Rangers Training Camp Roster Released?

There have been conflicting reports this evening on whether the Rangers training camp roster has been released, at least officially.  Jim Cerny tweeted that it was not our yet, but Steve Zipay posted the list over at Newsday saying that it was the roster though it was subject to change.  Nothing really notable about the list Zipay has as most of the Traverse guys were invited to camp along with a number of the Hartford players.  In total, if Zipay's list is right the Rangers will have 35 forwards, 20 defenders and 6 goaltenders.  Obviously this group will get cut down pretty quickly with the first preseason game being on Wednesday.  Many of these guys are just here for the conditioning tests and scrimmages this weekend.

Here is the full list via Zipay's posting:

Forwards
Artem Anisimov
Jonathan Audy-Marchessault
Sean Avery
Ryan Bourque
Brian Boyle
Ryan Callanan
Erik Christensen
Andre Deveaux
Brandon Dubinsky
Ruslan Fedotenko
Marian Gaborik
Tommy Grant
Carl Hagelin
Jordan Hickmott
Tayler Jordan
Kale Kerbashian
Chad Kolark
Shane McColgan
Randy McNaught
J.T. Miller
John Mitchell
Kris Newbury
Brandon Prust
Brad Richards
Mike Rupp
Michael St. Croix
Derek Stepan
Kelsey Tessier
Christian Thomas
Andreas Thuresson
Dale Weise
Jason Wilson
Wojtek Wolski
Andrew Yogan
Mats Zuccarello

Defensemen
Lee Baldwin
Brendan Bell
Stu Bickel
Collin Bowman
Peter Ceresnak
Michael Del Zotto
Steve Eminger
Tim Erixon
Dan Girardi
Sam Klassen
Tomas Kundratek
Ryan McDonagh
Dylan McIlrath
Jyri Niemi
Jared Nightingale
Samuel Noreau
Blake Parlett
Mike Sauer
Marc Staal
Pavel Valentenko

Goaltenders
Martin Biron
Chad Johnson
Henrik Lundqvist
Jason Missiaen
Scott Stajcer
Cameron Talbot

Photo: Jaroslav Halak Honors Pavol Demitra On New Goalie Mask

Thousands gathered in Slovakia today to pay tribute to the life of Pavol Demitra, and many in the NHL will play with Demitra in their hearts this season, but St. Louis Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak will be wearing Demitra’s likeness on his helmet each time he steps on the ice this season.  InGoal Magazine has put out pictures of the mask that the Blues netminder will be wearing.  Head Strong Grafx did a brillant job in executing this beautiful tribute from the Slovakian netminder to his countryman and former captain.  The fact that Halak will be wearing this while playing for St. Louis where Demitra had some of his finest seasons only makes it more special.

Head over to InGoal Magazine to see the other amazing shots of the rest of Halak’s mask for the upcoming season.

Redden Not Invited To Training Camp, Could Split Be Coming?

While we are still waiting for the official training camp roster to be released, Steve Zipay is reporting that Wade Redden will not be invited to attend training camp.  This is somewhat surprising as it was reported a few months ago that Redden was planning to attend camp this year.  There was no doubt that Redden was not going to be on the team, but given how professionally he handled himself and the mentor-ship he gave to the young defenders like Ryan McDonagh last season it is surprising if not disappointing that they didn’t allow him to come to camp.

The remote possibility does exist that Redden could refuse the assignment to Hartford, thus voiding the $16.5 million remaining on his contract with the Rangers over the next three seasons.  Redden's agent has said before that there were no plans to do this, so it is an unlikely scenario, but it would be one explanation for not even bothering to put him on the camp roster.  It is very unlikely that will come to pass, but maybe the desire to get another shot at the NHL is worth it to Redden.

Rangers Fall In Finals, But Tournament Still Huge Success

The New York Rangers played their way into the championship game at Traverse City, but there will be no championship coming back to New York following a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.  The Rangers were outplayed for much of the game and while there is disappointment not getting the title, that should not take away from the overall success of the week.

The biggest Rangers highlights from tonight’s game were the two beautiful goals scored by J.T. Miller and Ryan Bourque.  The goal by Miller was a tremendous one-timer from the slot to the upper corner, which was created by an excellent hustle effort from Carl Hagelin who fed Miller with a beautiful backhand pass.  Ryan Bourque’s snipe capped an excellent tournament for him which has led many to rethink what they think Bourque’s future possibilities are.

Beyond the goals there was a lot to like in the way J.T. Miller and Carl Hagelin played tonight.  These two handled the size and speed of the Sabres better than any of the other forwards out there.  With Miller you saw his potential a power forward with his strength, especially down low with his work around the net. 

For Hagelin this was the kind of game that shows why he cannot be discounted as a player to make this team out of camp.  The play he made on Miller’s goal was phenomenal, the speed he exhibited throughout the game and his defensively responsible play all make him a perfect fit for coach John Tortorella’s system.

Defensively only Tim Erixon really played well tonight as he had another solid game from the blueline.  Erixon is a cerebral blueliner in the mold of a Marc Staal in the fact that he uses his smarts as much as his skill to beat his opposition.  For Erixon it is about position and stick use rather than power or speed.

Overall in the tournament the best players were Erixon, Hagelin and Bourque, though that is how it should be considering those three are likely the three most NHL ready players on the squad.

Could Blake Parlett Be A Darkhorse To Make Rangers Roster?

When the New York Rangers opened training camp last summer they had spots up for grabs on defense.  The talk over who would make the team revolved mainly around prospect Ryan McDonagh as he was expected to challenge for a spot on the opening night roster.  One player not thought of as a threat to crack the roster was Michael Sauer, but after an excellent camp he made the team and surprised even more with his tremendous rookie season.  Could it happen again for the Rangers?

This year New York will once again open training camp with a couple of spots up for grabs on defense and plethora of candidates to fill the roles.  Steve Eminger seems like a lock to make the roster as a 6/7th defenseman so there are possibly two spots up for the taking.  The hope is that Michael Del Zotto will rebound and reclaim his spot on the team while Tim Erixon shows enough to warrant making the club on opening night.  That is the ideal scenario for the Rangers, but players like Tomas Kundratek and Pavel Valentenko are looking to state their case for a roster spot as well.

One name that was not on the radar as a potential dark horse in the race for a roster spot until his excellent showing this week at Traverse City is defenseman Blake Parlett.  Parlett is an unheralded player who much like Dan Girardi has worked his way through the ranks as an undrafted player that rose from the ECHL to the AHL with the hopes of making the NHL.  His game is very different from that of Girardi, as Parlett is an offensive defender and not the defensive stopper that Girardi has become.

Parlett’s offensive skills from the blue line and his seeming comfort on the point during the power play are things that give him a chance to make the team.  With Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh as the top 4 on defense the Rangers have four shutdown defenders, but little in the way of offensive skill.  Parlett, Del Zotto and Erixon are all players that have more offensive ability and given that any of their defensive liabilities can be masked somewhat by being protected on the third pair helps their case to make the team.   Unless he has an unbelievable camp it is highly unlikely that Parlett would make the team to start the season, but his smooth skating, excellent passive and offensive instincts do give him that chance and if he goes to the AHL he has the opportunity to rise in the pecking order to be one of the first called up should the need arise.  That is certainly more than what many thought of Parlett when the Traverse City Tournament got underway last weekend.

Dubinsky Will Be Amongst Rangers Leaders With or Without Letter

When the New York Rangers announced there captains yesterday for some there was a notable omission in the fact that Brandon Dubinsky was not given a letter for the 2011-12 season.  While giving the final “A” to another homegrown Ranger would have been a good thing in terms of the talk surrounding the leadership being the young nucleus, the fact that Dubinsky did not get one is nothing to be concerned about.  Brad Richards has the credentials to warrant the letter and it creates an ideal mixture of the youth being represented and a veteran with championship experience being amongst the leadership group.

In terms of Dubinsky himself there is no issue here.  Brandon is clearly one of the leaders in the locker room, especially in terms of being vocal, and that voice does not change whether there is a letter on his sweater or not.  The media will still run to Dubinsky for the juicy quotes and blunt opinions he is known for and while that is can be comforting to the fans when a team struggles, it does not seem to fit the mold of the captains that coach John Tortorella prefers.  Dubinsky made tremendous strides in his maturity last season both on and off the ice and if that continues again this year it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that next season he could be rewarded with the letter that many were concerned he did not get last year. 

The simple fact is that letters, as much stock as we put in them, do not make players leaders within the team.  For that you have to earn the respect of the other guys in the room and by all accounts Dubinsky has that.  Letters and titles are about the media and the fans in how they look at the roles different players have on the team.  There is no doubt that Dubinsky would have been honored and humbled if given a letter this season, but not having one should not change anything about the way he conducts his business.  Coming off a career year and armed with a lucrative new extension Dubinsky is primed to take his game to another level both on and off the ice.

Photo: Ryan Callahan With 'C' In Rangers Locker Room

For all those fans who have been waiting a long time for the reality of Ryan Callahan as the official captain of the New York Rangers the official team twitter sent out this pic of Callahan wearing the "C" in the Rangers new MSG locker room.

Ryan Callahan Named Captain of New York Rangers

Today, via twitter, the New York Rangers announced that Ryan Callahan will be the 26th captain in the history of the franchise.  Along with the announcement of Callahan as the Captain, Marc Staal and Brad Richards were named the Alternates.

These captains should not surprise anyone as Callahan was the defacto captain last season and, as I wrote this morning, epitomizes everything that coach John Tortorella wants his team to be.  Callahan's fierce competitiveness and willingness to whatever it takes to help the team win is exactly what you want to be the face of your leader and have him hold the rest of the team accountable to meet that lofty standard.  There is a jump from being an alternate to the captain of the team, but Callahan is ready to take that step and lead the Blueshirts to where they need to go.

Marc Staal earned his alternate captaincy with how he performed wearing the "A" last season and while there was some question about whether Brad Richards would get the other "A" or not given the Rangers commitment to the young leaders on the team, he has all the qualities to make him worthy of the honor.

Update: Statement from Glen Sather on Callahan as Captain via Blueshirts United

"Ryan Callahan embodies all the leadership qualities we seek from our Captain. He leads by example with courage and tireless work ethic on and off the ice, which is why he is so deserving of this honor."

Rangers To Announce Captaincy Today: Final Predictions of What They Will Do

The New York Rangers announced last night via twitter that the team will announce the captains for the 2011-12 season today.  The decision to announce the captains now is interesting considering when the season ended coach John Tortorella was insistent that the captaincy would not be decided until training camp.  Part of me takes the change in the timing to mean that it could be something that might not be popular with the fans, but that could just be reading too much into what is to come later today.

My final predictions on who will be named the captains.

Captain: Ryan Callahan

Ryan Callahan is the epitome of the identity that coach John Tortorella has been trying to build with the team over the past few seasons.  A tough, hard-nosed player that does everything to help his team win and added offense to his package last season is a worthy candidate.  Add to that the fact that he was already the de-facto captain last season with the absence of Chris Drury.  Also working in Callahan’s favor is the fact that he gives many of the cliché responses interviews, which appears to be what Tortorella likes in his captains in dealing with the media.  The biggest thing working against Callahan is his injuries and whether they want someone who is more likely to be on the ice for the full season.

Alternate: Marc Staal 

Marc Staal could be a darkhorse to get the ‘C,’ and I personally would give it to him, but it feels like a longshot to happen.  Staal should be guaranteed an “A” this season as he is an incumbent letter holder who earned it last season.  He is the leader of the defense corps, and outside of Henrik Lundqvist arguably the most irreplaceable player and his value to the Rangers is something they will recognize. 

Alternate: Brad Richards

Brad Richards history with coach John Tortorella, experience as a letter wearer with multiple teams and Stanley Cup all work for him.  The only thing really working against Richards is the fact that he was not on the team last year and how the organization has talked up the younger home grown players becoming the leaders of the team. 

The decision on what the Rangers do with the second will be very telling of what they see as the direction of the team.   They can go with Richards who has the credentials to warrant the position if not the outright captaincy or they could go with another homegrown player like Brandon Dubinsky or Dan Girardi who typify what the Rangers have been striving to make the team all about.  I still believe that Richards will get the nod for at least an ‘A’ and it will leave players who would be deserving of a letter  without one on their sweater.