Last November, Sweden played in the U20 Four Nations tournament in Hodonín, four hours north of Vienna. I drove up and attended the Sweden-Russia game with both Vitali Kravtsov and Nils Lundkvist on the ice.

An older gentleman approached me to ask about my sign, and if I had an extra copy for him to bring home to Sweden. It turns out that it was Nils Lundkvist’s grandfather! I told him I would trade the sign for an opportunity to meet his grandson after the game. We talked about the draft, and how Nils Lundkvist was the only player in the first round who did not have an agent at the time of the draft. Quite an interesting piece of information I did not expect to pick up at a junior tournament.

I even had the pleasure to talk at length with Gordie Clark, the Rangers’ head of scouting. Very interesting conversation about the team’s new strategy, which draft-eligible players in that game were interesting to follow (Dorofeyev is a name that came up). We discussed the draft, and how he was aware of the general opinion of Rangers fans on draft day who were not happy with the Kravtsov pick, but how, in his view, those fans had realized in the following months how good Kravtsov really is.

After the game, which Russia won 5-1, Nils’ grandfather told me to wait outside with him. We spoke about Nils, discussed the game and after 10-15 minutes, Nils Lundkvist walked up to me and said “My grandfather said my biggest fan was waiting for me outside. That must be you”. Such a nice kid and so down to earth. You can tell he was proud to represent his country. We discussed the travel from Lulea to Hodonín. Lundkvist flew from Lulea to Stockholm, from Stockholm to Bratislava and from there, the team traveled by bus to the small town for the tournament, which is played at an arena named after former New York Rangers forward Václav Nedomanský.

All in all it was a great experience, and last week I was wondering how he’s doing. I decided to reach out to Nils and asked if I could ask him some questions and catch up.

It’s been a great season for Lundkvist and his team Luleå, battling for the top spot in the regular season from day one. He was leading all U21 defensemen in points early on, despite only being 18-year-old. His first six points came in the first 15 games of the season, which is not bad for a kid who made the jump from the junior SuperElit (u20) to the professional league (SHL) halfway through the previous season. Lundkvist was selected as the best defenseman in SuperElit in 2017-18, despite splitting time and playing half the season for the big club in SHL.

“It is a big difference in playing against men, rather than playing against other juniors. In the SHL everything is much more structured, and players are stronger, faster and smarter than they are in juniors.”

It was a very hectic summer with the draft in Dallas, followed by the Rangers prospect camp, for the then 17-year-old. Players travel all the way to attend the draft and fans rarely realize what an emotional roller coaster it can be. Lundkvist was in Dallas with his family, waiting to hear his name called on Friday night. And as more and more picks were announced, the more nervous Lundkvist was. Until that moment where the Rangers were on the clock, and Gordie Clark announced the pick.

“It was a mix between happiness and relief after all the talk before the draft and sitting there waiting to hear your name being called. I also felt very honored to have been picked by such a legendary organization and to have been picked in the first round.”

The Rangers are a popular team in Sweden which is, in large part, thanks to Henrik Lundqvist, who has been with the team for almost 15 years now and was drafted almost 19 years ago. Michael Nylander, Carl Hagelin, Jesper Fast, Anton Strålman, Fredrik Claesson and many other Swedes have worn the Rangers blue since Nils Lundkvist was born.

“I knew they were one of the Original-Six teams and of many of the great players that have played for the Rangers over the years, and of course that Henrik Lundqvist was still playing for the Rangers.”

The draft was just the start for many prospects this summer. After hearing your name called, walking up to the stage to shake hands and put on the jersey, players are lined up for interviews, signing memorabilia and meeting up with NHL officials. What follows is a summer of travel, getting to know your potential future teammates and in some cases even public appearances on TV. One of Lundkvist’s fondest memories from last summer was the Rangers prospect camp.

“It was a great opportunity to get to know the organization a little better and to find out what is expected of me for the future. It was also nice to meet some other guys that are in the same situation as me and also get a feel for the competition to see what needs to improve if I should be able to take a spot in the future.”

As of today, he has ten points this season, which ties him with Erik Karlsson as the seventh highest among U19 defensemen in a single season since 2000. Being one of the youngest players in the top professional Swedish league, Lundkvist knows he needs to work on his game and not take anything for granted. He is aware of both his strengths and weaknesses.

“My strengths would probably be my skating and how I see the ice and can predict plays. What I am working on improving the most is my shot and improving my overall physique.”

One familiar face on the Luleå for Ranger fans and prospect watchers is that of Robin Kovacs, the Rangers’ third-round draft pick in 2015. A year before Lundkvist was drafted, the Rangers terminated Kovacs’ contract and allowed him to go back to Sweden following some personal tragedy. Despite the contract termination, Robin Kovacs still looks back on his time with the Rangers organization with a good feeling.

“We haven’t talked that much about this, but what I can hear from him he has had the same positive experience with the Rangers organization that I have.”

The last time Lundkvist traveled to North America was in December to represent his country at the World Junior Championships in Vancouver and Victoria. Playing in just five games due to Sweden’s surprise elimination in the quarterfinals at the hands of the Swiss, Nils Lundkvist had a goal and an assist.

Despite the early exit, he won’t look back with remorse or too much disappointment. Lundkvist is still eligible to represent the U20 team at next year’s WJC in the Czech Republic, where I am hoping to run into him again.

“It was a great experience and came at a good time for me, just in the middle of the regular season. It was great to be there to compete against some of the top players in the world that were born the same year as I was. It was a fun tournament even though we would have liked to have gone further in the playoffs.”

One of the last things I wanted to ask Nils was about his number. Even as a kid, I was fascinated by numbers and always wanted to know why a player picked a certain number, especially when it’s an unconventional number. Lundkvist has used the number 27 when playing for Luleå and Sweden earlier in the season, but at the World Juniors he was given number 9.

“I got the 27 when I came to Luleå Hockey as younger junior player and now it feels like it is “my” number. When I played for the national team I was just handed a number. It does not matter that much what number you play in, the important thing is getting the chance to play.”

It was great to catch up with one of the Rangers’ top prospects and I am planning to make the trip to Luleå next month to attend a home game and see Lundkvist live in action again before the season is over. His team is in second place in the SHL regular season, and they are projected to go far in the playoffs. Maybe the Rangers’ youngest prospect, who won’t turn 19 until July, can do what Lias Andersson did two years ago: win a championship in Sweden.

There is something deeply engrained within the sports fan. Past passion, past excitement, past memories, past the ability to get oh so high from a trade that seems to go in your favor, right where irrationality meets frustration lays that dirty ugly five letter word, blame. The Rangers lose: polls run, who’s to blame? Beat writers search for the scapegoat, irrational fans go to their old favorites “That was definitely Girardi’s fault on defense and Stepan never put home that puck on the goal line.” But wait, it’s 2017. Those names are long gone, but still, the instinct is to blame and blame who or what’s comfortable.

The Rangers are seven games into the 2017-18 campaign, just a smidge under 10% of the season, and have to dig themselves out of a 1-5-1 hole that puts them dead last in the Eastern Conference. Let’s call a spade a spade here; it’s time to be concerned. The Rangers have upcoming matches against the Islanders, the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks, before finishing out their homestand that will see it’s finale introduce a new character, Derek Stepan the Coyote. Can you see the script writing itself going forward like I can?

In seven games, the New York Rangers have done everything they can do wrong. They’ve gotten off to poor starts and played extremely well in their comeback attempts only to fall short. They’ve let go of leads in games they’ve commanded, and they’ve commanded games to hit a brick wall disguised as a goalie. Bad penalties and bad giveaways have become the norm. Whereas in years past, if one thing went wrong, the team would shake it off and get back to work, things seem to have gone wrong and gotten worse, not better.

Going around, where’s the blame lay? Well, here’s some we’ve seen so far; AV has lost the room, Staal is still on the team, McDonagh isn’t playing well, or the personal favorite, the irrelevant Corsi statistic blaming a player.

No matter which way you split it, everyone is to blame, and that is a fact at this point. Recently, there have been whispers of unsettlement as far as Head Coach Alain Vigneault goes. Questions have justifiably been raised: “Has he lost the room?” (I can answer this simply: yes he absolutely has but that’s not really the problem.) However, there’s one sneaky character flying under the radar here that needs to be held accountable. I’m going to call him out, show you why, and then proceed to explain why he is absolutely comfortable with how things stand.

Enter Jeff Gorton, the disciplined negotiator who bent Kevin Shattenkirk to his will in negotiations. The shrewd man at the helm who dealt an aging center the team didn’t need and could replace for a #7 overall pick and a defensive prospect. The stern navigator of the ship who refused to overpay for Shattenkirk at last year’s deadline and instead paid less for Brendan Smith, a move I like by the way. Jeff Gorton has gotten the biggest room for error of any GM in any major professional sports team in New York. He’s been able to operate to the herald of beat writers, while in essence stripping the team bit by bit, piece by piece with the greatest built-in reason, the salary cap.” Let’s take a look back at the three-year track record of Jeff Gorton though.

Gorton officially replaced Glen Sather as Rangers GM on July 1, 2015, a mere few weeks after the Rangers coming a game shy of a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. That team was made up of players like; Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis (was heading into retirement), Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin, JT Miller, and Jesper Fast as team’s wings. Up the middle, the roster had Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore, and the blue line contained Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein, Dan Boyle, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Keith Yandle. Not to leave out a superb back up goaltender in Cam Talbot.

Carl Hagelin will be “Asset #1” and Cam Talbot will be “Asset #2” in this explanation. Now, it’s no mystery that sometimes teams need to make difficult decisions with their personnel. However, in Jeff Gorton’s first test as New York Rangers General Manager, he was tasked with converting those two assets into assets that fit the team’s financial needs. Asset #1 was a proven commodity, yet he was traded to Anaheim for Emerson Etem, a completely unknown and unproven asset. The Rangers traded the 59th and 179th picks in that year’s draft to Anaheim in the same trade in return for the 41st pick; essentially valuing the drop-off between Hagelin and Etem to be equal with the addition of the commensurate draft picks. With the 41st Overall pick of the 2015 draft, the New York Rangers selected LW Ryan Gropp. Now to make matters worse, it was rumored that Hagelin was willing to re-sign with the Rangers for the $3.5 million they were budgeted for, but the organization still chose to move on from the fastest guy in the league. Okay…

Now onto Asset #2, Cam Talbot. Let’s dispose of the “we should’ve kept Cam” talk immediately. It wasn’t possible. Rumors were flying around that the Rangers may have a top 20 overall pick returning for him. Florida offered Jimmy Hayes, but Jeff Gorton made the move to Edmonton, where Cam has gone on to be a Vezina candidate. Looking back, Gorton should have pulled a Sakic and known what he had in Talbot, who had another year under contract to boot and held out for what the team needed. A team that was a win away from back to back Cup Final appearances did not need was draft picks. The Rangers traded Cam Talbot to the Edmonton Oilers for the 57th, 79th and 184th pick in that year’s draft. Draft picks are awesome if they work, and I applaud the strategy but let’s take a look at what those picks became.

Pick 57: Rangers traded away to Buffalo for Pick #62 and #113

Pick 62: Robin Kovacs

Pick 79: Sergei Zborovsky

Pick 113: Brad Morrison

Pick 184: Adam Huska

So in his first test, Jeff Gorton turned a “could’ve re-signed, missed him for a year and replaced him with a lesser version Michael Grabner” Carl Hagelin and a soon to be Vezina Trophy candidate with one year left on his contract Cam Talbot for Ryan Gropp (just cracked the Wolf Pack roster), Robin Kovacs (left Hartford for SHL), Sergey Zborovskiy (playing with Rangers ECHL affiliate Greenville), Brad Morrison (playing his 20 year old season in the WHL) and Adam Huska (UConn). As a result of trading off those assets, the team got worse. As the 2015-16 season got underway, the Rangers struggled with an up and down season, noticeably missing speed in the lineup just at the same time as Carl Hagelin was sent off to Pittsburgh to be a key component of a team making and winning a Stanley Cup final. As the season concluded, more “Assets” came into Jeff Gorton’s hands, namely Keith Yandle.

Yandle, an offensive minded 45 point scoring defenseman in his prime who would be commanding a $6 million per year contract. Knowing that Yandle wouldn’t be re-signed, Gorton could have moved him at the deadline for players and pieces that benefitted the team immediately and in the future. Instead, he let him play the season out and taking “Asset #3” and flipping him down to Florida for a 2016 6th rounder and a conditional 2017 4th rounder. This is the same Keith Yandle that cost the Rangers a first round pick, a top 6 defenseman, and a top prospect in Anthony Duclair. Gorton did make some good pickups in the offseason that year such as Jimmy Vesey and Michael Grabner but my point is in his handling of assets, not signing players.

Fast forward to 2017, an offseason in which the Rangers blue-line came under question. Dan Girardi or Marc Staal were due for greener pastures and as such Dan Girardi was bought out despite the fact that Girardi had a much better year and playoffs than Staal had. Girardi was also more of a tradeable asset than Staal, as Tampa Bay had no problem paying the man to come and play. The defense needed to be revamped like the offense had been the year before. They brought back Brendan Smith as their 3rd defenseman and with Brady Skjei emerging as an elite scoring defenseman, a top three of McDonagh, Skjei, Smith looked pretty solid.

That’s when Gorton fumbled the ball yet again on Asset #4, Derek Stepan. The Stepan trade was one that was heralded by many as a shrewd move that had to be done. But the common theme I’m finding here is that when there’s a move that has to be done, Gorton is going to screw it up. The Rangers traded a luxury they had in a solid backup goaltender Antti Raanta alongside the team’s first line center Derek Stepan to Arizona for Anthony DeAngelo and the 7th overall pick. While on its face the deal seemed great, the actions following the trade make it look like a giveaway.

Anthony DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman that needs a lot of work in his own zone. Add in Brady Skjei, and it’s pretty rare to have two potential 40 point defensemen on your blue line as is. Now, the 7th overall pick got fans very excited and it should, but the team opted to go with Lias Andersson. Andersson, a very talented player, was a reach at #7 however and the rationale behind it was this: “we may not have gotten the highest ceiling guy available, but we got the guy with the best chance to crack the roster this season and help the team.” With that explanation, I was all for it. Now as we move forward through the offseason, Gorton goes out and signs Kevin Shattenkirk, an admirable acquisition, but one that came with a few flags, primarily his less than average defensive zone play. This was a 40+ point defenseman who never in his career played top pairing minutes and could essentially be considered as Keith Yandle with less defensive ability. So why is it one year you don’t need that player and then the next you do? The money freed up from the Stepan trade was used on this signing, but did it strengthen the roster with the addition more than it weakened it with the subtraction? No.

To add to the cluster, the sole reasoning of drafting Andersson over a player that the organization has been searching for like Casey Middlestadt, who will need a year or two of college hockey before being an impact first line center in the NHL, was his year one availability. The Rangers didn’t even choose to give him the nine games to prove himself in the NHL before sending him back, so despite what their scouts said, the team felt he was not ready for the NHL.

When Jeff Gorton has assets and has a competitive team, his objective should be that of Glen Sather. Ryan Callahan was an asset under Sather, and he leveraged that asset to improve the roster at that moment. Sather didn’t trade assets for picks, he traded assets and picks for more assets.

Now, I understand that Jeff Gorton is also tasked with restocking the cubbard with prospects, but he’s done so at the cost of the Rangers roster and at the cost of robbing his coach of the personnel he needs. His trades have not worked out yet by any stretch of the imagination; and n the three drafts Gorton has been at the helm, where he’s acquired pick after pick, not one player has cracked the NHL roster or gotten close to sniffing it yet.

Right now all the anger and vitriol is pointed at Alain Vigneault for this team’s horrible play so far, and in many cases, rightfully so. However, here is where it get’s worse. Nobody is pointing their finger up at Gorton yet, and nobody will as long as there is a scapegoat in place. AV has lost the room, that’s a given at this point. However, AV is a good coach so with the right pieces and support he would be successful. Gorton thus far has botched the job. If or when Gorton chooses to say sayonara to AV and the next coach has the same issues with the misgivings of the team’s personnel, the next head to roll will be Gorton’s. And it’s with that knowledge that Jeff Gorton will continue to “stay out” of the AV issue and do nothing until he is absolutely forced to. AV, while with plenty fault of his own, is Jeff Gorton’s scapegoat for his mistakes thus far and will remain so.

Year after year, Gorton has taken away key components from AV’s machine and leveraged them into picks, only to replace those same components with lesser quality. The revolving door of “core player” replacement parts has eaten away at the dynamic of this once strong-willed and close-knit group. A top six winger, two top four defensemen, and your first line center; find me a team in the league that’s had a similar overhaul in their core in a three year period and come out stronger on the other end. This game of robbing Peter to pay Paul has finally caught up to the core of this team and organization … but hey, they got draft picks.

The Rangers announced today that they have started to trim their roster ahead of the 2017-18 season.

The team said that they have sent forwards Robin Kovacs and Adam Chapie back to Hartford, along with defenseman Brendan Kotyk. They have sent forwards Tim Gettinger and Ty Ronning back to their respective CHL (Juniors) teams.

None of these players being cut should be much of a surprise. Gettinger and Ronning will continue their development and should compete for roster spots next year if they continue progressing. Kovacs had just 12 points in 72 games last year, and wouldn’t have made this year’s Rangers squad. Chapie split time between the ECHL affiliate Greeneville Swamp Rabbits and the Wolf Pack, putting up 16 points in 48 games. Kotyk was signed out of the NCAA to an AHL contract, and given the Rangers bevy of young defensemen, he was never going to be considered for this year’s squad.

The Rangers roster is now down to 49, including the six goalies that the team has brought to camp. Barring an injury, the four goalies should be excused from training camp relatively soon. The biggest battles will be for the last two spots on the blue line and finding the right guys for the bottom six.

Keith McCambridge will begin his tenure as Hartford Wolf Pack head coach on October 6th at home against the Charlotte Checkers. The Wolf Pack will be looking to bounce back after a dismal 2016-17 season. The returning players, Adam Tambellini, Robin Kovacs, and John Gilmour to name a few, will want the opportunity for growth after struggling last season. Keith McCambridge’s role will be to develop future New York Rangers players and prospects and help get each individual to reach his full potential.

His resume is solid and will be a good fit as Hartford’s head coach. He began his coaching career in 2006 with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL, joining the organization as an assistant coach. A year later, Keith McCambridge was promoted to head coach. He helped guide the club to the Kelly Cup finals in the 2008-09 season.

The following year, he joined the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League as the assistant coach. The Moose were affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks at the time. A year later, once again, Keith McCambridge was promoted to head coach. As the team shifted to St. John’s from Winnipeg, Keith McCambridge was elected head coach for the Ice Caps, now the affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. McCambridge helped his team win the division title in 2011-12 and led them to the Calder Cup Final in 2014 against Texas, which they lost in five games. The franchise went back to Winnipeg to become the Moose again, with Keith McCambridge remaining as the head coach. He was not renewed and joined the Wolf Pack in August of 2016. Once again, a year later, he became the head coach.

Keith McCambridge is preparing for the upcoming season with Chris Drury. They both know what happened last season and want to avoid a repeat of the 2016-17 season. Keith McCambridge was interviewed on a local show, The Whaler Guys, and spoke about his coaching techniques and philosophies. You can check out the interview here:

His philosophy is great for the club as he wants his players to have the right attitude, which will hopefully cultivate a winning tradition that will allow prospects and veterans to develop. He wants a strong effort for each practice and game and will hold players accountable if they show up to practice just because they “have to.” The style of play will be up-tempo and aggressive. Some good signs already for the 2017-18 season.

I will be able to talk to head coach Keith McCambridge next Wednesday at a Wolf Pack event.  If you have a question for him, let me know @Milliner06!

When the draft began the Rangers were not set to select until the 59th pick. The first day came and went without any activity despite rampant speculation that Cam Talbot would be traded for a first round pick. Many Rangers fans were left wondering if the team would be trading Talbot after all. Well, as it turns out Talbot was eventually traded on day two of the draft but he was not the first Ranger to be moved that day. That distinction went to none other than Carl Hagelin.

Hagelin was seeking upwards of four million for his services this offseason. You can’t blame him for wanting more money but unfortunately the Rangers are not a team with much cap space to offer. Thus, GM Glen Sather found a trade partner in the Anaheim Ducks, and Hagelin along with 59th and 117th picks, were sent to southern California for Emerson Etem and the 41st pick in the draft.

Etem, 6’1” and 212 pounds, has an extremely high ceiling and was never given the proper opportunity to succeed on the Ducks due to the depth in front of him. With the Rangers, Etem will be given every opportunity to succeed and it’s clear he has talent; just check out this goal he scored on the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of this years playoffs.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnQ0OzoE_Pk&w=560&h=315]

Etem will be a more than welcome replacement for Hagelin and could provide a more powerful scoring touch if used in the right role. He will be an RFA on July 1st but the Rangers will almost certainly get a deal done. Etem was a great pickup but so was getting the 41st pick in the Draft which the Rangers used to select WHL Seattle Thunderbirds left winger, Ryan Gropp.

Gropp’s best asset at this point in his career might be his size. At 6’2” and 187 pounds he is by no means a small player. In the Hockey News’ draft preview, one scout described him as a “really good skater who can twist and turn away from guys.” Another scout said that he has soft hands and a quick release on his snap shot. Other scouts have said he needs to get to the net harder and needs time to mature but has the potential to be a top six forward in the NHL. Gropp was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds this past season. The Rangers could use another winger of his size so hopefully he will pan out for the team.

Gropp’s stats from last season: 30 goals, 28 assists – 58 points in 67 games

Next move for the Rangers during the draft was trading backup goalie Cam Talbot to the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers in exchange sent back the 57th, 79th and 184th overall picks to the Rangers. Just as soon as it seemed like things would settle down on the Rangers front they made another trade and acquired the 62nd and 113th overall picks from the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 57th overall pick.

Using the 62nd pick, the Rangers selected right winger Robin Kovacs from AIK in Sweden. According to Future Considerations, Kovacs, who stands at 6’0” and weighs 175 pounds, is seen as a skilled winger with as strong understanding of the game. They go on to say he is fast on his feet and has quick agility which makes him dangerous in both the offensive and defensive zones. He also has a quick shot which “gives goalies nightmares.” One of the knocks on Kovacs is that he can be undisciplined at times. Hopefully we will be seeing him in Broadway Blue soon.

Kovacs’ Stats from last season: 17 goals, 11 assists – 28 points in 57 games

With the 79th pick in the draft the Rangers selected Sergey Zborovskiy of the WHL’s Regina Pats. Zborovskiy, a defensemen who stands at 6’3” and weighs 193 pounds, was not ranked by Future Considerations or the Hockey News but was ranked 103rd by Central Scouting. Not much information is out there about Zborovskiy but it can’t hurt to have a defensemen of his size in the pipeline.
Zborovskiy’s stats from last season: 3 goals, 16 assists – 19 points in 71 games.

With the 89th pick in the draft the Rangers selected Center Alexsi Saarela of Assat in Finland’s Liiga. According to Future Considerations, Saarela, who stands at 5’10” and weighs 190 pounds, has a strong and powerful stride and is a smart and slick offensive playmaker. He also has a strong accurate wrist shot and dangerous one-timer. One of the knocks against his is that he hangs out around the perimeter a little too much. It will be interesting to see if and/or when Saarela put on a Rangers jersey as he sounds like a promising prospect.

Saarela’s stats from last season: 6 goals, 6 assists – 12 points in 51 games

With the 113th pick in the draft, the Rangers selected Center Brad Morrison of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. According to Future Considerations there is a lot to like about the kid. “Morrison’s game revolves around speed as everything he does, he does with pace. He has break-away speed, lightning-quick hands and the ability to process the game at that same speed. It’s also worth noting that Morrison doesn’t play a perimeter game. He drives lanes and goes to tough areas. In doing that he also avoids contact while showing a unique ability to create plays despite immense traffic.” Morrison scored 97 goals in one season while he played Bantam hockey. He is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on.

Morrison’s stats from last season: 23 goals, 27 assists – 50 points in 67 games

With the 119th pick of the draft, the Rangers selected Right Winger Daniel Burnhardt of Djurgarden Jr. of the Sweden Jr. league. Bernhardt, who stands at 6’3” and weighs 191 pounds, is not a small player and with the size he possesses, is definitely worth the 4th round pick the Rangers used on him. Bernhardt has good offensive instincts and it will be interesting to see where he fits down the line within the Rangers organization.

Bernhardt’s stats from last season: 26 goals, 35 assists – 61 points in 44 games

With their final pick in the draft, 184th, the Rangers selected Goaltender Adam Huska of the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. He is seen as a smart athletic goaltender but one that is still a few years away from being NHL ready. He needs time to develop. With a goaltender like Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers can afford to take time to develop goaltending talent.

Huska’s stats from last season – 6 games played, 4.34 GAA, .866 save percentage

After the conclusion of the draft the Rangers traded young forward Ryan Haggerty to the Chicago Blackhawks to for goalie Antti Raanta. Raanta is an established backup goaltender in the NHL who will fit right in with the Rangers after the trade of Cam Talbot. Last season in Chicago, Raanta sported a record of 7 – 4 – 1 and had a 1.89 GAA to go along with a .936 save percentage.