New York Rangers Prospects: Eight Defensemen Vying for Garden ice
The New York Rangers defensemen corps have three players in their 30’s and need an influx of new blood. These eight want to be part of that.
Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi are both 32-years-old and Marc Staal will turn 30 on January 13th, 2017, which means that half of the defensemen who dress every night for the New York Rangers will be 30 or older. That is not good news.
But what is good news, is that there are eight prospects vying to play on Garden ice and protect the blue line. Three of these young defensemen are currently playing at Hartford. They are Ryan Graves, Mat Bodie and John Gilmour. The others are: Troy Donnay, Tyler Nanne, Tarmo Reunanen, Sergey Zborovsky and Sean Day.
The Wolf Pack Three
The Hartford Wolf Pack are the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and besides trying to win a championship, they prepare players to make that jump to the NHL. Three defensemen who are doing their best to make that jump, are Ryan Graves, Mat Bodie and John Gilmour.
Ryan Graves is the biggest of the trio, as he stands 6 foot 4 and weighs 227 pounds. The 21-year-old from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, has scored three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 27 games. Selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL entry draft, Graves is honing his skills in Hartford.
He is projected by many to be a second pairing defenseman, and uses his body well. His positioning on the ice exceeds his age and he will be NHL ready sooner then expected.
Mat Bodie is a 6 foot, 174-pound, 26-year-old, who hails from East St. Paul, Minnesota. Bodie played at Union College and led his team to a National Championship in 2014 by defeating #1 seed Minnesota. He has five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 23 games. Bodie signed with the Rangers as a free agent after his senior year at Union.
He is an offensive defenseman, who passes well and is very poised on the ice. In order to find a spot on the Rangers roster, he must improve his defensive coverage and bulk up his 174-pound frame.
John Gilmour is a 5 foot, 181-pound 23-year-old who won a National Championship with Providence College in 2015, when they defeated Boston University. The Montreal, Quebec native was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. He signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers in August of 2016. In 27 games with Hartford, Gilmour has scored four goals and five assists for nine points.
Gilmour has the hockey IQ and composure to become an effective blueliner. He also is a strong fast skater with offensive skills, despite not having the prototypical defenseman size. He does however, possess a hard and accurate shot from the point.
Settling Back at Home
Tyler Nanne was born in Minnesota and if you think the name is familiar, he is the grandson of former North Star player, coach and GM, Lou Nanne. After spending a redshirt freshman year at Ohio State University, Nanne transferred to Minnesota and is currently sitting out the 2016-17 season. Nanne was selected by the New York Rangers in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
The 20-year-old stands 5 foot 10 and weighs 175 pounds and led Edina HS to back-to-back Minnesota State Championships. When he joins the Golden Gophers next season, he will be following his father and grandfather by playing for the University of Minnesota.
During the 2014 season, Nanne played for two teams in the USHL. He played 14 games for Sioux Falls and scored one goal and two assists for three points. In 29 games for Madison, he scored seven goals and six assists for 13 points. Nanne can go coast-to-coast during games, as well as skating well laterally. He has very good agility, puck control and can deliver strong passes anywhere on the ice.
What is a Swamp Rabbit?
Troy Donnay is a 22-year-old, 6 foot 7, 205-pound member of the ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits. In 19 games so far this season, he has three assists for three points. The Flint, Michigan native signed with the New York Rangers in 2013. He has the size and strength, but his skating and decision making need a lot of work. He is considered a long shot to make the NHL, but Donnay has not given up his dream yet.
A Fleet Finn
Tarmo Reunanen, a 5 foot 11, 163-pound 18-year-old hails from Aanekoski, Finland. He plays for TuTo Hockey Mestis and in 29 games has six assists for six points. In 2016, he was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round. He is an offensive minded defenseman who is poised and shows calm on the ice, but is not a liability when on defense.
Two on the Brink of Stardom
Sean Day was born in Leuven, Belgium and was selected by the Rangers in the third round of the 2016 entry draft. The 18-year-old stands 6 foot 3 and weighs 231 pounds. He currently plays for his second team within the OHL. Day started the season with Mississauga, but played only five games there.
He scored three goals and two assists for five points in those five games. Day was then traded to Windsor, and has scored eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in 22 games. Day is projected to be an elite two-way defenseman and although he may not be there yet, he has all the tools to be a star.
Sergey Zborovsky is a 19-year-old 6 foot 4, 194-pound native of Moskva, Russia. He was selected by the Rangers in the third round of the 2015 draft. In 28 games with Regina in the WHL, Zborovsky, has six goals and 26 assists for 32 points and an incredible plus minus rating of +51. He is an excellent competitor, with good positioning and an excellent shot.
He needs to work on his skating and acceleration. Zborovsky is also a member of Team Russia, which will compete in the 2017 World Junior Championship held December of 2016 until January of 2017.
Next: New York Rangers Prospect Update: An extremely diverse forward group
The so called window on opportunity is not closing on the New York Rangers as quickly as some of the media would have you believe. And with these eight defensemen working as hard as they can to hone their skills and crack the lineup and reach MSG, the future looks very bright for the Rangers on their blue line.