager Jeff Gorton’s selection of the highly skilled Kravtsov drew a ton of scrutiny at the time since most prognosticators had him going somewhere in the middle-to-late part of the first round. However, the gamble seems to be paying off as the right-winger (his position, not his politics) continues to impress and earn accolades as a teenager playing in the KHL.

Kravtsov was just named to the 2019 KHL all-star team. Amazingly, he was the only forward selected by journalists from the Kharlamov Division to compete in the contest. Kravtsov has had a wonderful season playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk. His stat line of five goals and ten assists in 30 games may not open too many eyes. However, when you put it all in perspective and compare his season to other KHL teenagers, you’ll see just why Gorton used his ninth overall pick on Kravtsov and not Oliver Wahlstrom, Evan Bouchard or Noah Dobson.

At the time this piece is being penned, Kravtsov currently leads all KHL teenagers in assists and points and is tied for first in goals. You think that nugget is impressive? Try this one on for size. Kravtsov, currently, has more than twice as many total points as any other KHL player under the age of 20. In European club hockey, it is very rare for teenagers to get the lion’s share of the ice time. That is usually reserved for the veterans. That is why we cannot compare the stat lines of teenagers across the pond to that of kids playing in Canadian Juniors. Instead, we have to compare goals and assists to others that are on the same playing field, or ice surface in this case.

We have to hop in our DeLorean, turn on the flux capacitor, and set the time controls back to 1991 for the last time a homegrown New York Rangers forward entered the league as a dynamic rookie and flashed the sort of offensive brilliance we are hoping to see from Kravtsov. 27 years ago, Tony Amonte flew up and down Mark Messier’s right side. Yes, it has been that long since a rookie forward set Rangerstown on fire. If all goes well with contract negotiations, there is a real possibility that Kravtsov could take his immense talents to the Big Apple for the 2018-19 season and give all of us Ranger fans a glimpse of the game-breaking skill this franchise has lacked and desperately needs.

The update on Kravtsov’s 2018 first round counterpart, Swedish defenseman Nils Lundkvist, is quite similar to the Russian. The fleet-footed, offensive defenseman has tallied just six points in 20 games playing for Lulea HF. However, when we examine his season through the appropriate lens, we will see that Lundkvist is in the midst of a terrific season. The 28th overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft currently leads all teenage defenseman in points playing in the Swedish Elite League. From a fan’s point of view, there has not been this much anticipation and excitement about the World Junior Championships, which take place in Canada at the end of December, in a very long time. We will be watching the WJC closely to see how well Kravtsov and Lundkvist play in what has become the gold standard for international prospects under the age of 20.

Of course, we are going to give an Igor Shestyorkin update. The 2014 fourth-round draft pick continues to roll along and dominate in the KHL. The heir-apparent to King Henrik’s throne has a 12-3 record with a 1.43 GAA and a .943SV%. Shestyorkin, who will turn 23 on the penultimate day of 2018, is unequivocally the best Rangers prospect anywhere in the world, and I for one, cannot wait until he dons that blue Rangers sweater so we can finally see him and his acrobatics in person.

It will be interesting to see when each member country announces their World Junior Championships rosters and if any other Ranger prospect will be included. If Lauri Pajuniemi makes Team Finland or if Olof Lindbom makes team Sweden or if Nico Gross makes the Swiss team, we will be sure to cover them and give updates on their progress. The tournament commences on Boxing Day in Vancouver (December 26) and ends a few days after the New Year. It should be must-watch TV for Rangers fans as we get a small taste of the future of the franchise.