New York Rangers Take a Closer Look at Fogarty

Breaking Down Steven Fogarty

Earlier this week, the New York Rangers invested in their future. No, they did not dump millions into the Garden of Dreams Foundation, but they did extend two college players Entry-Level Contracts.

First thing first, you need to know what an Entry-Level Contract, or ELC is. An ELC is a contract that an organization can extend to any eligible amateur hockey player around the world. If the amateurs are not selected during the NHL’s annual Entry Draft, then these eligible amateurs are essentially up for grabs and can be considered unrestricted free agents.

Now, on to the juicy stuff. Who did the New York Rangers extended these offers too and what have these players accomplished over the course of their college careers. This article will focus on Steven Fogarty, while tomorrow we will focus on Cristoval Nieves.

Steven Fogarty

Steven spent four seasons with the Fighting Irish and during both his Junior and Senior years he was Notre Dame’s Captain. He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in 2011 during the NHL’s Entry Draft and if you have never seen the kid play before, here is a short clip of him as a Junior in college.

As a two time Captain, Fogarty has had an excellent career with Notre Damn and even though he is bound to spend some time perfecting his craft with the Wolf Pack, it won’t be time waisted. After all, no matter how good you are as an amateur, the NHL takes time to adapt to. Speed of play, constant travel and a whole new roster to build chemistry with are just a few reasons why it is never the best idea to rush talent to prime time.

Fogarty can flat out play. As a college athlete, he played with Notre Damn from 2012-2016. He plays Forward and carries 213 lbs. on a 6’3” frame. Over the course of his college career Fogarty was able to record:

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• 150 Gams Played
• 27 Goals
• 38 Assists

Now before you start bashing either myself for thinking this kid can play based off these numbers, or the Rangers for investing in Fogarty, you need to slow down. Mats Zuccarello is currently the New York Rangers points leader with 57 points over 76 games. During Fogarty’s Junior year, he recorded 21 points through 39 games and during his Senior year he logged 23 points over 37 games.

If Fogarty were to mimic his college production in the NHL this would mean that he could produce roughly 51 points over the course of a full NHL schedule. Still not the most insane numbers, but for a college kid with potential to grow, recording about .62 points/game in the NHL will make him an instant fan favorite in MSG. Especially when the New York Rangers hold such high esteem to players such as, Keith Yandle, who is registering .57 points/game this season.

An even better comparison would be Fogarty to Oscar Lindberg. Both young players and Lindberg is finishing up his first season in the NHL as a full-time player. Lindberg has tallied 26 points over 66 games, which puts his points/game average at .38.

Next: New York Rangers Sign Fogarty to ELC

If the New York Rangers and MSG Faithful can place their trust in a player like Lindberg, who does show potential, then why shouldn’t fans be excited for the day when Steven Fogarty laces up for prime time hockey? I mean we all know the Rangers have been handing out draft picks like hotcakes over past years, so at the very least people should be excited that the Blueshirts have found a way to still acquire young talent. Talent that is now under contract and won’t be leaving any time soon.