Prospect Info: Rangers Prospect Thread (Player Stats/Info in Post #2; Updated 10.7.20)

[Levitate]

Yeah I love him. He fits the bill of some of those late round kids populating Tampa’s lineup without being picked that high in drafts. Long way to go? Yeah, a bit of course. He should be one of the top centers on a really strong Swedish WJC team. Will Frölunda have room for him? I think it’s up in the air.

One kid I really think came a lot closer to a roster spot (or should have if nothing else) last year is Tarmo Reunanen. Then he went back and had a so-so year in Finland.

But really, he can be so poised and calm with the puck under the heaviest pressure. He skates so very well. I recon the LD log-jam will be hard on him again this camp if he comes. But I mean let’s say we traded him, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he ended up making his new team looking good in a somewhat sheltered top 4 role. He is there.

With the way that Hajek has struggled to stand out and the rest of the LD depth currently Staal and Smith...Reunanen should be given a good look IMO.

 

[Edge]

Henriksson feels like such a Tampa Bay-inspired kind of pick.

The timetable, the attributes, etc.

 

[Leetch3]

With the way that Hajek has struggled to stand out and the rest of the LD depth currently Staal and Smith...Reunanen should be given a good look IMO.

unfortunately due to the timing of the season I don't think tarmo will be an option...I expect him to play in finland again.

 

[Levitate]

unfortunately due to the timing of the season I don't think tarmo will be an option...I expect him to play in finland again.

dunno what kind of agreements they might have in situations like that. he might be able to get some kind of out clause to attend rangers camp and win a spot. Might be a big risk for him though

 

[JimmyG89]

Henriksson feels like such a Tampa Bay-inspired kind of pick.

The timetable, the attributes, etc.

Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, Brayden Point.

All centers, all smallish, all unheralded around the draft. Point at least got drafted. If he could turn himself into the level of player Tyler Johnson is, this pick becomes an absolute steal. Even Gourde level would be a nice pick.

 

[Crease]

Should I be excited about Henriksson? I’ve only got so much time in the day to learn about prospects and I’ve been focusing on guys like Kakko, Kravtsov, Lundkvist, and Miller.

 

[nyr2k2]

Should I be excited about Henriksson? I’ve only got so much time in the day to learn about prospects and I’ve been focusing on guys like Kakko, Kravtsov, Lundkvist, and Miller.

See how the year goes. I think he had a thoroughly mediocre year last season. There's upside there, though we haven't seen much of it outside J20.

 

[Edge]

Should I be excited about Henriksson? I’ve only got so much time in the day to learn about prospects and I’ve been focusing on guys like Kakko, Kravtsov, Lundkvist, and Miller.

He's an interesting prospect for me. Always has been.

There are times I see him, and you see the vision, you see the wheels churning, he's pushing to generate offense, he's got good hands, good playmaking ability, good vision, and he allows his linemates to do what they do best because he's willing to put in the work that frees them up.

But he's not a guy who leaps off the page as a specimen or as having that one amazing attribute where you say, "This guy is going to steer a second line someday."

And I don't mean that as an insult against him. It's just hard to project a guy who is 5'10, who doesn't have blazing speed, or a dynamite shot, and who plays center. It's almost like a poker hand where you have something to work with, but you need to the right cards in order to turn it into a higher hand that can compete for the pot.

But that's somewhat to be expected from those late second/early third types. They either find the cards they need, and provide a hell of a return on investment, or their status folds because its close but not quite good enough.

 

[Leetch3]

He's an interesting prospect for me. Always has been.

There are times I see him, and you see the vision, you see the wheels churning, he's pushing to generate offense, he's got good hands, good playmaking ability, good vision, and he allows his linemates to do what they do best because he's willing to put in the work that frees them up.

But he's not a guy who leaps off the page as a specimen or as having that one amazing attribute where you say, "This guy is going to steer a second line someday."

And I don't mean that as an insult against him. It's just hard to project a guy who is 5'10, who doesn't have blazing speed, or a dynamite shot, and who plays center. It's almost like a poker hand where you have something to work with, but you need to the right cards in order to turn it into a higher hand that can compete for the pot.

But that's somewhat to be expected from those late second/early third types. They either find the cards they need, and provide a hell of a return on investment, or their status folds because its close but not quite good enough.

on a team with Panarin and Lafreniere driving their lines as 'centers' on the wing, henriksson as a guy that supports them and does the dirty work might be a nice fit. if he can handle the defensive side and faceoff circle, it could be a good complement.

 

[egelband]

I'm good with that too. I just hope the id can get his career back on track. For all of his faults and stumbles he clearly has a great passion for the game

I would like for that pick to have been a good one, regardless of where Andersson ends up. It would restore some faith in the scouting staff.

 

[Edge]

on a team with Panarin and Lafreniere driving their lines as 'centers' on the wing, henriksson as a guy that supports them and does the dirty work might be a nice fit. if he can handle the defensive side and faceoff circle, it could be a good complement.

Maybe. We'll see how he does.

I think the speed/size thing could be a problem for him in the NHL. He's going to have a lot of big, fast players bearing down on him and forcing the play.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

He's an interesting prospect for me. Always has been.

There are times I see him, and you see the vision, you see the wheels churning, he's pushing to generate offense, he's got good hands, good playmaking ability, good vision, and he allows his linemates to do what they do best because he's willing to put in the work that frees them up.

But he's not a guy who leaps off the page as a specimen or as having that one amazing attribute where you say, "This guy is going to steer a second line someday."

And I don't mean that as an insult against him. It's just hard to project a guy who is 5'10, who doesn't have blazing speed, or a dynamite shot, and who plays center. It's almost like a poker hand where you have something to work with, but you need to the right cards in order to turn it into a higher hand that can compete for the pot.

But that's somewhat to be expected from those late second/early third types. They either find the cards they need, and provide a hell of a return on investment, or their status folds because its close but not quite good enough.

This is a great f***ing analogy. One of your best.

 

[effen]

I would like for that pick to have been a good one, regardless of where Andersson ends up. It would restore some faith in the scouting staff.

The pick was fine given the info they had and reasonable projection. Middlestadt and Rasmussen, both drafted after him, are less likely to have "good" NHL careers, believe it or not.

 

[effen]

Maybe. We'll see how he does.

I think the speed/size thing could be a problem for him in the NHL. He's going to have a lot of big, fast players bearing down on him and forcing the play.

for whatever reason Craig Conroy comes to mind with your descriptions.

 

[Edge]

for whatever reason Craig Conroy comes to mind with your descriptions.

There are times I almost see a bit of Doug Weight in him. Shorter, stouter build, not a blazing fast guy, heavy on the playmaking, not necessarily a guy who traslates to another role if he doesn't make it as playmaking center. Weight, for all his success, was often viewed as more of an ideal second line center or a 1B type. If he does put it all together, that's what I'm more or less envisioning.

 

[Ola]

Rangers are still talking about Andersson, so I'm not sure it is out of the question that he is still looked at as part of the future of the team.

The good news, these guys are going to be playing. Andersson is going to be getting big minutes on their top line. Hope those that can watch him and Henriksson can give some reports during the year.

Yeah, and I mean, even if Andersson won’t play for us we can still capitalize on his value. No matter what, a kid his age to plays this well in the SHL is going to get attention and have value. Scouts, GMs, assistant GMs, they will see him play first hand multiple times and it’s the highest level outside the NHL and if you do well teams will want you. That has been a fact for many decades and it won’t change now.

So no matter what it’s great for us. Had he not played well, his value would have (kept) tanking very fast. I am sure it already has turned up a lot.

I have a really hard time seeing Andersson playing for us again, at least as long as DQ is here. DQ obviously just don’t see any upsides at all in Lias game and I do think Lias has a point there, playing in the NHL is tough as it is, if you have a coach who just don’t like you (as a player) it’s probably better to do something else.

Lias is getting quicker and quicker while growing, he is still really young. He could have a nice NHL career. At the same time — I have a hard time seeing him becoming a big star. It’s not like it’s the end of the world for us. Get some assets in return for him, some other player in the same situation elsewhere. Who knows what that could bring us.

 

[Ola]

Should I be excited about Henriksson? I’ve only got so much time in the day to learn about prospects and I’ve been focusing on guys like Kakko, Kravtsov, Lundkvist, and Miller.

I don’t know.

Seriously though, hands down, the hockey sense is there. It’s like he always got an extra second to make a play. It’s underrated if anything. If he had plays junior hockey he would have flooded the place with assists. And he especially is a really good possession player. He is so great at finding solutions to situations and to be able to make plays to keep the puck within the team.

The agility is also there. He is as agile as they get. The acceleration is there. The stamina is there. The attitude is there.

Hands down, I think he is even better on the smaller NA ice than in Europe. It’s not just Traverse where he was good, has played well for Sweden many times.

But is like the overall engine there? Look at a Yanni Gourde. Can he become a skater at — that — level? Tyler Johnson? If he can, we got a potentially really valuable asset on our hands.

So can he? It’s not that easy to tell. It’s important to remember that someone like Gourde is 28 y/o. When he was 19-20 y/o he had a PPG in the Q.

If he doesn’t, I don’t think he is NHL material. That is how steep the breaking point is. In a sense, that is what I think Tampa has “figured out” and something that is behind their extreme ability to collect so many NHLers. You see the guy ahead of you, what that guy have focused on, how hard he has worked and the result it has given. You can’t focus too much on this area in the game today. Speed, explosiveness, stamina and just as important as anything else, an ability to track the puck.

 

[Leetch3]

Maybe. We'll see how he does.

I think the speed/size thing could be a problem for him in the NHL. He's going to have a lot of big, fast players bearing down on him and forcing the play.

no doubt he would need to reach a certain level of play and is far from a sure thing, i'm just thinking that the way our future team is projecting we don't necessarily need a stud superstar 2C. a good 2C that knows how to complement and support our elite LWs could be enough....

 

[JimmyG89]

Thread has quotes from the article, which is behind a paywall.

• Andersson didn't think he was ready to come back to New York and play in the NHL during the play in games.
• Wants to build a foundation playing in Sweden before looking to come back to the NHL.
• Says the Rangers loaned him out for the full season
• Not closing the door on returning to the Rangers. Says it is also not up to him if he would return to the team.

Saying he was close to deciding to go for it and attend camp is interesting, but I have a feeling he wanted to prepare for this season with HV71 instead of most likely not getting a spot and being on the black aces. Don't mind that, and I think most wouldn't want our European prospects to come over only to sit. He's going to be playing games soon and could build his value as we are entering the draft and free agency. Don't think it was the worst thing for him to stay home.

 

[True Blue]

But that's somewhat to be expected from those late second/early third types. They either find the cards they need, and provide a hell of a return on investment, or their status folds because its close but not quite good enough.

To me, if he hits it, he seems like the type of player that is a complimentary player on his own line. Even if he is a center. Think Nylander with Jagr.

 

[UnSandvich]

Thread has quotes from the article, which is behind a paywall.

• Andersson didn't think he was ready to come back to New York and play in the NHL during the play in games.
• Wants to build a foundation playing in Sweden before looking to come back to the NHL.
• Says the Rangers loaned him out for the full season
• Not closing the door on returning to the Rangers. Says it is also not up to him if he would return to the team.

Saying he was close to deciding to go for it and attend camp is interesting, but I have a feeling he wanted to prepare for this season with HV71 instead of most likely not getting a spot and being on the black aces. Don't mind that, and I think most wouldn't want our European prospects to come over only to sit. He's going to be playing games soon and could build his value as we are entering the draft and free agency. Don't think it was the worst thing for him to stay home.

Honestly, that's pretty close to the best news we could've gotten there imo. "I don't think I have the confidence for that at the moment, and I want to build myself back up in Sweden first, but if they call me back over, I'll come"

 

[NYR Viper]

Remember Andersson's draft year when he played all of those games over that summer and did all of that travel to play on all of those teams and then it seemed like he was tired to begin the season. He may have just not wanted to create the same exact issue again. I don't blame him.

 

[Tawnos]

Honestly, that's pretty close to the best news we could've gotten there imo. "I don't think I have the confidence for that at the moment, and I want to build myself back up in Sweden first, but if they call me back over, I'll come"

And if he managed to put together an NHL career starting next October, he wouldn't be the first player to come over from Europe at 22 and do so. Weird path, but it's still possible. We forget how young he still is. Chytil too.

 

[UnSandvich]

And if he managed to put together an NHL career starting next October, he wouldn't be the first player to come over from Europe at 22 and do so. Weird path, but it's still possible. We forget how young he still is. Chytil too.

If he comes in and seizes the 3C spot (which I think is very much a possibility, I see Chytil and Barron as his only competitors there in org.), boy will that go a LONG way towards solving our organizational depth issue there

 

[Edge]

And if he managed to put together an NHL career starting next October, he wouldn't be the first player to come over from Europe at 22 and do so. Weird path, but it's still possible. We forget how young he still is. Chytil too.

At the end of the day, this season went off the rails. But, under normal circumstances, this would've been his first season of North American pro hockey, as it was for many of his peers in the 2017 draft. We forget that sometimes.

He didn't start in Hartford at 20, and we're now looking at a guy coming into the next camp as a 24 year old.

He started as a teenager, did quite well for himself, will still only be 22.

I get where some people are coming from when watching Andersson at the NHL level. And the truth is, maybe he doesn't cut it.

But this isn't a kid who has struggled from Day One. He's looked good in the SHL, in the WJC, in the AHL, in pre-season games etc. That doesn't often happen with guys who don't look like they don't stand a chance.

Right now I see a kid who is struggling to get over the hump of converting previous success to the NHL level. And in many ways, that's the biggest and most important step of all. Some guys never take that last step.

But I also can't just dismiss his success in other leagues either. What he did in those leagues, at the age he was, is not very common. And as a result, it's not very common that someone like him would just completely flame out.