Prospect Info: Rangers Prospects Thread (Stats in Post #1; Updated 5.29.18)

[kovazub94]

What exactly is the Russian Factor?

A need to eat borsh before every game. Not all teams can accommodate.

 

[True Blue]

A need to eat borsh before every game. Not all teams can accommodate.

Ahh....that explains it. I should have guessed.

 

[Tawnos]

And get Ryan Murray or Griffin Reinhart.

Ryan Murray would’ve been a good fit there. Too bad his career has totally be destroyed by injuries.

 

[Thirty One]

Ryan Murray would’ve been a good fit there. Too bad his career has totally be destroyed by injuries.

I'm guessing they're not kicking themselves.

 

[Edge]

Ryan Murray would’ve been a good fit there. Too bad his career has totally be destroyed by injuries.

And Murray was a kid who had some injury concerns before he ever played in the NHL, something we have to take into account when we look at some of the talented names that might be available in the upcoming draft.

 

[Kaapo Cabana]

What exactly is the Russian Factor?

There is more risk involved due to a number of factors, and that risk can lower a prospects stock.

• A marginal NHL player who is Russian has way more earning potential in the KHL. Why not go make more money at home?
• Some teams may not have the means to have a large scouting presence in Russia.
• Relations between the USA and Russia have been lukewarm at best.
• Teams have less control over their prospects in Russia. Extreme case, but Cherapanov would be alive today if the arena he was playing in had an AED. Thats a standard thing to have in athletic facilities in North America.

OTOH it can be a great way to find prospects who have fallen farther than they should have.

Buchnevich for example.

While there definitely are people out these who are biased against Russians for one reason or another, I think its reasonable to be apprehensive about picking Russians (who aren't surefire stars) because independent from the player, there is inherent risk involved.

 

[Edge]

There is more risk involved due to a number of factors, and that risk can lower a prospects stock.

• A marginal NHL player who is Russian has way more earning potential in the KHL. Why not go make more money at home?
• Some teams may not have the means to have a large scouting presence in Russia.
• Relations between the USA and Russia have been lukewarm at best.
• Teams have less control over their prospects in Russia. Extreme case, but Cherapanov would be alive today if the arena he was playing in had an AED. Thats a standard thing to have in athletic facilities in North America.

OTOH it can be a great way to find prospects who have fallen farther than they should have.

Buchnevich for example.

While there definitely are people out these who are biased against Russians for one reason or another, I think its reasonable to be apprehensive about picking Russians (who aren't surefire stars) because independent from the player, there is inherent risk involved.

I think teams also feel generally more comfortable with the read they can get on prospects from other regions. Even in 2018, it can still be harder to get a read on all but the very top young talents in Russia.

 

[nyr2k2]

In getting the tables setup for the draft/next season, I was struck by how many pro prospects we have. It's 27 right now, if you assume that all the RFAs are brought back (they won't be). Obviously they'll be spread over three levels (NHL, AHL and ECHL), but it's still a lot of guys. And, it's still possible we add another player or two. I can't go back and compare since the old posts were corrupted/lost in the platform change, but I think in an average season we would normally have 15-18 guys as professional prospects.

 

[Edge]

In getting the tables setup for the draft/next season, I was struck by how many pro prospects we have. It's 27 right now, if you assume that all the RFAs are brought back (they won't be). Obviously they'll be spread over three levels (NHL, AHL and ECHL), but it's still a lot of guys. And, it's still possible we add another player or two. I can't go back and compare since the old posts were corrupted/lost in the platform change, but I think in an average season we would normally have 15-18 guys as professional prospects.

I think what's truly interesting is the level of depth we might have after the draft.

Post-draft, you're potentially looking at one or both of Howden and Hajek, two very good prospects, not even being counted among the top 5 in the organization.

Likewise, you could be looking at a scenario in which a new top 10 pick isn't the leading candidate to be the Rangers' top prospect.

 

[Lindberg Cheese]

What exactly is the Russian Factor?

Taking tiolet paper from the men’s room to stock up at home

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I was going through my match day programs and I realized something odd when looking at the one from Denmark a few weeks ago.

Lias Andersson is listed as New York Rangers
Filip Chytil is listed as Hartford Wolf Pack

 

[Mac n Gs]

In getting the tables setup for the draft/next season, I was struck by how many pro prospects we have. It's 27 right now, if you assume that all the RFAs are brought back (they won't be). Obviously they'll be spread over three levels (NHL, AHL and ECHL), but it's still a lot of guys. And, it's still possible we add another player or two. I can't go back and compare since the old posts were corrupted/lost in the platform change, but I think in an average season we would normally have 15-18 guys as professional prospects.

Having picks that aren’t limited to the late 2nd and later is going to be a nice change of pace. I wonder how much of the 2012-15 cropp will be cut loose in favor of newer prospects with guys like Fogarty, Gropp, and Rambo

 

[nyr2k2]

Having picks that aren’t limited to the late 2nd and later is going to be a nice change of pace. I wonder how much of the 2012-15 cropp will be cut loose in favor of newer prospects with guys like Fogarty, Gropp, and Rambo

Gropp still has a couple years left before hitting RFA status, and he was only a first-year pro, so I'd think he's safe (even though he sucked).

Fogarty, Nieves, Tambellini are the three to watch, I think. And if I had to guess I'd say they let Fogarty and Tambellini walk, but qualify Nieves, who at least showed he can contribute something at the NHL level.

There's also Mazanec; what they do with him depends I think on what they do with Georgiev. If they take the approach that Georgiev is the backup to Lundqvist, then I can see them keeping Mazanec. If they decide to bring back Pavelec (I'm in a minority but I see this as plausible) or sign another established backup, then I think they also let Mazanec go.

Bigras, and to an extent O'Gara and Gilmour, are also guys they could conceivably let walk. I'd be pretty surprised if they let go of Bigras or Gilmour. I'd also be surprised and disappointed if they didn't stick with O'Gara, who I think can be a solid player in a system that isn't pure-man coverage for the most part.

 

[2014nyr]

What do you guys think of Ryan Merkley?

he's a guy i could see falling a long way, like 3rd round or later. he's phenominally talented and i wouldnt hate the pick even in the 2nd, but hes got a lot of baggage. he's small & his defensive play is mostly laughable. he does have skills though - instant offense with vision you cant teach, is a great skater, and even though his defense will never be a strength he has demonstrated he has a quick stick in breaking up plays and can use leverage to win puck battles when he decides to. there is definitely elite ppqb nhl talent there.

but i would be shocked if he was anywhere at all on our draft board. look at the guelph boards or do some googling. i'm far from an expert but i dont remember anyone this talented being viewed with such disdain by fans/locals. if i'm remembering correctly he's also had a few behavioral issues on ice to boot, but i just cant get over the local perception of him. i dont know the kid personally so its all hearsay to me, but i haven't seen many if any endorsements of the person and rarely even the player. just seems like the kind of guy/risk we don't even take into consideration.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Anybody has any hope left for Gropp?

 

[nyr2k2]

Anybody has any hope for left for Gropp?

A little bit. He needs to really take a step forward though. He was too slow to find the space he needed to get his shots through and that hurt him. In general he just wasn't operating at the pace required in the professional game. Again, he'd need to take a big step forward. In general I like to give guys at least through their ELCs, so he gets two more years from me. This is this big year--if he can't adjust now, his chances 2019 would be bleak.

 

[Mac n Gs]

A little bit. He needs to really take a step forward though. He was too slow to find the space he needed to get his shots through and that hurt him. In general he just wasn't operating at the pace required in the professional game. Again, he'd need to take a big step forward. In general I like to give guys at least through their ELCs, so he gets two more years from me. This is this big year--if he can't adjust now, his chances 2019 would be bleak.

Idk if it's a worse reflection on Hartford, but he was 5th on the team in goals and 4th in goals/game. Maybe I'm setting a ridiculous bar for him, but I want him to either score 25+ or lead the Pack in goals next year. I expect him to be a full-time top-6 AHLer, and if he plateaus like Rambo, then we'll cut bait in a few years.

 

[nyr2k2]

Idk if it's a worse reflection on Hartford, but he was 5th on the team in goals and 4th in goals/game. Maybe I'm setting a ridiculous bar for him, but I want him to either score 25+ or lead the Pack in goals next year. I expect him to be a full-time top-6 AHLer, and if he plateaus like Rambo, then we'll cut bait in a few years.

Yeah, the reality is the AHL is not a high-scoring league. I think people assume it is or guys should light it up there because it's a "developmental" league which is really only half true. There were only like 3-4 guys or something who played basically the full year in the league and at a PPG rate. Only 6 guys scored 30 goals (more scored at that pace but didn't play a whole year down there). Anyway the point I'm making is that he doesn't need to score 40 or record 70 points or anything. Like if he could score 25+ goals as you said and have 45-50 points that would be huge for him.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Idk if it's a worse reflection on Hartford, but he was 5th on the team in goals and 4th in goals/game. Maybe I'm setting a ridiculous bar for him, but I want him to either score 25+ or lead the Pack in goals next year. I expect him to be a full-time top-6 AHLer, and if he plateaus like Rambo, then we'll cut bait in a few years.

I think we also need a more competent coaching staff in there. I guess this season if they fail to make the playoffs with a much deeper roster it will be obvious that the coaching is a big part of the problem down there.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I think we also need a more competent coaching staff in there. I guess this season if they fail to make the playoffs with a much deeper roster it will be obvious that the coaching is a big part of the problem down there.

It might be deeper this upcoming season, but there's going to be a lot of first year pro's down there too

 

[Kocur Dill]

Anybody has any hope left for Gropp?

Offer him to Louy Lambs for a 5th. There should be some interest as a Barzal experiment

Kid may have a future with an NHL team, but I have serious doubts it's us. Why let him walk for nothing when we burned a good pick on him to begin with.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Offer him to Louy Lambs for a 5th. There should be some interest as a Barzal experiment

Kid may have a future with an NHL team, but I have serious doubts it's us. Why let him walk for nothing when we burned a good pick on him to begin with.

I think I would take the 5th, very disappointed in his production.

 

[kovazub94]

A little bit. He needs to really take a step forward though. He was too slow to find the space he needed to get his shots through and that hurt him. In general he just wasn't operating at the pace required in the professional game. Again, he'd need to take a big step forward. In general I like to give guys at least through their ELCs, so he gets two more years from me. This is this big year--if he can't adjust now, his chances 2019 would be bleak.

Most players realize their potential in the NHL by year 3-4. In the AHL you have to realize yourself by year 2 to be considered NHL material. Of course, exceptions blah, blah but Gropp has a bit of NHL potential benefit still left. Maybe something clicks this summer.

 

[nyr2k2]

It might be deeper this upcoming season, but there's going to be a lot of first year pro's down there too

Yeah I can see it now, there will probably be a lot of disappointment with the Pack this year. They have a ton of guys in years 1-3 professionally. Unless they get creative there's not much room for the AAAA-caliber, veteran players, and those are the guys that really help push you from a fringe team to a really good team. I know that's not some ironclad rule, but in general, it's hard to win in the AHL predominantly with youth.

That's part of what I was alluding to when I mentioned the false perception of the AHL as a developmental league previously: it is a league where you send prospects to develop, but it's also a league where many guys make careers, and teams still try to win independently of developing prospects. So, if you want to win down there, you need balance.

IDK if the Rangers are in a position to balance appropriately, unless they get ballsy and send the fringy prospects to Maine like they did with Zborovskiy. I just don't see anyone outside of Leedahl that would deserve that, and even Leedahl was okay for Hartford. We'll see how it goes. I am really excited to see the new blood, but I hope we can keep some legit veterans down there.

 

[bobbop]

Hartford looks like it could be a historically young team next year.