Coming off a week that had one game on tap, the Wolf Pack are preparing for the busy week ahead. Despite the constant change on the roster, Hartford continues to find ways to win games. Entering the week, Hartford has won four straight and six of their last ten games. This puts the Pack fifth in the Atlantic Division with a record of 11-9-1-2 for 25 points. A few points separate the second place Bridgeport Sound Tigers to the seventh place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Let’s take a look at the latest happenings.

Roster Moves Galore

Moves Involving the Maine Mariners

• Forward Terrence Wallin was released from his Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO) and assigned to Maine. The forward was brought in for four games when Hartford lost a few players from the call ups from New York. He was a good fourth-line player after he adjusted. He was doing the small aspects of the game simple. I think we will see him up again at some point.

• In another move, prospect forward Ryan Gropp was assigned to Maine as well. The prospect spent a full season with Hartford last season, notching 14 goals and seven assists for 21 points. In his rookie year, he was off to a good start. Fast forward to this season, he is struggling. Keith McCambridge and Chris Drury gave the prospect 19 games to perform. Unfortunately, his time was up.  He recorded two goals and three assists for five points. His defensive game was not entirely noticeable and was usually quiet on the ice. The forward also struggled offensively, generating not many chances. His overall game needs improvement and taking a step back is not always a bad idea. He will get top line minutes along with the other Rangers prospects in Maine. He needs to get comfortable and find himself.

Moves Involving Additions

• Forwards Matt Beleskey and Vinni Lettieri were up in New York and assigned to Hartford. Both players performed well with the Wolf Pack. The length of their stay is unknown as the Rangers are off until Saturday.

• Alexandar Georgiev was sent down and is expected to play a few games. In the past, he was sent down to play a game or two before getting called back up to New York. I expect his assignment to be short-term and eventually be up with New York.

• Defenseman Vince Pedrie joins Hartford after spending a week with Maine. This move was unusual as Hartford had enough defenseman to play. There are no injuries that are known. It’s possible his assignment is for a brief period of time.

Players Going Up

• Goaltender Dustin Tokarski has got the call up to New York. The scenario is interesting as the veteran goalie has performed well in the last four games. He was the hot goalie entering this week for the Pack. Depending on the situation with Alexandar Georgiev, Dustin Tokarski could return soon.

Standings Update

Here is a look at the Atlantic Division.

Hartford’s one game last week allowed other teams in the division to catch up for the number of games played. At the end of last weekend, multiple teams had played at least four to five games less than Hartford. Now, the gap is just one or two games. This is ideal for Hartford because we see a true measurement of where the Pack is in the competitive Atlantic Division.

As you can see, a losing streak potentially could bump you down near the bottom of the standings. A winning streak allows you to stay close with the higher ranked teams. Divisional games are key to win and Hartford has done well in winning those contests.

Keep in mind that Hartford plays Charlotte three times within the next two weeks. The Pack could possibly bring the Charlotte Checkers down in the dog fight for spots two through six. The gap between the two clubs still stands at 10 points.

Streaky Players

Let’s take a look at players who have raised their game as of late to help Hartford in the recent games.

• Peter Holland is becoming noticeable nightly on the score sheet. Currently, the veteran has points in seven straight games. He also has points in nine of the last eleven games (3G, 10A).

• The Cole train is rolling! Captain Cole Schneider has points in six straight games (3G, 4A). He had a slow start to the season, but has found a spark when he was put on the fourth-line. The veteran has responded well since then.

• John Gilmour continues to find his offense. The offensive blue-liner has points in six of the last eight games (3G, 6A).

• Matt Beleskey has found an offensive spark in the last four games, recording two goals and four assists for six points. This earned him a brief call up to New York. He has played a well-rounded game on both ends of the ice and has contributed to plays that resulted in goals. He helps get the dirty goals!

Who’s in Maine?

Currently, there are four Rangers prospects and two players on American Hockey League deals with the Maine Mariners.

Rangers Prospects

• Ryan Gropp
• Ty Ronning
• Sean Day
• Brandon Halverson

AHL Deal With Hartford

• Drew Melanson
• Jason Salvaggio

The Rangers organization has more than usual with their ECHL affiliate. This is due to the competition for spots in New York and Hartford along with the rebuild process that involves an influx of young prospects. Any of these players could be back in Hartford if they perform well enough with Maine.

Upcoming Games

Hartford has three games on tap this week.

Wednesday, December 5th vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7pm, Webster Bank Arena

• This is the fifth meeting in the rivalry series against Bridgeport. So far, Hartford is 3-1 in the season series.
• Two weeks ago, Hartford swept a home at home series against Bridgeport with a shootout plus regulation win.
• Bridgeport is five points ahead of Hartford for second place.
• The Sound Tigers have lost three of their last five contests.
• Hartford has collected six out of eight possible points in the season series.

Friday, December 7th vs Charlotte Checkers (Carolina) at 7:15pm, XL Center

• This will be the second out of eight meetings against Charlotte. The first meeting was on December 1st as Hartford won 5-3.
• The Checkers have lost two of their last five games. However, they are 6-3-1 in the last ten games.
• Charlotte is ahead of Hartford by ten points.

Saturday, December 8th vs Hershey Bears at 7pm, Giant Center

• This is the second meeting between both clubs. Hartford lost the first meeting on November 4th in the shootout, 2-1.
• Hershey has lost three of their last five games, and five of their previous ten.
• Hartford face the Bears a total of six times this season.

It’s go time. The regular season for the Wolf Pack begins on Friday night. The club has finalized their roster, which has the potential to make noise in the American Hockey League. I’m excited about this season since the organization has stocked up for the farm and the youth movement has begun in the big club.

Preseason Outcome

Hartford defeated Bridgeport by the final of 2-1. Shawn St. Amant registered both goals for the Pack. Brandon Halverson started in net and stopped 21 of 22 shots.

“I really liked our compete to loose pucks,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “We did a good job using our speed in the offensive zone to generate second and third opportunities.”

The Pack looked impressive in the outing as they had multiple chances and good transition. The players were playing with energy and precision from puck drop to the final buzzer and the Pack outshot Bridgeport 43 to 22.

Finalized Roster

The Pack have two goalies, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards.

Goalies: Marek Mazanec, and Dustin Tokarski.

Defense: Chris Bigras, Sean Day, John Gilmour, Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Rob O’Gara, Brandon Crawley, and Vince Pedrie.

Forwards: Lias Andersson, Bobby Butler, Steven Fogarty, Gabriel Fontaine, Tim Gettinger, Ryan Gropp, Peter Holland, Dawson Leedahl, Michael Lindqvist, Ville Meskanen, Shawn O’Donnell, Ty Ronning, Shawn St. Amant, and Cole Schneider.

Lines will be determined later in the week when they approach Friday’s game.

Who’s Cut?

The following players were sent down to Maine of the ECHL.

Goalies (3): Brandon Halverson, Chris Nell, and Connor LaCouvee

Defenseman (2): Derek Pratt and Scott Savage.

Forwards (6): Drew Melanson, Jason Salvaggio, Riley Bourbonnais, Alex Kile, Mike Marnell, and Brady Vail.

Upcoming Games

Week one of the AHL season features two home games for the Wolf Pack, and the first road game will be in the following week.

Friday, October 5th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• Hartford’s opening night.
• Providence has lost a few powerful players in the off-season from free agency.
• The first of ten games against the Bruins.  There are 20 points on the table in the season series.
• The Pack play Providence three times in October.

Sunday, October 7th vs Laval Rocket (Montreal) at 3:00 pm, XL Center

• Hartford plays Laval twice, one home and one away.
• The Rocket struggled last season. The organization lost ten games to finish the 2017-18 season for 58 points. They had the least amount of points in the league.
• The Pack will finish the season series within a ten-game span. The next outing will be on Wednesday, October 17th in Laval.
• The Pack went 0-1-1 in the season series last year.

Watch and Listen

You can listen to the Pack on the iHeartRadio app on your mobile device. On the desktop, you can listen through here. The Pack is on News Radio 1410 WPOP Hartford.

To watch, there is a cheap way! Follow the action on AHL TV. Hartford’s package to watch every game is $59.99. For home or away games with Hartford, the pricing drops to $39.99. There is also a monthly pass of $19.99 or a daily pass for $6.99.

AHL Rule Changes

There are minor tweaks this season for the AHL. However, the biggest change is when a team takes a penalty. This raises the stakes higher.

76.2 – Apparently a late addition: When a penalty leads to a power play, they will still face off in the defensive end of the penalized team. But now, the team going on the power play will get to pick at which dot they’ll face off, and the defending team won’t get to change after that. (Even if that draw comes to the neutral zone, whether because the team going on the power play iced the puck, or because its defensemen joined a scrum below the dots, the team going on the power play still gets to pick the dot.)

The Pack has to be smart when taking penalties. Otherwise, this could bite them in critical moments in the game. This is being tried in the AHL, and if successful, it could be in the NHL down the road.

Wolf Pack general manager Chris Drury announced the training camp schedule for the organization. Hartford will receive additional players from New York when more cuts are announced by David Quinn and the Rangers. The club will begin training camp with a few invitees and players from New York.

Schedule

The training camp opens on Saturday, September 22 at the XL Center in Hartford. Day one is on ice testing, while other days include practice and off-ice workouts. During the day of the preseason games, the non-game group will have practice while the other group will not as they prep for the game. Here is the full schedule:

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Who’s Here?

Currently, Hartford has the first cuts of players from the Rangers along with invitees. In addition, a few Maine players are on the training camp list as well.

The Wolf Pack will open training camp with a roster of 17 players, 10 forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders:

The Wolf Pack will open training camp with a roster of 17 players, 10 forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders:

Goal (3): Connor LaCouvee, Brandon Halverson, Chris Nell

Defense (4): Sean Day, Vince Pedrie, Derek Pratt, Scott Savage

Forwards (10): Riley Bourbonnais, Alex Kile, Dawson Leedahl, Mike Marnell, Drew Melanson, Shawn O’Donnell, Ty Ronning, Shawn St. Amant, Jason Salvaggio, Brady Vail

More players will be in the training camp at a later date. The cuts made by Hartford will not begin until after the first preseason game.

Preseason Dates

As a reminder, Hartford plays back to back games:

• Friday, September 28th vs Bridgeport at 1:00 pm
• Saturday, September 29th vs Bridgeport at 1:00 pm

The first cuts from the Packs training camp will likely be after the first game. Stay tuned for updates as they unfold. Hartford will have to submit their finalized roster either Wednesday, October 3rd or Thursday, October 4th to the American Hockey League. The season opens up on Friday, October 5th.

Fierce Competition

As the Rangers make their cuts, the training camp in Hartford will become highly competitive. The group will have motivated, young, talented prospects to make the roster in the AHL. The league is the second best in North America.  Players on an invitation, such as Shawn O’Donnell who comes to training camp as a grizzled veteran will have a tough time battling for a spot against the Rangers fresh youth. Shawn O’Donnell is an ex-Pack player who played with the organization from the 2013-14 season to the 2015-16 season. The forward joined Hartford last season through a professional tryout agreement, playing in one contest with the Pack before being released.

As for other invitees, they will also have to bring it if they want to be considered a spot. From the top line to the fourth, there is limited space for everyone. If any prospect cannot crack Hartford’s lineup, they will be re-assigned to Maine and participate in their training camp.

It will be interesting to see who ends up where throughout the organization.

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown!

Roster Cuts

The Rangers announced their first round of roster cuts today, and a couple of the names may be a little surprising to some.

Ty Ronning, who lit up the WHL scoresheet last season with the Vancouver Giants, did have a chance to at least compete for a spot on this year’s Rangers roster. That being said, there is no harm in sending him back to Hartford to start the season. Ronning has played in just 15 AHL games since joining the organization and having him get more professional seasoning under Keith McCambridge will definitely help his game.

Sean Day, the Rangers third-round draft pick back in 2016, is also being sent to Hartford. Day has been talked about for quite some time now as one of the better defensemen in the Rangers system, yet he won’t even be given the chance to play in a preseason game for the Blueshirts. Day is a very good skater, but he does have consistency issues according to Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects. “His consistency and enthusiasm exhibited at the game’s defining moments do seem to wane, and the pressure felt seems to impact his decision-making slightly.” The 20-year-old is by no means going to be relegated to Hartford for the rest of his career, but he does need to improve if he wants to appear on Broadway sooner rather than later.

Practice Report

Rangers head coach David Quinn spoke to the media about the Eric Gryba hit on Boo Nieves during last night’s preseason victory. Nieves, who was held out of practice today with a concussion, was involved in a helmet to helmet collision with the Devils defenseman. Quinn said that he was happy his team won the game, which some would argue is the best revenge, but he did acknowledge there are other ways his team could have answered for Gryba’s actions.

Mika Zibanejad has practiced with the team over the last couple of days after having the wind knocked out of him by 2018 third-rounder Joey Keane. Zibanejad could play tomorrow night against the Flyers but told reporters he hadn’t been informed if he would be in the lineup.

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Panarin on Broadway

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the feeling around the NHL is that Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin wants to play for the Rangers. Portzline has previously reported that Panarin gave Columbus a September deadline to reach a long-term extension for the young Russian to remain in The Buckeye State, but now that seems unlikely. If these reports are correct, there is no reason for Jeff Gorton to give up assets now for the 26-year-old when he is likely to become a free-agent next summer.

We’ve covered Panarin extensively on the site all summer.

Tampa Caught Tampering?

This tweet from the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov raised some eyebrows, not just because of the photo but because of what was said.

Vasy and I showing @9Artemi how good it is to play in Tampa pic.twitter.com/I1sWJgWINz

— Nikita Kucherov (@86Kucherov) August 23, 2018

Remember, Panarin is still a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Summer Hockey Roundup

As we inch closer and closer to training camp, the various summer hockey leagues are ending. Rangers players and prospects all performed well in their respective leagues, including Blueshirt prospect, Vince Pedrie who won the CPHL Championship.

Your 2018 #CPHL Champions! Congratulations Team Warrior! pic.twitter.com/hv8RYFeaKd

— Chicago Pro Hockey League (@chiprohockey) August 24, 2018

He also scored this gem in the playoffs.

We had some filthy goals in the first half of action! This backhand toe drag was one of them. ??#CPHL pic.twitter.com/eqQOhqWKdz

— Chicago Pro Hockey League (@chiprohockey) August 23, 2018

In other news, Vinni Lettieri was one of the top point getters in Da Beauty League with 10 goals and 21 points in 9 games.

Thanks a lot @adidashockey for hooking up the fellas at @DaBeautyLeague with some shoes and apparel pic.twitter.com/oYgN72xo6Y

— Vinni Lettieri (@19Lettieri95) August 15, 2018

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Michael Grabner

According to reports from Craig Custance of The Athletic, Michael Grabner has reached out to the Rangers, but the two sides have not communicated. The veteran Austrian winger who flourished in 135 games on Broadway, has garnered a lot of interest around the league after scoring 27 goals in each of the last two seasons. The Rangers would be wise to bring Grabner back; a guy who would be a good mentor to the young guns around him that can keep up in a fast-paced NHL.

Justin Faulk

An interesting name that has lurked around the rumor mill in the last few months has been Carolina Hurricanes All-Star defenseman, Justin Faulk. The 26-year-old captain has roughly $5 million owed to him in each of the next two seasons, but depending on the price, he would absolutely be worth it. And as Scott Burnside reported yesterday in The Athletic, it would appear that the Hurricanes have their eyes on Jeff Gorton and the Rangers.

NYRPDC Day Three

The Rangers held their first scrimmage of prospect camp yesterday and there was a lot of action in the competitive game that went to a shootout. Ville Meskanen scored a pair of goals, and Libor Hajek and Filip Chytil also added markers. The 4-4 deadlock was won in the shootout by Gabriel Fontaine, who pulled off what’s been dubbed “The Kucherov” as he fooled the goaltender as the puck slid between his legs. While the deke was nice, Vince Pedrie decided to chirp his fellow Rangers prospect.

After the scrimmage, the prospects got a tour of Madison Square Garden led by Rangers legend Brian Leetch. Following the tour of their new home, the prospects were taken to the 9/11 Memorial Museum where K’Andre Miller laid flowers on the memorial fountains.

Following what had to be an emotional trip to the 9/11 Museum, the young Blueshirts got a boat tour of New York City.

Specialty Teams

The penalty kill is one of the consistent areas for this year’s group. They are ranked sixth in the American Hockey League for the penalty kill and third in the Eastern Conference.  Hartford has killed 88.6% of penalties.

The power play has it’s up and down moments, but overall, the performance has been good for the club. They are ranked sixth in the league and fourth in the Eastern Conference, operating at 23.3%. For instance, Friday’s game had six power plays which the Pack could not convert on. On Saturday and Sunday, they notched a total of four power-play goals in six opportunities.

Abundance of Roster Moves

The past few days have been busy for the organization, and the Hartford roster continues to be ever-changing. Saturday had the first move, with forward Matt Puempel being traded to Detriot, in exchange for Ryan Sproul. The Pack lost an offensive forward and gained an extra guy for the blue line. Sproul should debut on Friday against Bridgeport.

The second move was defenseman Garrett Noonan getting sent down to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. The move put Hartford back at seven defensemen.

Tuesday was active. The Rangers announced that they played Adam Cracknell on waivers.  He cleared and will be joining the Pack. In addition, Tony DeAngelo was sent down by the Rangers to Hartford. Currently, there are eight defensemen with Hartford, but another move is expected to happen soon to bring down the total back to seven. This organization cannot afford to healthy-scratch any prospects.

Later in the evening on Tuesday, the Rangers announced that Cristoval Nieves has been called up. He looks to help the struggling Rangers and provide more help on center.

Notes

1. Filip Chytil had an awkward collision with a Penguins player on Saturday night in the second period and did not return to the game. He was also scratched on Sunday. His injury is considered minor and he should be back over the weekend.
2. Brandon Crawley and Vince Pedrie recorded their first pro goals on Sunday against Bridgeport.
3. Alexandar Georgiev played on Saturday and held down the crease well. He faced 44 shots on net in the shootout loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  The game was his second start of the season.

Upcoming Weekend

Hartford has another three games in three days this weekend. They are home on Friday and are in Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday.

• Friday, October 27th vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7:15 pm, XL Center
  • This finishes a home-and-home series with Bridgeport. The first meeting was on last Sunday, which the Pack lost. A fast start with a full effort will benefit Hartford. The Sound Tigers had total control in the previous meeting beating the Wolf Pack 6-3.
• Saturday, October 28th vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7:05 pm, PPL Center
  • The Phantoms won four straight games after losing their first two. The first meeting between the clubs resulted in a Wolf Pack win, 2-1 in the shootout. The offensively talented Phantoms will test Hartford again.
• Sunday, October 29th vs Hershey Bears (Capitals) at 5:00, Giant Center
  • Hershey is off to a slow start, winning one game out of six they have played this season. The Bears faced a significant roster turnover in the offseason. This is the third game in three days for Hartford, and it will test the prospects again on handling a lot of games in a short amount of time.

The Rangers kicked off their 2017 Training Camp with Media Day, where the players and coaches meet with the media masses to discuss the upcoming season.

The players seemed to have a lot of fun, getting together again for the first time as a team (officially) since the Rangers were eliminated by the Ottawa Senators in May. And while the players were off doing their photoshoot, head coach Alain Vigneault was making some minor headlines of his own. Here are some of the things the bench boss discussed. You can listen to the full press conference here.

Miller in the Middle

One of the first things Alain Vigneault told the media was that JT Miller was going to be playing center to start the season. This isn’t much of a surprise, considering that the team was unable to find a trade for a third line center, as was mentioned previously. Miller does have experience playing center. He is a career 45% on faceoffs and is going to be counted on to step up and round out his game. This decision by the Rangers’ brass means a few things.

This decision by the Rangers’ brass means a few things. First, it means that 2017 draft pick Lias Andersson won’t be rushed into the NHL. The only chance the 18-year-old Swede had of sticking with this team was being the fourth line center; and with Jeff Gorton having brought in David Desharnais, Andrew Desjardins (PTO) and the rest of the more experienced prospects in Hartford, there simply wasn’t going to be room for Andersson on the roster.

 “This is a good chance for us to get him some work in the middle. At some point, whether it be early on in the season, he’s probably going to play a little bit of center. It happened last year, it happened the year before, so giving him that experience right off the bat is a good thing… He’s not a young player anymore. He’s a veteran player. I want to see that experience and I want to see what he can do at that position.” – Alain Vigneault

Second, this opens up a spot on the wing. Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Grabner, Jimmy Vesey, Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast and Chris Kreider are all locks to be regulars for the Blueshirts. Fast won’t be ready to go until the end of October as he continues to recover from his offseason hip surgery. So that leaves two spots open for players to come in and compete. One would have to assume that Matt Puempel gets a long look in camp, given his time with the Blueshirts last season. That still leaves a single vacancy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan Gropp, Ryan Kovacs or Ty Ronning to get long looks as well.

Deciding the Defense

Another revelation from the Rangers head coach was that Marc Staal and Nick Holden would be competing for ice time this year. Take this statement however you want, but the fact of the matter is that Marc Staal will be on the ice when the season starts in a few weeks. The veteran defenseman will be making $5.7 million next year and barring some disastrous playing from Staal, he won’t be seeing much of the press box.

Holden, on the other hand, should be competing for a spot. Head coach Alain Vigneault was quick to point out that Holden was one of the team’s better defensemen for 55 games (maybe that’s why he’s wearing the number now). But if Holden is to stick in the lineup, he’s going to have to be good for 82 games, not just 55. And Holden will have some serious competition coming into camp. The Rangers have a ton of young defensemen, all eager to break into the NHL. Anthony DeAngelo, Steven Kampfer Sean Day, Sergei Zborovsky and Alexei Bereglazov will all be getting looked at to make the opening night roster. Factor in NCAA free agent signings Vince Pedrie and Neal Pionk, and the Rangers depth on the blue line is something that will be exciting to watch over the next few years.

The King and His Crease

Heading into his age 36 season, Henrik Lundqvist is coming off one of his worst seasons as a professional. He recorded 31 wins, the eleventh time he’s recorded 30 or more victories in his career, but his season did not go smoothly. When asked about whether or not Henrik will have a games limit, Vigneault said: “after discussing with Benoit [Allaire] and Hank, I’m not giving him a number of games this year.” AV went on to explain that it will be based on how Henrik is feeling physically and mentally and that he will go from there. One little wrinkle here is that Henrik’s backup, Ondrej Pavelec, is a former starting goaltender himself. And with the help of Benoit Allaire, he can regain his previous form.

Media Day Fun

The Rangers players weren’t just being spoken about; they got to have some fun of their own on media day.

What to Watch For

Filling the Hole in the Middle

One thing the Rangers will be looking for during this camp is another bottom six center. The top two lines will be centered by Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes, but the third and fourth line roles are up for grabs. Jeff Gorton brought in David Desharnais on a one year deal, but the 31-year-old center is not a third line center by any stretch of the imagination. The Rangers are bringing in Andrew Desjardins on a PTO, and like Desharnais, he wouldn’t be the first choice for a third line center on most teams either.

So that leaves room for the Rangers prospects to step in and try and make a big enough impression on Alain Vigneault and the Rangers’ brass to make the roster. Players like Steven Fogarty and Cristoval “Boo” Nieves, who have spent the last two seasons in Hartford, should be getting a long look from the big club. Factor in 2017 first round draft pick Lias Andersson as well, and the Rangers have a few guys who may be serious competitors for a roster spot on opening night.

Determining the Defense

Another thing to look for is how the Rangers will fill out their defense. The Rangers top four is pretty much set in stone with Ryan McDonagh playing alongside free agent signing Kevin Shattenkirk, and youngster Brady Skjei playing next to veteran Brendan Smith. That leaves the bottom pair. Marc Staal will be on one side of the blue line, and the question remains as to who his partner will be. While it is most likely going to be his partner from last season Nick Holden, the Rangers have a bevy of options to choose from. They have 2017 Memorial Cup champion Sean Day, an offensive defenseman with great skating ability who they can bring in, but Day still has plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the puck. They have two Russian defensemen, Sergei Zborovsky and Alexei Bereglazov, both of whom are 6’4″ and are good in their own zone. The one caveat is that Bereglazov has a clause in his contract, much like former KHL teammate Pavel Buchnevich, that allows him to return to the KHL if he doesn’t make the Rangers roster.

Leading the charge is newly acquired Anthony DeAngelo, who the Rangers got from Arizona in the Derek Stepan/Antti Raanta trade. DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman with great skating ability but is lacking in his own zone. And speaking of offensive defensemen, they have 2017 Memorial Cup champion Sean Day, an offensive defenseman with great skating ability who they can bring in, but Day still has plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the puck. They have two Russian defensemen, Sergei Zborovsky and Alexei Bereglazov, both of whom are 6’4″ and are good in their own zone. The one caveat is that Bereglazov has a clause in his contract, much like former KHL teammate Pavel Buchnevich, that allows him to return to the KHL if he doesn’t make the Rangers roster.

Jeff Gorton and Alain Vigneault also have a group of NCAA signings to look at as well. Vince Pedrie and Neal Pionk were both signed out of college by the Blueshirts, and they will be looking to make a good impression as well. And let’s not forget about Steven Kampfer, who played a few games with the Rangers last season and had a little bit of success. Kampfer picked up a goal and an assist in ten games on Broadway and did a solid job in his own zone.

The Rangers have all of these guys competing for the sixth and seventh defenseman roles and hopefully, that pushes everyone to play at their best. The better these guys play, the harder it is for the coaches and general manager, but the players will be getting better trying to outperform the next guy.

These are just a couple of storylines to watch as the Rangers embark on the 2017-18 season. All of these questions will be answered in the coming weeks, and it will be a lot of fun to watch.

The off-season and free agency have been off to a strong start for the organization. Jeff Gorton is restocking and rebuilding the prospect pool while improving the Rangers themselves. The upcoming season looks promising in Hartford with two strong signings for the American Hockey League club. The addition of Kevin Shattenkirk provided more depth in the organization as well.

The Kevin Shattenkirk Impact

Kevin Shattenkirk returns home to New York on the first day of free agency. He should provide phenomenal defense for the Rangers, but what is unknown is his impact on the blue line regarding the young defensemen in the Rangers system.

Currently, the organization has Sergey Zborovskiy, Calle Sjalin, Anthony DeAngelo, Tarmo Reunanen, Vince Pedrie, Tyler Nanne, Ryan Graves, John Gilmour, Sean Day, Brandon Crawley, and Alexei Bereglazov with the minor league clubs. And a few of the guys in this list will compete for a potential spot in Hartford.

But since Kevin Shattenkirk joined the team, there probably won’t be any available spots for the defensive prospects in New York. But, this does allow their prospects to develop for a year down in the minors, and then if ready, can make the jump next season.

From a developmental standpoint, friendly competition is great to develop prospects.  The bar would rise and each player will have to up their game. The blue line would become packed in the system, especially in Hartford. None of these guys want to be sent packing from Hartford, so the battles on the back end should be intense during training camp.

New York Signs Two Impressive Forwards

On the first day of free agency, Jeff Gorton wasted no time in helping his team in Hartford. He signed forwards Paul Carey (No relation to Matt Carey of Hartford or Greg Carey of Lehigh Valley) and Cole Schneider to one year, two-way deals. Both players last season provided a strong offensive punch to their respective AHL clubs. Hartford now has two experienced veteran players. These signings Nicklas Jensen will have help to produce offense as well.

Paul Carey (24 goals, 31 assists for 55 points in 55 games with the Hershey Bears in the 2016-17 season)

Paul Carey is a 28-year-old forward with strong experience in the American Hockey League. He joins Hartford after spending two seasons in Hershey and joined the Washington Capitals for brief stints in the NHL for a total of eleven games with the club.  Last season, Carey made some strides offensively. He impressed me on March 18th, 2017 as he recorded four goals against Hartford. He was noticeable in each game in the series between Hershey and Hartford. Carey is not afraid to make plays, especially on the power play. He is a well rounded player who can score and assist. His veteran presence will guide the prospects in situations throughout the season on how to successfully tackle problems.

Cole Schneider (24 goals, 39 assists for 63 points in 71 games with the Rochester Americans in the 2016-17 season)

Cole Schneider joins Hartford after completing a one man show on offense for the struggling Rochester Americans last season. The 26-year-old forward is another veteran who has produced quality numbers in the past few seasons. He has proven that he can dominate in the American Hockey League. Schneider is more of a playmaker than a scorer. He will certainly help on the power play and compliment Nicklas Jensen.

Jensen is the sniper of the club and having players who feed him the puck will boost his numbers. Schneider can score when needed if the opportunity rises. He has a quick release and is not afraid to get in the dirty areas. I look forward to another season where he produces healthy offensive numbers. He can show prospects a few tips on converting their opportunities.

What’s Next?

Jeff Gorton still needs to sign players for Hartford and New York as his work is not done. From the standpoint of Hartford, the club is off to a strong start. He addressed the presence of quality veterans along with an offensive punch. I believe he will sign a few more proven American Hockey League players to pitch in on offense. He still needs to address the defense. Despite the depth on the blue line, we need another veteran to help the young prospects. Steven Kampfer returns but he cannot do it all himself.  Having another veteran on defense will give prospects two examples on how to play defense in specific situations. As for goalies, we need him to sign a proven goalie for Hartford. The goalies in the system are not ready for the AHL. Brandon Halverson should be in Hartford next season, but he needs the guidance of a quality starting goalie, similar to Magnus Hellberg.

I am looking forward to the next moves by Jeff Gorton.  In Jeff we trust.