Prospect Info: 2014-2015 Rangers Prospects Thread *Part II* (Player Stats in Post #1; Updated 1/19)

[Raspewtin]

Blainville decimated Quebec with their PP 7-3 tonight. Graves managed to escape even, with three shots and an assist. Walcott had no points.

 

[RangerBoy]

Brady Skjei could return this coming weekend

Freshman forward Leon Bristedt is still competing in the World Junior, but Lucia said after the game he is hopeful Bristedt and injured junior defenseman Brady Skjei will both be in the Gophers lineup next weekend against Michigan.

"There’s been very few games with everyone available to us," Lucia said. "Hopefully we can kind of put the lines together and the defensive pairs together and move forward."

http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/upon-further-review/2015/01/04/gophers-take-third-mariucci-classic

 

[SergeConstantin74]

Graves is the 3rd star of the month of December in the QMJHL.

Ryan Graves, Quebec Remparts defenseman, is the third star of the month. He scored 6 goals, assisted on 5 more and maintained a +9 rating in 10 games. He played 3 games with 2 or more points and one game of 3 goals on December 18th. He was able to keep a positive rating in 8 games and was chosen first star twice.

http://theqmjhl.ca/article/moynihan...-three-stars-for-the-month-of-december/165306

 

[Bluenote13]

Graves is the 3rd star of the month of December in the QMJHL.



http://theqmjhl.ca/article/moynihan...-three-stars-for-the-month-of-december/165306

'13 draft, the gift that keeps on givin ' !

 

[SergeConstantin74]

Nice article about Graves

Ryan Graves: A pillar on the blue line

Standing at a towering 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 215 pounds, Remparts defenceman Ryan Graves is tough to miss. Ask any winger who dares try to slip by him along the boards and they’ll tell you they’d rather go head-to-head with a Zamboni! It should come as little surprise that his idol is Chris Pronger...

http://theqmjhl.ca/article/ryan-graves-a-pillar-on-the-blue-line

 

[Synergy27]

Nice article about Graves



http://theqmjhl.ca/article/ryan-graves-a-pillar-on-the-blue-line

So this kid is bigger, more mobile, and better offensively than McIlrath? I know this Quebec team is a powerhouse, so maybe we shouldn't be putting too much stock in his numbers, but in McIlrath's best season he had 0.44 p/g. Graves is almost doubling that right now.

Am I wrong to be excited about him?

 

[Raspewtin]

So this kid is bigger, more mobile, and better offensively than McIlrath? I know this Quebec team is a powerhouse, so maybe we shouldn't be putting too much stock in his numbers, but in McIlrath's best season he had 0.44 p/g. Graves is almost doubling that right now.

Am I wrong to be excited about him?

Nope.

Plenty of room on the Graves hype train

 

[SnowblindNYR]

So this kid is bigger, more mobile, and better offensively than McIlrath? I know this Quebec team is a powerhouse, so maybe we shouldn't be putting too much stock in his numbers, but in McIlrath's best season he had 0.44 p/g. Graves is almost doubling that right now.

Am I wrong to be excited about him?

Most importantly wasn't drafted with a top 10 pick.

 

[RGY]

I really hope Graves keeps progressing. The Rangers could use more depth in their defensemen prospect pool.

I also like Bodie a lot.

 

[JohnC]

I don't get to watch Graves at all, would a Sam Morin comparison be off base?

 

[Raspewtin]

The thing I like about Graves is he skates well...........objectively. Like, he doesn't skate well "for a big man". He's just a good skater in general. That's a very nice attribute in the modern NHL.

I don't get to watch Graves at all, would a Sam Morin comparison be off base?

A lot meaner and a bit smoother of a skater IMO.

Morin is also thinner, and with more offense.

If Graves follows the same development path as Morin has so far.............we will be in for a real treat.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Bodie is a twig, and I'm skeptical that he'll ever be able to put on the weight needed to handle the rigors of the NHL.

 

[RGY]

Bodie is a twig, and I'm skeptical that he'll ever be able to put on the weight needed to handle the rigors of the NHL.

Well that is what the AHL time is for.

 

[ecemleafs]

Well that is what the AHL time is for.

the dude will be 25 in 2 months. being as thin as he is at that age leaves me skeptical he will ever be big enough to handle the NHL.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Walcott>>>Bodie. They're both rail thin but Walcott's got legit wheels which gives him a shot.

I don't get to watch Graves at all, would a Sam Morin comparison be off base?

I think Graves has looked better than Morin in the Q but I also think Morin's game is more suited for the NHL than junior hockey, he was the one guy the Flyers had in camp that really stood out to me. This kind of thing happens all the time though, Ryan McDonagh turned out better than the rest of the D at Wisconsin (Gardiner, Schultz, Smith) despite looking like a lesser player at that level and we'll see it with Brady Skjei and Mike Reilly too (who doesn't look like an NHL player to me.)

Morin is much more natural with the puck on his stick too. Graves doesn't really move the puck all that well, which is the one area of his game he needs to improve the most IMO.

 

[RGY]

the dude will be 25 in 2 months. being as thin as he is at that age leaves me skeptical he will ever be big enough to handle the NHL.

That's fair. But it is still possible to put on muscle. I'm around the same age and I've put on a lot of muscle over the past 6 months so it is not like it can't be done Lol. It is definitely doable with the right workout regimen. But also considering he has been working out (or not working out) and competing at the NCAA level and now the NHL level maybe you're right and there is no going up for him with his body.

 

[Synergy27]

Walcott>>>Bodie. They're both rail thin but Walcott's got legit wheels which gives him a shot.



I think Graves has looked better than Morin in the Q but I also think Morin's game is more suited for the NHL than junior hockey, he was the one guy the Flyers had in camp that really stood out to me. This kind of thing happens all the time though, Ryan McDonagh turned out better than the rest of the D at Wisconsin (Gardiner, Schultz, Smith) despite looking like a lesser player at that level and we'll see it with Brady Skjei and Mike Reilly too (who doesn't look like an NHL player to me.)

Morin is much more natural with the puck on his stick too. Graves doesn't really move the puck all that well, which is the one area of his game he needs to improve the most IMO.

Yeah, I haven't seen Graves play at all, but I'm hearing that most of his offense comes from his shot, which is apparently really, really good. If this kid can turn into a big, mobile 3/4 kinda guy that bombs away from the point on the PP I think we'd all have to be very happy about that eh?

 

[Raspewtin]

Walcott>>>Bodie. They're both rail thin but Walcott's got legit wheels which gives him a shot.



I think Graves has looked better than Morin in the Q but I also think Morin's game is more suited for the NHL than junior hockey, he was the one guy the Flyers had in camp that really stood out to me. This kind of thing happens all the time though, Ryan McDonagh turned out better than the rest of the D at Wisconsin (Gardiner, Schultz, Smith) despite looking like a lesser player at that level and we'll see it with Brady Skjei and Mike Reilly too (who doesn't look like an NHL player to me.)

Morin is much more natural with the puck on his stick too. Graves doesn't really move the puck all that well, which is the one area of his game he needs to improve the most IMO.

Eh, I think Graves is acceptable with the puck. It's not his strong suit or anything, but he's not a liability.

 

[RangerBoy]

Brady Skjei has been cleared to play this weekend against Michigan.

 

[Raspewtin]

Graves assisted on Quebec's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Baie-Comeau.

Also had a fight, I don't remember the last time he fought.

 

[ecemleafs]

Graves assisted on Quebec's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Baie-Comeau.

Also had a fight, I don't remember the last time he fought.

truculence and skill!

 

[cwede]

Graves assisted on Quebec's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Baie-Comeau.
Also had a fight, I don't remember the last time he fought.

Next year's defense pipeline could be remarkable with Walcott, Graves and Donnay turning pro, probably Skjei too, Zamorsky returning from Europe, and after 2 full seasons at Greenville, Noreau will hopefully earn a full-time spot w HWP.
Add them to McIlrath, Allen, Hughes and Bodie, and even if Donnay and Walcott are in ECHL, we won't need to gfive so much ice time to guys with no NYR future such as Kostka, Spinnell and Jackson. Hopefully with a revamped coach staff in Harftord (no disrepect to Beuk)

 

[SergeConstantin74]

Graves assisted on Quebec's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Baie-Comeau.

Also had a fight, I don't remember the last time he fought.

 

[Raspewtin]

Ouch.

 

[SergeConstantin74]

Ouch.

It was a draw. Not a lot of big punches landed and Graves fell when the other got on his back.