Scouting Reports On Rangers Traverse City Invitees

Yesterday there was the news, at least unofficially, of who was going to be on the New York Rangers Traverse City Roster next month.  Jess Rubenstein over at The Prospect Park gives more on the three players that are not “property” of the Rangers organization.

Taylor Jordan-- Portland Winterhawks

Jordan is a 6'6 203 left wing who was the heart and soul of the Portland Winterhawks. He is not going to score 30 goals but what he will bring is a Brandon Prust work ethic and a "cop on the beat" mindset to anyone thinking about running one of his teammates.

The Prust comparisons will become more and more popular given the way he performed in New York and the way the fans have taken to him.  Having more players that give that kind of effort, defend their teammates and are solid defensively is always a positive thing for an organization.

Collin Bowman-- Moose Jaw Warriors

Bowman is a physical defender who has decent size at 6'2, is not afraid to drop the gloves and has been a solid leader (assistant captain)for Moose Jaw on and off the ice. We first saw Bowman with the Kelowna Rockets in 2008-2009 where he was part of the WHL Champions.

We want to see Bowman use his shot from the point more and he does need to improve on how fast he makes decisions on the ice. Skating is not bad and his hockey IQ is pretty good.

Bowman is an interesting prospect given that he is physical and will fight, but also showed signs of offense last year with a very solid 11-37-48 in 72 games for the Warriors.  Working against him is obviously the depth of the prospect ranks on defense, but the best teams find a way to make room for players that fit what they want and have skill.  A solid showing in Traverse could at least get Bowman an invite to full training camp.

Jordan Hickmott -- Edmonton Oil Kings

Got to admit this invite is puzzling as yes Hickmott is a good character person and a 2 time 20 goal scorer in the WHL and that is about it. Why Hickmott is on the Traverse City roster and Max Campbell (who has a AHL contract) is not makes us wonder if this is a mistake here.

Hickmott was with the Rangers for development camp in June so this could be one of those assumed adds to the roster, but as Jess point out Hickmott is going to the University of Alberta for the 2011-2012 season.  Replacing Hickmott with Max Campbell would be an excellent idea if a change is to be made as Campbell had an excellent senior season and his work ethic should be rewarded with this chance.

Be sure to check out the full post from Jess on these three as well as read him each day for the latest on Rangers prospect over at The Prospect Park.

Rangers Traverse City Tournament Roster

Adam Herman over at Blue Line Station has the New York Rangers roster for the Traverse City Prospect Tournament next month.  Traverse is a great chance for prospects to show where they stack up against other prospects at the professional level while getting instruction from coaches within the organization.  For players like Carl Hagelin, Christian Thomas and Tim Erixon the tournament is another chance to make an impression to make the club this season, while for others it is about getting a professional contract.  

The Rangers are only bringing four players that do not have a contract within the organization already, and Hickmott and Kerbashian were at the prospect camp in late June.  

The roster via Blue Line Station: 

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault C 5.09 175 — Quebec (QMJHL)
Ryan Bourque LW 5.09 164 NYR-09 (3-80) Quebec (QMJHL)
Tommy Grant LW 6.02 195 _ Alaska (WCHA)
Carl Hagelin LW 5.11 176 NYR-07 (6-168) Michigan (CCHA)
Jordan Hickmott * C 6.00 181 — Edmonton (WHL)
Tayler Jordan * LW 6.06 195 — Portland (WHL)
Kale Kerbashian * C 5.11 165 — Sarnia (OHL)
Shane McColgan RW 5.11 170 NYR-11 (5-134) Kelowna(WHL)
Randy McNaught RW 6.05 221 NYR-10 (7-190) Vancouver (WHL)
J.T. Miller RW 6.01 190 NYR-11 (1-15) US Natl Dev Team (USHL)
Michael St. Croix C 5.11 179 NYR-11 (4-106) Edmonton (WHL)
Christian Thomas RW 5.09 165 NYR-10 (2-40) Oshawa (OHL)
Jason Wilson LW 6.02 205 NYR-10 (5-130) Niagara (OHL)
Andrew Yogan C 6.03 202 NYR-10 (4-100) Erie (OHL)

DEFENSEMEN
Collin Bowman * D 6.02 200 — Moose Jaw (WHL)
Peter Ceresnak D 6.03 209 NYR-11 (6-172) Trencin Jr. (SLVK-Jr.)
Tim Erixon D 6.02 190 CAL-09 (1-23) Skelleftea (SEL)
Dylan McIlrath D 6.05 215 NYR-10 (1-10) Moose Jaw (WHL)
Samuel Noreau D 6.04 210 NYR-11 (5-136) Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
Blake Parlett D 6.01 205 — Greenville (ECHL)

GOALTENDERS
Jason Missiaen G 6.08 220 MON-08 (4-116) Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
Scott Stajcer G 6.03 195 NYR-09 (5-140) Owen Sound (OHL)

The biggest questions concerning the roster are likely in goal, but it will exciting to see how the coach staff pairs up this collection of forwards and defenders.  The amount of size on the defense is impressive and shows that the Rangers are looking to be an intimidating team to play against.

New York Rangers Level of Improvement This Summer Has Become Overstated

The New York Rangers made the headline acquisition this summer by bringing in Brad Richards to fill their void for a top line center and add another elite offensive player to their roster.  Whenever you add a talent like Richards, many are going to consider the team amongst the most improved in the league because of how rare that kind of addition is to be made.  The question today is whether the level of perceived improvement for the Rangers has gotten out of hand.

Recently ESPN's Sports Nation conducted a poll this week asking which team was the most improved this summer.  The teams listed as choices were the following: Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers.

The poll came out with the Buffalo Sabres winning (29%) and the Rangers coming in with a strong runner up showing (22%).  That is an excellent showing for the Blueshirts, but should they really be that high? 

There is no denying that the signing of the biggest free agent on the market this summer makes any team better.  The hope and expectations on Richards are huge right now not only to use his ability individually, but also to help turnaround both Marian Gaborik and the Rangers power play.  Obviously if all of those things do happen the team will be significantly better for it, but that is a lot to put on one player’s shoulders.  Beyond Richards the only new player the team has added to the roster, at least with NHL experience, is Mike Rupp.  Rupp is a solid player who will add toughness to the roster and take some of the fighting requirements off Brandon Prust, but certainly not the type of move that makes a team amongst the most improved.

While the retention of Callahan, Dubinsky, Anisimov, Sauer and Boyle were big moves for the Rangers in maintaining what they have built last season, but they should not be considered in whether the team has improved this summer.  Acquiring Tim Erixon should certainly be considered, but I doubt that was a big part of the voting in this poll.  The only way to actually justify the Rangers in the runner spot in a poll like this is if the voters are accounting for the improvements of young players for the upcoming season, but even then players like Stepan, McDonagh, and Sauer could go the other way as Del Zotto did in his second season.

Polls for the most part are based on the information people have about what teams did and that will mostly come down to the biggest names they hear about.  There is nothing wrong with that, but it certainly can skew the results and there becomes a circle of hype you cannot seem to escape.

The Rangers are going to be better than they were last season, but there are still plenty of question marks to be answered with the most notable being about if those who had subpar 2010-11 seasons will rebound and if those who had career years can repeat them again.  Getting the best player on the market is certainly a step towards improvement, but that move alone does not mean you are one of the most improved in the league or a contender for a title.

How Key Rangers Became Blueshirts

In a very interesting read, Joshua Smith at Puck Press breaks down how the current, and a few future Rangers, came to be part of the organization.  It is amazing how the ties to 1994 keep coming up even in the current crop.  I have already looked at how Michael Sauer was the best piece from the Brian Leetch trade, but as Joshua points out Messier had a hand in bring in Callahan and Tony Amonte played a role in Brandon Dubinsky’s drafting.  Another funny note is how many of these players that are taken with picks the Rangers dealt to the other teams ended up being Rangers, even if for a short time.

Ryan Callahan – 2004, 4th round (#127 overall).  In 2003, the CBA awarded a compensatory draft pick to teams who had an unrestricted free agent sign elsewhere. Planning to re-sign pending UFA Mark Messier, the Rangers traded him to the San Jose Sharks for a fourth round draft pick.  The next day, Messier became a free agent and re-signed with the Rangers.  The Sharks received a fourth round pick (#91) from the league, and the Rangers ended up with the draft pick that would eventually become Ryan Callahan.

This was a frequent occurrence a few years ago in dealing away the rights to players right before July 1 to ensure some level of compensation while they could then re-sign them right after free agency started.

Brandon Dubinsky – 2004, 2nd round (#60 overall).  In 2003, the Flyers picked up Tony Amonte from the Coyotes in return for prospect Guillaume Lefebvre and draft picks.  Looking to trade down at the 2004 Entry Draft, the Rangers sent their second round pick (#50) to the Coyotes for the second round pick they’d acquired from Philadelphia (#60) and a third-round pick (#89).  The Coyotes used that #50 to draft future Ranger (briefly) Enver Lisin; with the #60 pick, the Rangers selected Brandon Dubinsky.

Marc Staal – 2005, 1st round (#12 overall). With the Sharks very interested in Devon Setoguchi, they traded up to get the #8 pick from the Atlanta Thrashers, sending the #12, a second round pick (#49), and a seventh round pick (#207) to Atlanta.  When Staal was still available at #12, the Rangers sent their first round pick (#16) and one of their three second round picks (#41) to Atlanta to be able to select him.  With those two picks, the Thrashers picked up Alex Bourret (who would eventually become a Ranger, though very briefly) and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

People wonder why Atlanta had trouble creating a winner down there and look no further than moves like this in the 2005 draft.  Instead of taking Setoguchi or Staal they ended up with four picks that only netted them one NHL player in Ondrej Pavelec.  If you are going to pass on guys like Setoguchi or Staal you have to turn those picks into players.

Jesper Fasth – 2010, 6th round (#157 overall). This draft pick was acquired, along with a 2011 second round pick (#57), in the trade that sent Bobby Sanguinetti to the Carolina Hurricanes. Sanguinetti was originally drafted in the first round (#21 overall) by the Rangers in the 2006 Entry Draft.

I included this one in the rundown not solely because of what Fasth can become, but because the second round pick in the Sanguinetti deal was 1 of the 2 second rounders, along with Roman Horak the Rangers used to get Tim Erixon from the Calgary Flames earlier this summer.  Funny to think that the Rangers tremendous defense could be made of just one player that was selected with an original Rangers selection (Michael Del Zotto), even if Staal and Sauer were taken by the club.

Be sure to check out the full list for more interesting routes some of the Rangers players have taken to get to Broadway.

Rangers Prospect J.T. Miller Guaranteeing Himself A Spot On USA WJC Team?

The move by the New York Rangers to select J.T. Miller 15th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has been questioned by many, but Miller is doing his best this week at Team USA’s National Junior Evaluation Camp.  Miller has been one of the standouts this week for Team USA by using his skating, strength and willingness to go the front of the net to have a consistent impact in each game.  Chris Peters at United States of Hockey has seen enough of Miller this week to consider him a virtual lock for the WJC team this year.

J.T. Miller – The one thing Miller has consistently done in the tournament is use his speed incredibly well. He’s strong in his skates and beats defensemen with his legs. The one thing he’ll have to avoid is penalty trouble, which he got into against Finland. That said, if he continues to wheel like this, it’s going to be impossible to leave him off the squad.

Miller making the WJC team would be an excellent thing for his development due to the extra games and the competition level he will face in the tournament.  More importantly than that, reading the reports on how Miller has played this week gives Rangers fans an even better idea of the type of game that Miller plays.  Questions about his upside in terms of skill will likely remain in the short-term, but the fact that he fits the Rangers mold of hard-working, relentless players only furthers the understanding of why he was the selection as opposed to some of the players considered to have more talent.  Miller appears to have the power forward mentality, which for the improvements the Rangers have made on the ice and in the system is something they have not truly developed to this point.  The hope is certainly that both Chris Kreider and Miller will fill that void in the near future.