New York Rangers Prospect Update: An extremely diverse forward group
The New York Rangers have solid forward prospects sprinkled throughout the world and here is a listing of 10 of them.
This update will focus on ten players currently in the New York Rangers system. Four of them: Adam Chapie, Robin Kovacs, Adam Tambellini and Malte Stromwall; are playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Out of the remaining six, five–Gabriel Fontaine, Tim Gettinger, Ryan Gropp, Brad Morrison and Ty Ronning– play in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. The 10th prospect, Daniel Bernhardt, plays in Sweden.
Helping Hartford
20-year-old Robin Kovacs was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and drafted by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 6 foot, 186 pound Kovacs, a left winger, has played in 26 games this season. He has scored a goal and four assists for a total of five points in those games, as well as accumulated a plus/minus rating of -5.
Adam Chappie, from Oxford, Michigan, plays right wing for Hartford. He signed with the Rangers as a free agent. In 19 games this season, 25-year-old has three goals, six assists for a total of nine points and a plus/minus rating of -7. Chappie stands in at 6 foot 1 and weighs 186 pounds.
Adam Tambellini hails from Port Moody, BC and was drafted by the Rangers in the third round of the 2013 NHL entry draft. The 22-year-old left wing stands 6 foot 4 and weighs 195-pounds. Tambellini has played 27 games this season and has scored four goals and eight assists for 12 points and accumulated a -6 rating.
Malte Stromwall is a 6 foot, 197-pound left winger from Lulea, Sweden, who signed a free-agent contract with the New York Rangers this past April. So far with the Wolf Pack this season, the 22-year-old has one goal, three assists and four points in 21 games and his plus-minus rating in -4.
Four from Canada
These four young men, Gabriel Fontaine, Ryan Gropp, Brad Morrison and Ty Ronning all hail from north of the US border and play in either the OHL, WHL or the QMJHL.
Gabriel Fontaine was selected by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. The 19-year-old center stands 6 foot 2 and weighs 194 pounds and is a native of Montreal, Quebec. Playing for Rouyn Noranda, he has scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points this season. His plus-minus rating is a +10.
Ryan Gropp is a 205-pound left winger that stands 6 foot 3. The 20-year-old hails from Kamloops, BC and was signed by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. Playing for Seattle this season, Gropp has scored nine goals and added 13 assists for a total of 22 points. His plus-minus rating is a -8.
Brad Morrison is a 19-year-old center that stands 6 foot tall and weighs 170 pounds. But despite that slender build, he has put up great numbers so far this season for his hometown team of Prince George. 15 goals and 19 assists for a total of 34 points in but 34 games, makes him a point-per-game man. His plus-minus rating is a +7. The Prince George, BC native was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2015 entry draft.
Burnaby, BC native Ty Ronning, an 18-year-old playing for Vancouver of the WHL, was selected by the New York Rangers in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. The diminutive right winger is listed at 5 foot 9 and tips the scales at 168 pounds. But do not let his size fool you, as he has scored 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points, with a plus-minus rating of +1 in 29 games.
A Solid Swede and a Young Yank
The solid Swede is 20-year-old Daniel Bernhardt, from Huddinge, Sweden. The 6 foot 3, 191-pound right winger was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. So far this season, Bernhardt has played for two teams in his native Sweden. The first was Djurgardens IF of the SHL. There he scored only one assist in but four games. Since then, he is on VIK Vasteras HK of Allsvenskan. With his new team, Bernhardt has four goals and one assist for five points in 17 games.
The young yank is Tim Gettinger, Born in Holmstead, Ohio, the 18-year-old left wing was selected by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2016 entry draft. Gettinger might just be 18-years-old, but he already stands a towering 6 foot 6 and weighs in at a solid 220 pounds. He may be big and strong, but Gettinger definitely has a scorer’s touch, as he has scored 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points in 31 games this season. His plus-minus rating is a +10
Next: New York Rangers’ Brady Skjei Follows McDonagh’s Lead
It may take some time to see some of these guys in the NHL, due to the development process as well as the team being stacked at the forward position. But, the fact that these players are part of the Rangers is due primarily to the superb work that the Rangers’ scouting team does around the world. Remember their names, because, just maybe, you will see a few on the back of Rangers jerseys at the Garden in a few years.