Rangers Prospect Ethan Werek Injury Update

New York Rangers prospect Ethan Werek has been out of action since December 10, 2010 with injury.  Originally the injury was just labeled as day-to-day, and then finally it was reported out that the injury was to the wrist area.  The latest update that had been out there was that Werek was hoping to come back last weekend following him getting a brace from the Rangers medical staff.  Obviously that did not happen.

Today, through information passed on via Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park, we were alerted to an interview with Ethan published yesterday.  Doug Graham of the Whig Standard interviewed Ethan who is notably frustrated by not being able to play or even grip a stick after a month of missing action.   

In the interview Graham reports “Werek describes his injury as a ligament tear.”

"I'm trying to do every kind of thing so I don't have to have surgery. I tried it on the weekend when I was home but it still wasn't there," Werek said.

I love that Werek is trying to play though it and help his team, but this is a mistake.  He is a 19 year old whose focus has to be on the big picture and this decision to try and rehab instead of taking the sure fix of the operation only hurts him long term.  If he had the surgery immediately he would likely either be back now or within a few weeks of returning.  Now that he has gone this route and still end up needing the operation he will be out another one to two months effectively costing him half of the season.  To make matters worse December is the perfect time to have something like this taken care of in Juniors as the amount games to be missed are fewer than other parts of the year.

One has to wonder at what point injuries and the time missed, development lost might cost Werek in the larger picture when it comes to be offered a contract by the Rangers this summer.  I am not saying all is lost or that he will not be, but these are things in that big picture that Werek has to start considering when he makes these decisions.  Either way let us hope that Ethan gets back as soon as possible, remains healthy and continues to produce in the way he has previously.

As always make sure you check out The Prospect Park daily for your updates on the New York Rangers prospects as Jess is the best there is for the information.

Ethan Werek, Scott Stajcer Injury News; Hagelin Update

For those of you who follow the prospects of the New York Rangers you would know that this season has been tough with injuries and that a couple of prospects have been out recently with no reason given as to their absence.  As always in my attempt to follow the prospects I went to The Prospect Park where Jess Rubenstein does a great job keeping all of us informed on the play and in this case injuries of the Rangers prospects in Junior hockey.  In today's update Jess gives us some more background on the Scott Stajcer and Ethan Werek injuries and his take on the Carl Hagelin Story.


Werek who was scratched from last weekends games with an undisclosed injury is now said to be out with a "day to day" undisclosed upper body injury.  As Jess says for many that will be a relief since his prior injuries have all be to the lower body, specifically the knee so the fact that it is not another recurrence of that area is a positive sign, but I too am skeptical of injury reports and will just feel better when 25 is back on the ice for Frontenacs.

The story as described by Jess in relation to Scott Stajcer is bizarre to say the least and both of these scenarios do speak to a larger problem in hockey right now in terms of the top secret nature of injury reporting.  The injury for Stajcer at least at this point seems to be more serious since surgery has now become the course of action and it is also more serious for Stajcer's future with the Rangers since he needed to have a good year to ensure being offered a contract by the Rangers come this summer and now depending on how long his absence that might now happen.  Werek is a safe bet to get a contract either way, but the Rangers certainly want to see him out there playing as much as possible.

In following up on yesterday's Carl Hagelin story in which I pointed out that the report from Windsor did not track or make sense considering what Glen Sather told Pierre LeBrun just a few weeks earlier, Jess is reporting that the Rangers did in fact offer Hagelin a contract last summer, but he went back to Michigan for his senior season, so here is to hoping that since the Rangers do clearly want him that he wants them and signs before he becomes a free agent this summer.

I highly suggest you check out the The Prospect Park every day if you are not already doing so as for me it is the preeminent place to find out about the prospects nightly exploits.

Rangers Prospects Ethan Werek and Christian Thomas Left Off Canadian WJC Invite List

Today the Canadian World Junior camp roster was announced and there was some reason for hope that a couple of Rangers prospects would get an invitation to the festivities.  The two main hopefuls for the New York Rangers were 2009 2^nd round pick Ethan Werek and 2010 2^nd round pick Christian Thomas.  Werek was at the camp over the summer so he probably had a better chance to make it, but he still needed a strong push in November and he just did not get that.  Overall for the month Werek had a respectable 5 games 4 assists performance in his 11 games, but he was held scoreless in four of his last five games before this announcement and that probably sealed his fate. 

Christian Thomas was a long shot coming into the year, especially considering he was not invited to the camp over the summer but his spectacular play this season with 18 goals and 16 assists in just 22 games was thought to put him in the running.  Overall in November Thomas numbers were down sans an incredible two game stretch in which he netted 5 goals and had 5 helpers on his way to OHL and CHL player of the week.  In his other 8 games this month he only had 2 goals and 5 assists and as Jess Rubenstein astutely as always pointed in a tweet:

His size I suppose is being one factor, he struggled against the Russians in the SSS is another

Do not take the lack of inclusion for either of these players as a statement on their future abilities with the Rangers as both are very talented and playing very good hockey.  The Canadian ranks are very deep as we see every year and this does not mean you should think any less of these players because they did not make it.   Werek is still someone I envision as a potential top 6 forward in the NHL and Thomas a tremendous sniper down the line.  Missing out on the experience is a negative in that playing against the best makes you better, but with both expect them to continue their hard work and development for the bigger picture of being a Ranger.

The Rangers are expected to have four prospects in the World Junior Championships this year with Ryan Bourque and Chris Kreider playing for team USA as they look to repeat; Jesper Fasth (2010 6^th round pick) playing for the Swedes and Roman Horak (2009 5^th round pick) representing the Czech Republic

Daily Recap: Staal Hit; Biron Shines In Win; Lundqvist Sits; Prust's Evolution; Werek Spotlight

The New York Rangers gained a hard fought victory over the Calgary Flames at home this evening led by the goaltending of Martin Biron and goals from Dan Girardi and Brian Boyle.  It was a cap to an interesting day in Ranger land that will no doubt spill over into tomorrow.

The day started with my article on Brandon Prust and how he always seems to be someone who slides under the radar, goes without the headlines, but has become an integral part of the Rangers organization and is a big reason why this club this year is developing a team identity instead of the compilation of individuals they have been in recent years.  I do not think anyone knew nearly ten months ago when the Olli Jokinen trade was made that the best part of it would be a guy who was talked about as an undersized fighter type.  As frustrated as the Rangers fans were with Olli Jokinen they must always remember that Brandon Prust is the gift Olli gave them.

Later in the morning it was announced that in a previously unscheduled move Martin Biron would be the one in net tonight for the Rangers against the Flames and the Henrik Lundqvist would get the extra two days to work on his technique and be back in goal on Wednesday against the Lightning.  I had no problem with using Biron as he had been the more consistent goalie this season and he would reward the coaches later with a spectacular performance.  In previewing the game I talked about how the Rangers if they wanted to be a good team would need consistency, to beat the teams they are supposed to beat and to win at home.

In the game itself the story, at least during the game, was once again Martin Biron and his 31 saves to give the Rangers the 2-1 victory.  The full game recap is here.  The story from the game that dominated after the game and will surely spill over into tomorrow is the Marc Staal crushing hit on Matt Stajan during the third period.  I posted the video of the hit along with my take on it, and some thoughts on it are in the recap as well.  Tomorrow morning I will delve into a more in-depth analysis of the hit where my take on the actual hit does not change much but I will look at the bigger picture of the league and what I expect to come from it.

The only other post today was a spotlight feature done by Hockey’s Future on Rangers Prospect Ethan Werek, which shows another smart interview for Werek and is a fun watch for about six minutes in length.

Video: Ethan Werek's Hockey's Future Snapshot

Found this Spotlight of Ethan on the Hockeyfuture's site. Another good interview for Ethan.

Prospect Roundup:Scoring Race Contestants And Huge Friday Night (Thomas, Horak, Bourque, etc)

So far this season the New York Rangers prospects have been putting on a tremendous effort, particularly those in the CHL as there has been a scoring race going on between Roman Horak and Christian Thomas since the very beginning, then Ethan Werek climbed into it as his game rose and theirs slipped slightly and now red-hot Ryan Bourque is right in the mix for the lead.  The other guy who is in the running right now is not Rangers property in Brandon Manning the free agent defenseman who is destroying the WHL and Glen Sather must sign.  Other than Werek all of these guys in the race had huge nights on Friday night and even some Hartford guys got in on the act.

Do Yourself a Favor Listen To The Kids Play Too

I would suggest to any Ranger fan who wants to know more about the future of this organization dont just read the box-scores but listen to or watch some of the games these kids play, you will not be sorry.

Here are some links to the broadcasts of some of the Ranger prospects:

Ethan Werek: Kingston Frontenacs
Scott Stacjer: Owen Sound
Dylan McIlrath: Moose Jaw Warriors
Roman Horak, Brandon Manning: Chilliwack Bruins
Carl Hagelin: Michigan Wolverines
Chris Kreider: Boston College

I love listening to the Chilliwack games especially because the announcers do a very good job of describing the play and their reactions when things happen are great, not to mention you get to hear them describe the play of one for sure and hopefully two parts of the Rangers future.

Ethan Werek Radio Interview 10/14/2010

Just found this radio interview from New York Rangers prospect Ethan Werek from about two weeks ago (10/14).  Ethan is always great to listen to because of his intelligence, poise and drive being obvious in his answers. Ranger fans should be very proud not just of the quality of hockey players that the organization is drafting but also the quality of people they are.  When you draft winning type players, leaders the organization and the team will be all the better for it.

Give it a listen. Excellent questions and answers from Offsides on CFRC 101.9

Interview inside

Looking At The Prospects After Month One

Now that we have just crossed the month mark at least in the CHL leagues figured we could take a look at a variety of Ranger prospects in terms of their production to this point in the season.  Disclaimers up front include that points do not reveal all there is about level of play a prospect or any hockey player for that matter is playing at.  Also, the variance in the leagues in terms of quality of competition can alter what statistically would qualify as quality production. 

With those out of the way I am going to break down the prospect into a few categories as there are prospects who are just on fire to start the year, those who are simmer with solid play and production, some who are smoldering and others that are building the fire as they adjust to new leagues.  For the purposes of this I will leave Stepan’s start out because of being in the NHL.

Prospect of the Weekend 10/22-10-24

I decided when I started this that I wouldn’t write too much on the prospects because I feel there are those out there more qualified to do so, but I would find ways to chime my opinions in through various forms and so now I have decided while I wont do daily prospect recaps I am going to do a weekly prospect of the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

Keep reading to find out who this weekend’s winner was.