Prospect Info: 2015 NHL Draft - Pick #41 - Ryan Gropp

[Skinnyjimmy08]

There is no way Gropp would have made it much farther in the 2nd round, so its good you guys pounced..Very solid pick... I am extremely familiar with him since his bantam years in case anyone wants to know any in depth info.

He was a VERY highly touted NCAA recruit of U of North Dakota a couple years ago but gave it up to play in Seattle with Matt Barzal. When he first committed to UND they were quoted as saying "Gropp is touted as North Dakota's top Canadian recruit since Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews"

Very solid pick... him and Barzal will be a deadly duo next year in Seattle

 

[NewLife]

Most definitely not the guy I'd go with this pick but I'm starting to dig it. This fan base use to complain we never can develop any goal scorers yet alone big ones and it's the reality. We need guys like this and if he can improve his game everyone will love this pick in a few years.

 

[Inferno]

OK....what the heck I'm I looking at?

Grawp.

 

[R S]

Seems like he can shoot, which we really need.

One of the best pure shooters of the draft.

 

[Edge]

The thing that stood out for me from the video more than anything else was his hands. When the puck gets to his stick--it's on the way to the net. He doesn't waste time and/or do anything fancy with it.

It's all about the hands with Gropp.

Everything else is kind of secondary - including his size. That's one of the reasons why saying this was a "size" pick is not accurate.

 

[FultonReed]

I can't be the only nerd who thought of this...

literally the first and only thing I thought of too bad he won't have his Haggy =[

 

[eco's bones]

It's all about the hands with Gropp.

Everything else is kind of secondary - including his size. That's one of the reasons why saying this was a "size" pick is not accurate.

If a player has the ability to get his stick on pucks close to the net getting a shot off quickly can be more important than velocity. Corey Perry is a master at that. Matt Moulson is another. Working with playmaking types should help to accentuate his effectiveness and the Rangers certainly have enough playmakers. Good size--apparently his skating is fine. I like his total package a hell of a lot more than another second round pick of ours--Christian Thomas.

 

[Anthony Mauro]

DraftBuzz rated 39.

Here is his scouting report as pulled from the DraftBuzz 2015 NHL Draft Guide:

RYAN GROPP is a lynchpin winger who is a standout forward in the transition game. While his offensive improvement from last year to this year is not as steep as other 2015's, he still offers a certain dependability that suggests he truly is earning his points. He is not a showy guy with the puck, but his rink wide awareness, ability to hit full throttle, and his success rate with the puck is noticeable. Though he has a bit of an awkward skating style that at full blast looks like he is running on ice, his output is strong. Because some of the passes he converts from the flick of his wrists suggest an underlying playmaking ability not fully matured, his stats may be blunted by his surroundings. We certainly saw this in the playoffs where he hit for over PPG. A winger you can rely on to lug the puck, he can add a bit more flair and finish to his offensive blueprint once he gets in the zone. Treat Gropp like the two way veteran he has shown himself to be, and hope he has hit another level in juniors that he will keep up next year.

The power tests he scored on in the combine and playoff playmaking explosion, on top of body of work, are two reasons he earned a rank close to his actual selection.

 

[Captain Lindy]

Stepan was a babayface who figured to be a project, Gropp is the total opposite.

They picked this guy cause he seems closer to the pro game, IMO.

That'd be great to have him up with the big team early this season. We really don't need any more "projects". McIlrath has me project-weary.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I've seen Gropp play a lot last year in the WHL and there were 3 players on the Thunderbirds team I was really looking forward to to see where they'd be drafted. Barzal is the obvious top player, but both Gropp and Kolesar impressed me a lot last season. Gropp looks most NHL ready of the two but Kolesar will be a nice prospect for Columbus moving forward.

When Edmonton announced the trade in the 1st round, and Bettmann said "New York", I jumped up for joy and immediately though "Well, here we go, Barzal is a Ranger" and then he said "Islanders" and I was so bummed.

But, we got Gropp. A very good prospect who I feel is one of the players to watch from this draft together with Brad Morrison.

 

[Open Mind]

The thing that stood out for me from the video more than anything else was his hands. When the puck gets to his stick--it's on the way to the net. He doesn't waste time and/or do anything fancy with it.

That stood out to me, as well, but what also stood out was his play without the puck. When he doesn't have the puck, he seems to have a knack of going to spots to put himself in good positions to get it. There have been plenty of guys over the years, even without the best of skill sets, who were pretty decent goal scorers because they had the ice awareness to read a play and go to the right location without the puck.

 

[Raspewtin]

Definitely overreacted to this pick, was dumb of me. Just thought there were better options available.

I really like his release.

 

[NYR Viper]

Definitely overreacted to this pick, was dumb of me. Just thought there were better options available.

I really like his release.

Happens to the best of us.

 

[Open Mind]

Definitely overreacted to this pick, was dumb of me. Just thought there were better options available.

I really like his release.

It's a normal reaction. When I saw the Hagelin trade, I was really bummed. Not so much in looking at the trade itself, but in losing a really likeable, hard-working player who had real connection with some guys in the room. In that vein, I am not particularly objective, so I opted to let the move settle in for a few days.

My point is, I think we tend to have certain preferences and we're naturally disappointed when those aren't met. And we'll all then make our share of knee-jerk reactions. But let's be honest, as much as we can all disagree at times, the posters here by and large are really smart hockey minds (imho opinion, at least) and we all come around to something close to sanity when the dust settles.

 

[Miamipuck]

When Edmonton announced the trade in the 1st round, and Bettmann said "New York", I jumped up for joy and immediately though "Well, here we go, Barzal is a Ranger" and then he said "Islanders" and I was so bummed.

Wow I can not begin to tell you how much that part sucked. My brother and I were in the building and looked at each other when they said New York. Then that other team was mentioned after Betteman's awkward pause. Horrible

 

[Miamipuck]

Happens to the best of us.

Never

 

[darko]

Never

Yeah I don't think it's ever happened to me.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

If a player has the ability to get his stick on pucks close to the net getting a shot off quickly can be more important than velocity. Corey Perry is a master at that. Matt Moulson is another. Working with playmaking types should help to accentuate his effectiveness and the Rangers certainly have enough playmakers. Good size--apparently his skating is fine. I like his total package a hell of a lot more than another second round pick of ours--Christian Thomas.

First guy who popped into my head after watching some film.

I'm a fan of this pick.

 

[Miamipuck]

Yeah I don't think it's ever happened to me.

Hahaha

 

[Pizza]

Definitely overreacted to this pick, was dumb of me. Just thought there were better options available.

I really like his release.

...too often to count on my side of the ledger.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Happens to the best of us.

Never happens to me! (I don't need a smiley do I?)

 

[Kanneda]

Definitely overreacted to this pick, was dumb of me. Just thought there were better options available.

I really like his release.

They would have been suspicious of a "you can't teach size" pick with the #41 if they took Greenway with it. But I think Gropp is a pretty balanced player.

 

[Ghost of jas]

What I find amusing is that Gropp is exact player that fans claim this team is missing - a shooter. And, his shot is supposedly elite. And, the talk that he depended upon Barzal? Good thing the Rangers have three playmaking centers.

 

[McDonagh27]

Pretty impressive that this site actually had Gropp going to NY at 59.

http://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2015/

 

[eco's bones]

That stood out to me, as well, but what also stood out was his play without the puck. When he doesn't have the puck, he seems to have a knack of going to spots to put himself in good positions to get it. There have been plenty of guys over the years, even without the best of skill sets, who were pretty decent goal scorers because they had the ice awareness to read a play and go to the right location without the puck.

It's a normal reaction. When I saw the Hagelin trade, I was really bummed. Not so much in looking at the trade itself, but in losing a really likeable, hard-working player who had real connection with some guys in the room. In that vein, I am not particularly objective, so I opted to let the move settle in for a few days.

My point is, I think we tend to have certain preferences and we're naturally disappointed when those aren't met. And we'll all then make our share of knee-jerk reactions. But let's be honest, as much as we can all disagree at times, the posters here by and large are really smart hockey minds (imho opinion, at least) and we all come around to something close to sanity when the dust settles.

Two really good posts. Timing to be in the right place at the right time is a big deal. He is a player that doesn't have to have the puck very much to kill you.

And I get that sitting around until #41--a lot of other guys being picked before him--and your guy can seem almost anti-climatic. The main thing is he becomes a productive player. He has size and skating and what appears to be very strong elements of a goal scorer's kind of killer instinct. Those elements if they're nurtured could give us a really really good player.

And I hated to see Hagelin leave. A very underrated guy IMO.

First guy who popped into my head after watching some film.

I'm a fan of this pick.

Goal scorers are hard to come by. We've got enough pass first guys--Stepan, Brassard, Zuccarello. Traditionallly the Rangers have always been a pass happy team since I've followed them--and that goes back into the early 70's. We don't often finish as well as we make plays.