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NEW YORK POST
LARRY BROOKS
The New York Rangers come into the 2005-06 season with many new faces in the lineup and many old faces in other places. With players like Cory Stillman, Jan Hrdina, Chris Gratton, and Aaron Miller getting a fresh start with other HFNHL teams; it has opened the door for younger players to get more ice time. Oleg Saprykin, Taylor Pyatt, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Henrik Tallinder are among the new faces on the now youthful roster. The organization realizes that there will likely be growing pains this season, but the ups and downs of having a young roster are expected. The first two games of the season are a great example of that.
In the team’s opener against the Phoenix Coyotes (a team with an even bigger rebuilding challenge than the Rangers), the team notched a 5-1 victory with several young players contributing. Juraj Kolnik came away with two goals, including the game winner. Pyatt, Saprykin, Pavel Kubina, and John-Michael Liles also had two points apiece for New York.
The second game of the season was a different story. Despite getting 29 shots on goal, the Rangers only managed to get one past Panthers goaltender John Grahame in a 2-1 loss to Florida. Rangers goaltender David Aebischer had 20 games on 22 shots in the loss.
“I’ve said before that this will be a season of ups and downs. We’re prepared for that. We have a lot of inexperienced players on our roster that are going to have a great opportunity to get significant playing time and develop,†said General Manager Sean Gaffney.
No matter what happens this season, the future is a bright one at Madison Square Garden for the first time in several seasons. There are several key prospects that are on track to make their HFNHL debuts next season. Forwards Jim Slater and Petr Prucha are almost certain to be signed after the season and brought in to compete for roster spots. Energy player Ryan Hollweg may also compete for a 4th line role. Minor leaguers Shea Weber (D) and Jeff Tambellini (F) are also possibilities to get a long look.
Prospect Analysis
Prospect depth in the Rangers organization is healthier than it has been in years. For several seasons, the pattern was one of trading prospects/picks for players that would help immediately with the goal of going deep into the playoffs in mind. That strategy left the farm system depleted, and only now if the organization being replenished with quality prospects.
Forwards
The Rangers own the rights to several players that fit the new style of play in the “New HFNHL.†Slater and Prucha have put up solid numbers in their first NHL seasons. Hollweg, who was signed last offseason after having his rights released by the HFNHL Columbus BlueJackets, has been a sparkplug, grinder type with the tendency to get under opponents’ skin and draw penalties. Tambellini has been tearing up the AHL through 18 games this season with 14 goals and 25 points. He was recently awarded for his dominant play in the minors and played his first career NHL game. Other forward prospects off to good starts in the AHL include Chad Larose and Chris Bourque. Stefan Meyer, Denis Parshin, and Marc-Andre Cliché are also solid prospects at the forward position. The enigmatic Yanick Lehoux could also figure into the future plans of the team. He scored his first career NHL goal earlier this season. Look for the Rangers to be targeting a blue-chip forward next summer at the 2006 Entry Draft.
Defenseman
The defense position is an area of depth for New York. Led by first year pro Shea Weber and OHLer Jakub Kindl, the organization has several quality defensemen prospects. Kindl has already almost doubled the numbers he achieved in his OHL rookie season, with 5 goals and 22 assists for 27 points in only 24 games played. Kindl was New York’s first round selection in the 2005 HFNHL Entry Draft, 20th overall. Other prospects at the position include Nathan Paetsch, Doug Lynch, and Derek Meech.
Goaltenders
While the Rangers don’t have a “franchise-type†prospect at the position, there are several young goaltenders belonging to the Rangers that are excelling in the CHL this season and are rapidly improving their value. These include the WHL’s Justin Pogge (Calgary) and Matt Keetley (Medicine Hat) and the QMJHL’s Alexandre Vincent. This had been an area of weakness, but that seems to be changing with the strong play of those prospects this year. Pogge has a miniscule GAA of 1.52 and a SP of .928 while Keetley has a GAA of 1.84 and a SP of .924. They are the only two goaltenders in their league with at least 20GP and a GAA under 2.00. Vincent has an 8-3 record and .914 SP for Chicoutimi. Depth players at this position include Yutaka Fukufuji (AHL) and Patrick Ehelechner (Germany).
LARRY BROOKS
The New York Rangers come into the 2005-06 season with many new faces in the lineup and many old faces in other places. With players like Cory Stillman, Jan Hrdina, Chris Gratton, and Aaron Miller getting a fresh start with other HFNHL teams; it has opened the door for younger players to get more ice time. Oleg Saprykin, Taylor Pyatt, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Henrik Tallinder are among the new faces on the now youthful roster. The organization realizes that there will likely be growing pains this season, but the ups and downs of having a young roster are expected. The first two games of the season are a great example of that.
In the team’s opener against the Phoenix Coyotes (a team with an even bigger rebuilding challenge than the Rangers), the team notched a 5-1 victory with several young players contributing. Juraj Kolnik came away with two goals, including the game winner. Pyatt, Saprykin, Pavel Kubina, and John-Michael Liles also had two points apiece for New York.
The second game of the season was a different story. Despite getting 29 shots on goal, the Rangers only managed to get one past Panthers goaltender John Grahame in a 2-1 loss to Florida. Rangers goaltender David Aebischer had 20 games on 22 shots in the loss.
“I’ve said before that this will be a season of ups and downs. We’re prepared for that. We have a lot of inexperienced players on our roster that are going to have a great opportunity to get significant playing time and develop,†said General Manager Sean Gaffney.
No matter what happens this season, the future is a bright one at Madison Square Garden for the first time in several seasons. There are several key prospects that are on track to make their HFNHL debuts next season. Forwards Jim Slater and Petr Prucha are almost certain to be signed after the season and brought in to compete for roster spots. Energy player Ryan Hollweg may also compete for a 4th line role. Minor leaguers Shea Weber (D) and Jeff Tambellini (F) are also possibilities to get a long look.
Prospect Analysis
Prospect depth in the Rangers organization is healthier than it has been in years. For several seasons, the pattern was one of trading prospects/picks for players that would help immediately with the goal of going deep into the playoffs in mind. That strategy left the farm system depleted, and only now if the organization being replenished with quality prospects.
Forwards
The Rangers own the rights to several players that fit the new style of play in the “New HFNHL.†Slater and Prucha have put up solid numbers in their first NHL seasons. Hollweg, who was signed last offseason after having his rights released by the HFNHL Columbus BlueJackets, has been a sparkplug, grinder type with the tendency to get under opponents’ skin and draw penalties. Tambellini has been tearing up the AHL through 18 games this season with 14 goals and 25 points. He was recently awarded for his dominant play in the minors and played his first career NHL game. Other forward prospects off to good starts in the AHL include Chad Larose and Chris Bourque. Stefan Meyer, Denis Parshin, and Marc-Andre Cliché are also solid prospects at the forward position. The enigmatic Yanick Lehoux could also figure into the future plans of the team. He scored his first career NHL goal earlier this season. Look for the Rangers to be targeting a blue-chip forward next summer at the 2006 Entry Draft.
Defenseman
The defense position is an area of depth for New York. Led by first year pro Shea Weber and OHLer Jakub Kindl, the organization has several quality defensemen prospects. Kindl has already almost doubled the numbers he achieved in his OHL rookie season, with 5 goals and 22 assists for 27 points in only 24 games played. Kindl was New York’s first round selection in the 2005 HFNHL Entry Draft, 20th overall. Other prospects at the position include Nathan Paetsch, Doug Lynch, and Derek Meech.
Goaltenders
While the Rangers don’t have a “franchise-type†prospect at the position, there are several young goaltenders belonging to the Rangers that are excelling in the CHL this season and are rapidly improving their value. These include the WHL’s Justin Pogge (Calgary) and Matt Keetley (Medicine Hat) and the QMJHL’s Alexandre Vincent. This had been an area of weakness, but that seems to be changing with the strong play of those prospects this year. Pogge has a miniscule GAA of 1.52 and a SP of .928 while Keetley has a GAA of 1.84 and a SP of .924. They are the only two goaltenders in their league with at least 20GP and a GAA under 2.00. Vincent has an 8-3 record and .914 SP for Chicoutimi. Depth players at this position include Yutaka Fukufuji (AHL) and Patrick Ehelechner (Germany).
