SPG
Registered User
(HFNHL) NY Rangers Draft Report
If you glance at the Rangers list of draftees, there is an obvious area of focus: Goaltender. Goaltending was clearly the team’s weak point among it’s organizational prospect depth coming into the draft. Exactly half of this year’s draft picks were goaltenders, including their first choice and their last choice. The team did not have a first round pick this year, having dealt the 19th overall pick for Michael Del Zotto (who was drafted 20th overall in the 2008 NHL draft).
Rangers’ GM commented on their strategy after the HFNHL 2013 Draft had concluded,
“Well, we obviously put a heavy focus on the goaltending position this year. It was the weakest area in our prospect pool, but we hope we have remedied that some. There wasn’t a lot of high-end talent at goalie this year, but we felt there were some pretty good ones available later in the draft that have pretty good upside for where we were able to pick them up. We took Bartosak last year [who may get a look in the NHL draft this time around], so we’ve potentially brought in 4 goalies from the 2013 draft class. As far as our other picks ago, we like the upside of Zach Sanford, although we do realize he is a long term prospect. We liked the value of picking up a couple mean defensemen from the WHL in Lewington and Hauf in the late rounds.”
Here is a run-down of the HFNHL New York Rangers draft class.
2nd Round, 49th Overall: G Tristan Jarry, G, Edmonton, WHL
NHL Central Scouting’s Al Jensen:
"He's not a cookie-cutter goalie and doesn't just drop in the butterfly; he'll stand up and read the play and possesses good rebound control. He probably played one out of every four games this year, but each time I've seen him, he looks like a veteran. His smartness and confidence are what have helped him improve and develop his overall game."
3rd Round, 79th Overall: LW Zack Sanford, Middlesex, EJHL
Draftsite.com’s Bill Placzek:
“Large wing who has size, strength, a hockey head and outstanding hands at the Division One level. Good playmaker who moves well. Is an above average passer, and has a good backhander, and can play the game with puck while moving at his top speed. Good on his skates and has a strong stride, and also as good a short touch passer as you will see. If he chooses to play more physically, there is huge upside in this large package.” (yup... he said "large package")
5th Round, 139th Overall: G Calvin Petersen, Waterloo, USHL
NY Islanders Goalie Coach, Mike Dunham:
Calvin Petersen is a good butterfly goalie who plays an aggressive, athletic style and takes up a lot of net. He plays calm and does a good job controlling his rebounds. Calvin has a sense of calmness whenever he’s in the net.
5th Round, 142nd Overall: D Tyler Lewington, Medicine Hat, WHL
Red Line Report’s Kyle Woodlief:
Lewington brings solid defensive fundamentals. He plays a physical game and is also a willing combatant in fights. He led Medicine Hat with a plus 14 rating and showed great gap control, defensive zone positioning, and poise under pressure. He's just starting to figure things out offensively with heads-up passing and confident puckhandling.
6th Round, 169th Overall: D Jared Hauf, Seattle, WHL
Thehockeywriters.com’s Dan Chan (HFNHL’s own.. thanks Dan!):
“A giant 6-foot-6 defensive defenseman, Hauf is able to shutdown one entire half of the defensive zone because of his long strides, large wingspan and impressive strength. Like many big defensemen, the Calgary product will need to continue refining his agility but currently displays decent mobility with strong defensive hockey smarts and physical gifts to keep even the more skilled forwards contained against the boards. He also has surprisingly decent hands for a big man to play a safe and mistake-free game.”
7th Round, 199th Overall: G Brendan Burke, Portland, WHL
Son of former NHL goaltender, Sean Burke, Brendan backed up star goalie Mac Carruth for the WHL’s Portland WInterhawks this season. With Carruth turning pro next season, Burke should see increased playing time. Very raw player, but some upside here and good bloodlines.
If you glance at the Rangers list of draftees, there is an obvious area of focus: Goaltender. Goaltending was clearly the team’s weak point among it’s organizational prospect depth coming into the draft. Exactly half of this year’s draft picks were goaltenders, including their first choice and their last choice. The team did not have a first round pick this year, having dealt the 19th overall pick for Michael Del Zotto (who was drafted 20th overall in the 2008 NHL draft).
Rangers’ GM commented on their strategy after the HFNHL 2013 Draft had concluded,
“Well, we obviously put a heavy focus on the goaltending position this year. It was the weakest area in our prospect pool, but we hope we have remedied that some. There wasn’t a lot of high-end talent at goalie this year, but we felt there were some pretty good ones available later in the draft that have pretty good upside for where we were able to pick them up. We took Bartosak last year [who may get a look in the NHL draft this time around], so we’ve potentially brought in 4 goalies from the 2013 draft class. As far as our other picks ago, we like the upside of Zach Sanford, although we do realize he is a long term prospect. We liked the value of picking up a couple mean defensemen from the WHL in Lewington and Hauf in the late rounds.”
Here is a run-down of the HFNHL New York Rangers draft class.
2nd Round, 49th Overall: G Tristan Jarry, G, Edmonton, WHL
NHL Central Scouting’s Al Jensen:
"He's not a cookie-cutter goalie and doesn't just drop in the butterfly; he'll stand up and read the play and possesses good rebound control. He probably played one out of every four games this year, but each time I've seen him, he looks like a veteran. His smartness and confidence are what have helped him improve and develop his overall game."
3rd Round, 79th Overall: LW Zack Sanford, Middlesex, EJHL
Draftsite.com’s Bill Placzek:
“Large wing who has size, strength, a hockey head and outstanding hands at the Division One level. Good playmaker who moves well. Is an above average passer, and has a good backhander, and can play the game with puck while moving at his top speed. Good on his skates and has a strong stride, and also as good a short touch passer as you will see. If he chooses to play more physically, there is huge upside in this large package.” (yup... he said "large package")
5th Round, 139th Overall: G Calvin Petersen, Waterloo, USHL
NY Islanders Goalie Coach, Mike Dunham:
Calvin Petersen is a good butterfly goalie who plays an aggressive, athletic style and takes up a lot of net. He plays calm and does a good job controlling his rebounds. Calvin has a sense of calmness whenever he’s in the net.
5th Round, 142nd Overall: D Tyler Lewington, Medicine Hat, WHL
Red Line Report’s Kyle Woodlief:
Lewington brings solid defensive fundamentals. He plays a physical game and is also a willing combatant in fights. He led Medicine Hat with a plus 14 rating and showed great gap control, defensive zone positioning, and poise under pressure. He's just starting to figure things out offensively with heads-up passing and confident puckhandling.
6th Round, 169th Overall: D Jared Hauf, Seattle, WHL
Thehockeywriters.com’s Dan Chan (HFNHL’s own.. thanks Dan!):
“A giant 6-foot-6 defensive defenseman, Hauf is able to shutdown one entire half of the defensive zone because of his long strides, large wingspan and impressive strength. Like many big defensemen, the Calgary product will need to continue refining his agility but currently displays decent mobility with strong defensive hockey smarts and physical gifts to keep even the more skilled forwards contained against the boards. He also has surprisingly decent hands for a big man to play a safe and mistake-free game.”
7th Round, 199th Overall: G Brendan Burke, Portland, WHL
Son of former NHL goaltender, Sean Burke, Brendan backed up star goalie Mac Carruth for the WHL’s Portland WInterhawks this season. With Carruth turning pro next season, Burke should see increased playing time. Very raw player, but some upside here and good bloodlines.
