The Future In Net For The New York Rangers After The King Is Gone

As a fan, you have to like what the New York Rangers organization is doing for the future of the team. It appears general manager Glen Sather and company have an eye on talent they think will help in the long run.  Their commitment to the future has been picking up momentum, and that is a good thing.  Despite not having a number one pick in this past year’s entry draft and the foreseeable future, the organization is doing what they can to find “diamonds in the rough”.

In 2000, the team drafted a little known goalie from Sweden in the seventh round. Little known to North America, but not in his native country.  His name was Henrik Lundqvist.  By now, we all know his story.  Without question, he has taken Manhattan by storm and has never looked back.  He is the franchise leader in wins and shutouts by a goalie.  He has seen Olympic success and has been one of the main reasons why the Rangers have been resurrected and seen success in recent years.  Unfortunately, the King, as he is known to Rangers fans, will not be in the spotlight forever.  There will be a time when we will no longer see the number 30 with his crowned helmet on the ice.  He will be mentioned in the same breath as Rangers greats Eddie Giacomin and Mike Richter.  To future Rangers fans, we will say, “If only you saw the King…”

But what about the future? Who will take up the mantle once Lundqvist has gone?  The answer may be right now in Traverse City, MI.

One prospect who will have a say is the 19-year old Mackenzie Skapski. A native of British Columbia, he is coming off an impressive performance in the annual prospects tournament held in Michigan.  His 36 saves helped the Rangers in a 2-1 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres in the prospects game.  Originally drafted in 2013, the sixth rounder of the Rangers has been playing in the WHL for the Kootenay Ice.  There, he has had a winning record in his four years with the team.  His best year was in 2012-2013, where he had a record of 34-25-1 with a 2.78 goals against average including seven shutouts.  In June, he signed an entry-level  contract to be in the Rangers organization through the 2016-2017 season.  Standing at 6’3, he will be able to cover much of the net.  He will need some time to develop his overall game.  But given time, he could be a candidate for the Rangers in the future.

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Another prospect who has been garnering attention is Brandon Halverson. This could be a name Rangers fans may hear more and more of down the line.  Drafted in the second round of this year’s entry draft, Halverson has been mentioned in the same breath as New Jersey Devils great and future Hall of Famer Marin Brodeur.  According to NHL.com, they had this to say of the young goaltender:

"“(Halverson)… could turn out to be one of the finer puck-handling goalies at his position since Martin Brodeur.”"

Even Halverson, himself, feels his puck-handling skills set him apart:

"“Playing the puck is something that I know separates me from other goalies, and that motivates me to work hard at it,” Halverson said. “Growing up, I watched Marty Turco play the puck and I wanted to be a great puck handler. It’s something that I work on and off the ice.”-NHL.com, September, 2014."

He had been playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL the past two years. Unfortunately, he does not have a professional career outside of the OHL.  The time he did spend with the Greyhounds was a backup.  He appeared in 19 games, Halverson posted a 12-6-1 record with a 2.96 goals against average and a save percentage greater than 90%.  In the Traverse City prospects tournament, he started in net against the Dallas Stars. Despite losing 4-3, Halverson was described as “steady” for the Rangers. Another big body in net standing at 6’4, he has already garnered praise from NHL network’s analyst Jamie Mclennan:

"“When play was coming down to his end, even though he wasn’t facing shots, he was set in the net,” McLennan said. “You could see him set his position; he was very locked in and focused. That’s tough to do when you’re blowing out a team. It’s 5-0 and you’re not facing high-quality chances, and you come down and there’s a broken play and he makes a save.”"

Even though he has not signed with the Rangers yet, the team seems to have hit a home run with the young man. At least he is in the conversation and appears to be a sure thing for a team that is thinking about the days after the King is gone. In the past, the Blueshirts have been burned with poor draft choices such as Hugh Jessiman (let us all forget this class and missed opportunities). However, the Rangers are showing a commitment to future stars of Broadway they believe have real potential.

And that is reassuring to us fans that the lights of Broadway will burn brightly into the future!