Prospect Info: 2023-2024 Rangers Prospects Thread (Prospect Stats in Post #1; Updated 05.22.2024)

[cwede]

Yeah Laba not signing bugs me. I don’t see any benefit for him going back to CC for another year short of making a run at a championship but I don’t know how realistic that is.

Bugs me too. Having him in Hartford next season would be better for his development. Seems like his game is a good fit at the pro level

The decision could be education-based, something to fall back on if hockey doesn't work out. CC is an expensive college ...Once he goes pro, the cost of that education will be fully out of pocket, and his earning potential will be limited if he doesn't make it to the NHL.

Laba going back doesn't bug me as much. He had a very good season as a sophomore but going back and completing his junior season won't hurt him. Refine his offensive game, get prime PP and PK minutes. He will get more time to train physically in college than in the pros as well with a less hectic schedule and when he signs, he'll likely get 10-15 games in the AHL to finish next season.

I also don't see downside with Laba staying another year at CC.
Or with any kids staying. Especially after only 2 years.

Even the Chmelar signing surprised me some, but he seems more physically mature, leaving home at 15 to play in 4 seasons Finland had to help mature mentally, and he's had 35 games repping Czechia in tourneys, incl 2 WJCs

Jones was on the verge of returning to UMass for 3rd season, til his outstanding HE and FF championship performance moved the needle

CC has had roster turnover, Laba will be in a leadership role (will wear an A),
and he will face raised expectations after his strong soph season.

Also btw not signing him, yet, means his ELC not overlapping with so many other promising early career forwards.

As it is, adding BMB, Chmelar and Roorbroeck (assuming KV spends next season back in Europe), to Othmann, Berard, Sykora, Edstrom, Korczak, is a lot of youth and talent and versatility.
Pack will be fun to follow next season

 

[bhamill]

The decision could be education-based, something to fall back on if hockey doesn't work out.

CC is an expensive college. Tuition alone is 70k and if you add in meals, housing, etc., you're looking at over 91k per year. I have no idea what sort of financial aid/scholarships Laba is getting, but I assume it's something. Once he goes pro, the cost of that education will be fully out of pocket, and his earning potential will be limited if he doesn't make it to the NHL.

Holy Moly. CC is more expensive than NYU at about 60K. Its ALL sticker shock for me. I went to NYU from 80-84 and it was like 7K a year. Luckily I got a scholarship because I couldn't afford 7K a year even though I was working, and my parents thought I'd be dead by 25, so they weren't up for co-signing any loans. Hahahaha. If I didn't get a free ride somewhere I was off to Alaska to crab fish. I like the way it turned out.

 

[apoptygma]

The amount of games in junior hockey just seem to high for optimal development from my point of view. Players getting drafted also are the top players on their team playing big minutes on 60+ nights a year at the same time their body is still growing and filling out just looks unoptimal for a person that have never played hockey (but played other team sports in youth). The college schedule looks very good for player development, but how much time do they need to use on actual school stuff?

 

[NYR Viper]

The amount of games in junior hockey just seem to high for optimal development from my point of view. Players getting drafted also are the top players on their team playing big minutes on 60+ nights a year at the same time their body is still growing and filling out just looks unoptimal for a person that have never played hockey (but played other team sports in youth). The college schedule looks very good for player development, but how much time do they need to use on actual school stuff?

I think the college schedule, along with possible international tournament participation is the best path honestly. 45-55 games a year spread out with a high end tournament in there.

 

[kovazub94]

The decision could be education-based, something to fall back on if hockey doesn't work out.

CC is an expensive college. Tuition alone is 70k and if you add in meals, housing, etc., you're looking at over 91k per year. I have no idea what sort of financial aid/scholarships Laba is getting, but I assume it's something. Once he goes pro, the cost of that education will be fully out of pocket, and his earning potential will be limited if he doesn't make it to the NHL.

I'd never guessed that CC was this expensive! And I thought paying for my kids at NU and UConn was expensive.

Otherwise, out of all prospects Laba seemed the most ready to turn pro following his end of the season.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

The decision could be education-based, something to fall back on if hockey doesn't work out.

CC is an expensive college. Tuition alone is 70k and if you add in meals, housing, etc., you're looking at over 91k per year. I have no idea what sort of financial aid/scholarships Laba is getting, but I assume it's something. Once he goes pro, the cost of that education will be fully out of pocket, and his earning potential will be limited if he doesn't make it to the NHL.

Yeah if the decision was to better position himself to graduate I can’t hate on that either.

 

[nyr2k2]

The amount of games in junior hockey just seem to high for optimal development from my point of view. Players getting drafted also are the top players on their team playing big minutes on 60+ nights a year at the same time their body is still growing and filling out just looks unoptimal for a person that have never played hockey (but played other team sports in youth). The college schedule looks very good for player development, but how much time do they need to use on actual school stuff?

The NCAA has been surging as a top choice for Canadian and European kids for 20 years, and understandably so (not coincidentally the USHL has been growing and getting even better, too). For a lot of guys, the chance to play against bigger, stronger, more mature--and overall better--competition is the way to go. The academic part is real though.

I don't know what the current NCAA regs are, but they've always had limits on how much and when guys can practice/workouts/whatever. You can get in a lot of trouble for violating those limits. Most of the kids won't have any pro career at all, or a brief, low-level one at best, so they want that degree. Of course ECAC with the Ivy League school, Hockey East, those are all big time academic institutions. The Big 10 is of course no joke and just in general, the D1 hockey schools are mostly very good actual schools with degrees that carry a lot of weight.

Point being the guys do get plenty of classroom time. You do get the "athlete classes" but generally speaking a kid playing at BC or Harvard or Michigan, they're going to be spending real time taking real classes.

 

[kovazub94]

The NCAA has been surging as a top choice for Canadian and European kids for 20 years, and understandably so (not coincidentally the USHL has been growing and getting even better, too). For a lot of guys, the chance to play against bigger, stronger, more mature--and overall better--competition is the way to go. The academic part is real though.

I don't know what the current NCAA regs are, but they've always had limits on how much and when guys can practice/workouts/whatever. You can get in a lot of trouble for violating those limits. Most of the kids won't have any pro career at all, or a brief, low-level one at best, so they want that degree. Of course ECAC with the Ivy League school, Hockey East, those are all big time academic institutions. The Big 10 is of course no joke and just in general, the D1 hockey schools are mostly very good actual schools with degrees that carry a lot of weight.

Point being the guys do get plenty of classroom time. You do get the "athlete classes" but generally speaking a kid playing at BC or Harvard or Michigan, they're going to be spending real time taking real classes.

And with the education prices right now - a four-year commitment on a full ride is savings of $300k-$400k which in a pre-tax earnings equivalent is half-mill or more. I never though about it this way but relatively speaking it might be more "profitable" to spend a year in college instead of in AHL everything else being equal.

 

[NYR Viper]

And with the education prices right now - a four-year commitment on a full ride is savings of $300k-$400k which in a pre-tax earnings equivalent is half-mill or more. I never though about it this way but relatively speaking it might be more "profitable" to spend a year in college instead of in AHL everything else being equal.

Especially when given the other advantages along with the fact that, conceivably, they could play their season and still play 10-15 games to finish the year in the AHL while completing their semester

 

[noncents]

Laba going back for a year and staggering the contracts a bit is fine!

 

[Leetch3]

you also need to factor in hartford's roster and where the prospect would fit in if he makes the job....big difference in the conversation if you are talking about a kid leaving school to play top 6 minutes or even top 9 minutes in the AHL vs leaving school to be a healthy scratch or in the ECHL

 

[kovazub94]

Laba going back for a year and staggering the contracts a bit is fine!

This is a given. Again the only surprising part is that he looked better (the best?) prepared to make the jump among those who actually did based on one factor or another.

 

[eco's bones]

Barbashev and Tarnstrom have to sign by June 1 or our rights expire. My guess is the Rangers won't sign either. Barbashev did get in one game late in the season with Hartford.

 

[Ranger Ric]

Barbashev and Tarnstrom have to sign by June 1 or our rights expire. My guess is the Rangers won't sign either. Barbashev did get in one game late in the season with Hartford.

It's not inconceivable that Barbashev is offered an AHL deal. You see that sometimes with lower round draft choices. That the Rangers brought him to Hartford at all indicates some interest. But I agree with you about NHL contracts.

The Rangers only have two decisions for 2025, both August 15, Hank Kempf and Zachary Karpa.

With the Rangers not having many picks recently the team's current reserve list only has 13 players including Barbashev and Tarnstrom, who should be deleted on June 1 and 35 year old Pashnin, the apparently retired Kjelberg and Lauri Pajuniemi who had a good year in the SHL.

 

[Matt Rentfree]

Holy Moly. CC is more expensive than NYU at about 60K. Its ALL sticker shock for me. I went to NYU from 80-84 and it was like 7K a year. Luckily I got a scholarship because I couldn't afford 7K a year even though I was working, and my parents thought I'd be dead by 25, so they weren't up for co-signing any loans. Hahahaha. If I didn't get a free ride somewhere I was off to Alaska to crab fish. I like the way it turned out.

This is truly one of the only nice things about being old. My tuition for undergrad at a SUNY was $1,600/year. I honestly don't know how kids do it these days - if I was in that much debt, I'd jump off the Verrezano.

 

[kovazub94]

It's not inconceivable that Barbashev is offered an AHL deal. You see that sometimes with lower round draft choices. That the Rangers brought him to Hartford at all indicates some interest. But I agree with you about NHL contracts.

The Rangers only have two decisions for 2025, both August 15, Hank Kempf and Zachary Karpa.

With the Rangers not having many picks recently the team's current reserve list only has 13 players including Barbashev and Tarnstrom, who should be deleted on June 1 and 35 year old Pashnin, the apparently retired Kjelberg and Lauri Pajuniemi who had a good year in the SHL.

Russian players have an option of going back to the KHL. They want their young players coming back to the league, and compared to having AHL contract and likely playing in the ECHL, KHL probably will sound pretty enticing.

 

[eco's bones]

It's not inconceivable that Barbashev is offered an AHL deal. You see that sometimes with lower round draft choices. That the Rangers brought him to Hartford at all indicates some interest. But I agree with you about NHL contracts.

The Rangers only have two decisions for 2025, both August 15, Hank Kempf and Zachary Karpa.

With the Rangers not having many picks recently the team's current reserve list only has 13 players including Barbashev and Tarnstrom, who should be deleted on June 1 and 35 year old Pashnin, the apparently retired Kjelberg and Lauri Pajuniemi who had a good year in the SHL.

Looking at the last 5 drafts....signed players with an asterisk, NHL players with two asterisks:

2019
Kakko**
Robertson*
Henriksson*
Jones**
Skinner*
Aaltonen
Edstrom*
Ciccolini

2020
Lafreniere**
Schneider**
Cuylle**
Tarnstrom
Garand*
Berard*
Vierling
Rempe**
Ollas*

2021
Othmann*
Grubbe
Korczak*
Lamb
Vaisanen*
Boyko*
Chmelar*
Kempf

2022
Sykora*
McConnell-Barker*
Laba
Mancini*
Barbashev
Karpa

2023
Perreault
Fortescue
Larsson
Roobroeck*
Hendricks


We've signed 22 of 36 guys.---6 are already NHL players and 3 of the unsigned look like surefire signings--Perreault, Fortescue and Laba. Edstrom is a strong candidate to make the NHL next year. Several others should get looks at training camp--Othmann, Sykora, Garand, Berard, Mancini and maybe even Chmelar and McConnell-Barker and a possible longer shot Roobroeck.

A significant majority of our prospects earned contracts and a pretty decent amount even of later picks have done well in the AHL so far as they've come. Not very many bad or forgettable picks.

At this point I'm not all that concerned with how many unsigned players we have in reserve because we have a lot of ELC guys to work through the next couple years as it is. I'm sure you remember the time when Marek Hrivik was one of the prospects we had. He would have been hard pressed to be in our current top 15. We've got a number of quality young players well on their way and not many openings at the NHL level to put them in. That's a great position to be in.

 

[noncents]

brody lamb big year incoming