Prospect Info: 2014 Traverse City Tournament

[Inferno]

Hayes and Duclair interviews up on BSU. Short clips of their goals thrown in there as well.

Hayes:
http://blueshirtsunited.com/videos/6590/hayes-speaks-after-scoring-in-traverse-city#.VBj7Evk7t8E

Duclair:
http://blueshirtsunited.com/videos/6591/duclair-reflects-on-traverse-city-tournament#.VBj7K_k7t8E

oof...Duclair needs to "obviously" work on his interviews. every other word was "obviously"

 

[Inferno]

My take away from this tournament is that the Rangers have improved the depth chart in goal, last game taken into account. So that's good. My overall impression is that our roster in TC was at many points out classed by it's opponents. That is to be expected given the lack of first round picks and the fact that few if any of these guys have played together before.

It's not the end of the world. These guys are still young and need a ton of work. We can be sure that some these guys will come back and surprise us. Both good and bad.

At any rate, it would probably be good for the Rangers to hold onto a few more of those first rounders for the next few years. I get what they are doing right now. I agree with it to a certain extent, but to me anyway the pipeline looks a bit thin right now. Stockpile the picks and be patient with them.

yeah, if the rangers sent McIlrath, Skjei, Fasth, Lindberg, Kristo and JT Miller there I think they coulda won the tourney.

winning it is meaningless though, just gotta see something from your big players. seems like our bigger guys there played pretty well. thats all you need.

 

[bernmeister]

I'm sorry to tell you, but Frank Boucher died in 1977.

I mean that he's passed on, respectfully

but good one

 

[Tawnos]

yeah, if the rangers sent McIlrath, Skjei, Fasth, Lindberg, Kristo and JT Miller there I think they coulda won the tourney.

winning it is meaningless though, just gotta see something from your big players. seems like our bigger guys there played pretty well. thats all you need.

According to the HF rankings, 8 of our 11 top prospects didn't partcipate. 8 of the top 10 of our own rankings on this board as well. (Halverson is the real notable difference between the two)

If that many of your top prospects don't participate, it's not hard to understand why you might not win a lot.

 

[Pizza]

I agree. A mediocre team performance at TC is of little concern.

The point I was making was that other organizations seem to have more higher performing, NHL ready prospects. That's actually OK right now from a Rangers stand point. Kreider, Hags, MCD, Zucc, and Steps are all young guys not even in the prime of their careers. Miller and perhaps a few others are on their way up.

The other way to look at it is that none of Hags, Kreider or MZA ever participated in a TC tourny. Three of our best young players.

This is why I can see the organization making some of the moves they have made and don't fret too much about the lack of picks recently. The system has been much better stocked recently from where it was a decade ago. TC is a measuring stick for the state of some of your organizations younger prospects. The Rangers could just use a few more on the higher end moving forward. It will be interesting to see how well they hold onto first and second rounders in the next few years.

 

[Leslie Treff]

I am posting my thoughts on the Rangers prospects in the tournament in two posts. This first one is general and the next is about individuals.


First of all, if you can get to this tournament in the future, you should really think about it. It is gorgeous in the Traverse City area and you will never get this close to top prospects of so many teams. You can watch the action sitting about 50 feet from the ice and see everything. plus you often can get autographs and meet the team brass. They are at work and you don't want to interfere, but the access is amazing.

As for the cost, to fly from NY is under $400. A car is about $200. And the hotel is about $800 (which can be shared). If you drive, the cost is less. I would advise any Ranger fan to consider it. The tournament is great and the landscape is amazing.

Now on to the hockey. The play got better as the tournament went along, for obvious reasons. Certain kids really began to gel together, which was fun to see.

Frankly, the baby Rangers looked alot like the NHL Rangers in that there was not as much offense as would have been hoped for and games more often than not ended with a tie. And it was the goalies who really kept the team in the game during the first three contests.

There were only a few of the organization's top prospects in the TC tournament this season (many of the prospects that did not attend are experienced pros). The other thing is that, if I were ranking the prospects today, there would be two changes. One, Petr Zamorsky would be included toward the bottom of the top 20. Also after his performance in TC, I would include Sam Noreau in the top 20. Left off would be Tambellini and Fogarty.

Individual performance evaluations will be up in the morning.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Full highlights are up on BSU. Duclair's goal was an absolute snipe.

Hayes' was a good finish as well.

 

[Lindberg Cheese]

Helped themselves: Skapski, Haggarty, Noreau, Bodie

Hard to pick out who may have hurt themselves but everyone else appears to have performed neutrally based on expectations

 

[Lindberg Cheese]

I am posting my thoughts on the Rangers prospects in the tournament in two posts. This first one is general and the next is about individuals.


First of all, if you can get to this tournament in the future, you should really think about it. It is gorgeous in the Traverse City area and you will never get this close to top prospects of so many teams. You can watch the action sitting about 50 feet from the ice and see everything. plus you often can get autographs and meet the team brass. They are at work and you don't want to interfere, but the access is amazing.

As for the cost, to fly from NY is under $400. A car is about $200. And the hotel is about $800 (which can be shared). If you drive, the cost is less. I would advise any Ranger fan to consider it. The tournament is great and the landscape is amazing.

Now on to the hockey. The play got better as the tournament went along, for obvious reasons. Certain kids really began to gel together, which was fun to see.

Frankly, the baby Rangers looked alot like the NHL Rangers in that there was not as much offense as would have been hoped for and games more often than not ended with a tie. And it was the goalies who really kept the team in the game during the first three contests.

There were only a few of the organization's top prospects in the TC tournament this season (many of the prospects that did not attend are experienced pros). The other thing is that, if I were ranking the prospects today, there would be two changes. One, Petr Zamorsky would be included toward the bottom of the top 20. Also after his performance in TC, I would include Sam Noreau in the top 20. Left off would be Tambellini and Fogarty.

Individual performance evaluations will be up in the morning.

Sorry Leslie, I'll need my own room but happy to split the car with you.

Kidding aside, thanks for the great updates and work for NYR fans!

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I am posting my thoughts on the Rangers prospects in the tournament in two posts. This first one is general and the next is about individuals.


First of all, if you can get to this tournament in the future, you should really think about it. It is gorgeous in the Traverse City area and you will never get this close to top prospects of so many teams. You can watch the action sitting about 50 feet from the ice and see everything. plus you often can get autographs and meet the team brass. They are at work and you don't want to interfere, but the access is amazing.

As for the cost, to fly from NY is under $400. A car is about $200. And the hotel is about $800 (which can be shared). If you drive, the cost is less. I would advise any Ranger fan to consider it. The tournament is great and the landscape is amazing.

Now on to the hockey. The play got better as the tournament went along, for obvious reasons. Certain kids really began to gel together, which was fun to see.

Frankly, the baby Rangers looked alot like the NHL Rangers in that there was not as much offense as would have been hoped for and games more often than not ended with a tie. And it was the goalies who really kept the team in the game during the first three contests.

There were only a few of the organization's top prospects in the TC tournament this season (many of the prospects that did not attend are experienced pros). The other thing is that, if I were ranking the prospects today, there would be two changes. One, Petr Zamorsky would be included toward the bottom of the top 20. Also after his performance in TC, I would include Sam Noreau in the top 20. Left off would be Tambellini and Fogarty.

Individual performance evaluations will be up in the morning.

Thanks as always, Leslie - even when I disagree with your evaluations, I appreciate them.

Interesting to hear that Tambellini would be one of the guys who'd get bumped as it sounded like you liked what you saw from him during the post-draft prospect camp. Looking forward to the individual writeups!

 

[Dagoon44]

Noreau I was told played very well and fought every time to defend his teammates.. Is there footage of the fights on the msg site

 

[E-Train]

Now on to the hockey. The play got better as the tournament went along, for obvious reasons. Certain kids really began to gel together, which was fun to see.

Frankly, the baby Rangers looked alot like the NHL Rangers in that there was not as much offense as would have been hoped for and games more often than not ended with a tie. And it was the goalies who really kept the team in the game during the first three contests.

There were only a few of the organization's top prospects in the TC tournament this season (many of the prospects that did not attend are experienced pros). The other thing is that, if I were ranking the prospects today, there would be two changes. One, Petr Zamorsky would be included toward the bottom of the top 20. Also after his performance in TC, I would include Sam Noreau in the top 20. Left off would be Tambellini and Fogarty.

Individual performance evaluations will be up in the morning.

Thanks Leslie. Great job. Looking forward to your recap in the morning.

 

[SupersonicMonkey*]

I am posting my thoughts on the Rangers prospects in the tournament in two posts. This first one is general and the next is about individuals.


First of all, if you can get to this tournament in the future, you should really think about it. It is gorgeous in the Traverse City area and you will never get this close to top prospects of so many teams. You can watch the action sitting about 50 feet from the ice and see everything. plus you often can get autographs and meet the team brass. They are at work and you don't want to interfere, but the access is amazing.

As for the cost, to fly from NY is under $400. A car is about $200. And the hotel is about $800 (which can be shared). If you drive, the cost is less. I would advise any Ranger fan to consider it. The tournament is great and the landscape is amazing.

Now on to the hockey. The play got better as the tournament went along, for obvious reasons. Certain kids really began to gel together, which was fun to see.

Frankly, the baby Rangers looked alot like the NHL Rangers in that there was not as much offense as would have been hoped for and games more often than not ended with a tie. And it was the goalies who really kept the team in the game during the first three contests.

There were only a few of the organization's top prospects in the TC tournament this season (many of the prospects that did not attend are experienced pros). The other thing is that, if I were ranking the prospects today, there would be two changes. One, Petr Zamorsky would be included toward the bottom of the top 20. Also after his performance in TC, I would include Sam Noreau in the top 20. Left off would be Tambellini and Fogarty.

Individual performance evaluations will be up in the morning.

Good stuff! Looking forward to the evaluations tomorrow.

 

[E-Train]

Noreau I was told played very well and fought every time to defend his teammates.. Is there footage of the fights on the msg site

There is just a quick clip of his second scrap. What were you told about his skating and positioning? Must've worked real hard this summer.

 

[Dagoon44]

There is just a quick clip of his second scrap. What were you told about his skating and positioning? Must've worked real hard this summer.

He improved his lateral movement and cross over step.. Plus scored points for defending team

 

[eco's bones]

Glad to hear that Noreau played well. A big physical d-man and hopefully he'll jump up to the AHL this year but as for his two goals in the 4 games--the one should have been Kantor's goal and the other was just a 130' clear that the goalie completely ****ed up--can't expect to ever get a goal like that again. That goal had almost nothing to do with his shot or his skill--that was just luck.

 

[E-Train]

He improved his lateral movement and cross over step.. Plus scored points for defending team

Good. Like hearing improvements in his overall game.

 

[Leslie Treff]

As promised, here are some of my thoughts on the play in the first three games. Unfortunately I was not able to see the last game, but I believe that I got a pretty good idea on the how the guys were doing overall. This is not about whether they scored or not, it is more about how they looked. I am going to do this in two posts, so I don't lose the whole thing if it blows up midstream.

Duclair--what an explosive, exciting player. He is a gamebreaker in the making. The most offensively talented on the team, but will need to learn to take advantage of almost every chance he has (for the most part he was snake bit this tournament). Has a very good release, and can be sneaky, just needs confidence and experience. He is not ready for pro play, needs to get stronger, but in a year or two, watch out. Between Duclair and Buchnevich, there should be some offensive excitement coming in the next few years.

Hayes--big and powerful, Hayes has talent and vision; should be a third line center in the NHL this year, but I feel that he may need to adjust a bit to pro play before being really NHL ready. Got better and better over the course of the tournament and he may actually raise his level and show at training camp, playing with experienced guys, that he could fit in now. Played on a very good line with Duclair and Haggerty and it took him awhile to use them properly.

Haggerty--One of my favorites at this tournament. He has pro size and strength and thinks the game very well. When he gets the puck on his stick he goes to the net. He has a good release and reads the goalie's positioning very well. Smart player, who should be a top competitor for a bottom six role this season.

Tambellini--looks further away from pro play than I thought. Not very good on faceoffs. Did get one game winner, but I just did not see much from him. Very raw; needs much more time to develop.

McCarthy--did not tweet much about him during the tourney, but he is a very good defensive forward. Excellent on the PK, good character kid. I did not see much offense from him, but he could surprise in the AHL.

Nicholls--did well in this tournament, but I still don't see him as more than an AHL player. He is already 22 and has a bit of upside, maybe a late bloomer?

Kantor--There were times I liked him and others when I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air. Just don't see the consistency or upside necessary to move forward.

 

[Raspewtin]

As promised, here are some of my thoughts on the play in the first three games. Unfortunately I was not able to see the last game, but I believe that I got a pretty good idea on the how the guys were doing overall. This is not about whether they scored or not, it is more about how they looked. I am going to do this in two posts, so I don't lose the whole thing if it blows up midstream.

Duclair--what an explosive, exciting player. He is a gamebreaker in the making. The most offensively talented on the team, but will need to learn to take advantage of almost every chance he has (for the most part he was snake bit this tournament). Has a very good release, and can be sneaky, just needs confidence and experience. He is not ready for pro play, needs to get stronger, but in a year or two, watch out. Between Duclair and Buchnevich, there should be some offensive excitement coming in the next few years.

Hayes--big and powerful, Hayes has talent and vision; should be a third line center in the NHL this year, but I feel that he may need to adjust a bit to pro play before being really NHL ready. Got better and better over the course of the tournament and he may actually raise his level and show at training camp, playing with experienced guys, that he could fit in now. Played on a very good line with Duclair and Haggerty and it took him awhile to use them properly.

Haggerty--One of my favorites at this tournament. He has pro size and strength and thinks the game very well. When he gets the puck on his stick he goes to the net. He has a good release and reads the goalie's positioning very well. Smart player, who should be a top competitor for a bottom six role this season.

Tambellini--looks further away from pro play than I thought. Not very good on faceoffs. Did get one game winner, but I just did not see much from him. Very raw; needs much more time to develop.

McCarthy--did not tweet much about him during the tourney, but he is a very good defensive forward. Excellent on the PK, good character kid. I did not see much offense from him, but he could surprise in the AHL.

Nicholls--did well in this tournament, but I still don't see him as more than an AHL player. He is already 22 and has a bit of upside, maybe a late bloomer?

Kantor--There were times I liked him and others when I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air. Just don't see the consistency or upside necessary to move forward.

Pretty exciting to hear that. I don't know much about Hayes but I never thought of him as a center at the NHL level. The prospect of that excites me.

Also, on Duclair, the only thing I really don't like about his game is what you touched on. He doesn't shoot the puck nearly as much as you'd like, and you'd like to see him capitalize on the chances he makes for himself. He takes high percentage, sure thing shots a lot. More often than not in QC, he took shots from within 10 feet of the net. Obviously those are the shots you'd like him to take, but I don't think he'll have the luxury of being able to get shots like those off as consistently as the competition improves. I wish he'd just chuck some every now and then. In 59 games he only had 208 shots, you'd like to see more selfishness than that for a player as dynamic as he is. It's a minor complaint, but I'd really like to see him shoot more.

 

[Leslie Treff]

Leroux--As I tweeted out, I felt that Leroux should be signed, either to an AHL contract or even an ELC. Good defensively, good size and can fight. Looks like a character kid. Not the best skater, but it is likely that the Rangers will give him a shot.

Latta--Also a free agent invitee. I liked him but more for AHL than an ELC. Not sure he is needed for Hartford but he could be solid at that level.

Iverson--Was not really happy with his performance. Kept making mistakes on the ice. I know that he is young, but decisionmaking was extremely poor.

Nejezchleb--played on the top line during the first game, injured his hip and is out. Was told that he would not skate at main camp.

Bodie--Very smooth, good skater, good puck distributor, excellent vision. Just not as happy with intensity level--he tries to make the fancy play rather than keeping it simple--not tough at all. Will almost surely start at Hartford; needs to get stronger.

Noreau--one of the players that advanced the most over the last two to three years. Skates much better; big, tough, good gap control. Forget any real offensive upside though. His goals were not real offensive indications. He may be one year away, but Noreau could turn out to be a very good late round pick.

Mantha--Very slow. Made a few decisions that were questionable. Positioning iffy. Needs to mature much more for us to know more whether he will develop into an NHL player.

Valentine--the other free agent that I think deserves a contract--at least at the AHL level, if not an ELC. Did everything asked of him. Excellent gap control, Puck sense. Fights for puck well along the boards.

Halverson--I hope as time goes on folks will be as much of a believer as I am. Under a lot of pressure before a home town crowd. Kept the Rangers in the games, really good lateral movement. Plays deep in net. Good rebound control.

Skapski--excellent development over the last year. But still show inconsistency. Can be great, but then can have a couple of terrible games. Still needs work.

 

[Leslie Treff]

Walcott--forgot to write about him. Small guy, but fun to watch. He really is fearless and has some real offensive upside. One of my favorites at development camp and in TC.

Donnay--big, but not sure he will have what it takes at the pro level.

 

[Raspewtin]

Not great to hear about Nejezchleb being hurt again. That seems to be the story of his career.

 

[NYR Viper]

There is just a quick clip of his second scrap. What were you told about his skating and positioning? Must've worked real hard this summer.

Positioning has always been a positive for Noreau. He knows his limitations is his skating and he knows the position and uses his stick well. It will be about how well he can improve his footwork, pivoting, etc. He has the mind for it.

 

[eco's bones]

As promised, here are some of my thoughts on the play in the first three games. Unfortunately I was not able to see the last game, but I believe that I got a pretty good idea on the how the guys were doing overall. This is not about whether they scored or not, it is more about how they looked. I am going to do this in two posts, so I don't lose the whole thing if it blows up midstream.

Duclair--what an explosive, exciting player. He is a gamebreaker in the making. The most offensively talented on the team, but will need to learn to take advantage of almost every chance he has (for the most part he was snake bit this tournament). Has a very good release, and can be sneaky, just needs confidence and experience. He is not ready for pro play, needs to get stronger, but in a year or two, watch out. Between Duclair and Buchnevich, there should be some offensive excitement coming in the next few years.

Hayes--big and powerful, Hayes has talent and vision; should be a third line center in the NHL this year, but I feel that he may need to adjust a bit to pro play before being really NHL ready. Got better and better over the course of the tournament and he may actually raise his level and show at training camp, playing with experienced guys, that he could fit in now. Played on a very good line with Duclair and Haggerty and it took him awhile to use them properly.

Haggerty--One of my favorites at this tournament. He has pro size and strength and thinks the game very well. When he gets the puck on his stick he goes to the net. He has a good release and reads the goalie's positioning very well. Smart player, who should be a top competitor for a bottom six role this season.

Tambellini--looks further away from pro play than I thought. Not very good on faceoffs. Did get one game winner, but I just did not see much from him. Very raw; needs much more time to develop.

McCarthy--did not tweet much about him during the tourney, but he is a very good defensive forward. Excellent on the PK, good character kid. I did not see much offense from him, but he could surprise in the AHL.

Nicholls--did well in this tournament, but I still don't see him as more than an AHL player. He is already 22 and has a bit of upside, maybe a late bloomer?

Kantor--There were times I liked him and others when I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air. Just don't see the consistency or upside necessary to move forward.

Leroux--As I tweeted out, I felt that Leroux should be signed, either to an AHL contract or even an ELC. Good defensively, good size and can fight. Looks like a character kid. Not the best skater, but it is likely that the Rangers will give him a shot.

Latta--Also a free agent invitee. I liked him but more for AHL than an ELC. Not sure he is needed for Hartford but he could be solid at that level.

Iverson--Was not really happy with his performance. Kept making mistakes on the ice. I know that he is young, but decisionmaking was extremely poor.

Nejezchleb--played on the top line during the first game, injured his hip and is out. Was told that he would not skate at main camp.

Bodie--Very smooth, good skater, good puck distributor, excellent vision. Just not as happy with intensity level--he tries to make the fancy play rather than keeping it simple--not tough at all. Will almost surely start at Hartford; needs to get stronger.

Noreau--one of the players that advanced the most over the last two to three years. Skates much better; big, tough, good gap control. Forget any real offensive upside though. His goals were not real offensive indications. He may be one year away, but Noreau could turn out to be a very good late round pick.

Mantha--Very slow. Made a few decisions that were questionable. Positioning iffy. Needs to mature much more for us to know more whether he will develop into an NHL player.

Valentine--the other free agent that I think deserves a contract--at least at the AHL level, if not an ELC. Did everything asked of him. Excellent gap control, Puck sense. Fights for puck well along the boards.

Halverson--I hope as time goes on folks will be as much of a believer as I am. Under a lot of pressure before a home town crowd. Kept the Rangers in the games, really good lateral movement. Plays deep in net. Good rebound control.

Skapski--excellent development over the last year. But still show inconsistency. Can be great, but then can have a couple of terrible games. Still needs work.

Walcott--forgot to write about him. Small guy, but fun to watch. He really is fearless and has some real offensive upside. One of my favorites at development camp and in TC.

Donnay--big, but not sure he will have what it takes at the pro level.

All really good information. I like the idea of Hayes better at center than on the wing. If he can develop into a top 2 line center then all of a sudden the Rangers have a large framed scoring center man which is something we've lacked for a long time.

To me of the entire group only Hayes and Haggerty have a shot at making the team out of training camp.

Not sure if the Rangers can sign Valentine. I'm probably wrong but I was under the impression that a team that has up to a month after a prospect camp to sign an undrafted free agent. It's a bit murky when it comes to 18 year old CHL players who've missed just one draft.

 

[Leslie Treff]

Not sure if the Rangers can sign Valentine. I'm probably wrong but I was under the impression that a team that has up to a month after a prospect camp to sign an undrafted free agent. It's a bit murky when it comes to 18 year old CHL players who've missed just one draft.

Actually not sure myself. I am going to check and get back to you.