New York Rangers: Top five prospects to keep an eye on
The New York Rangers have no reason to worry about their future, and it’s for one reason- their prospects. Here are the top five to keep an eye on.
Prospects are an important part of any professional organization. It’s not only what keeps their future looking good. It’s also what can bail them out of tough situations during the season if there are any injuries. The New York Rangers, luckily, have nothing to worry about in this regard.
Coming up with a list of top prospects proved to be more difficult than fans would imagine. It’s a good problem to have, though. It means that there are a lot of good, promising names that will one day fight for a position in the NHL.
There’s also a lot of diversity among positions, including forwards, defenseman, and goaltenders. While the following list is in no particular order, each of these prospects have their own personal skills and playing styles that will potentially allow them to compete on an elite level in the near future.
Ryan Gropp
The 21-year-old left wing Gropp’s incredible career numbers show a lot of potential. At 6-foot-2 and 189 lbs, he is a big presence on the ice, but both his skill and finesse are what has been getting him ahead.
Since the 2013-2014 season, Gropp has been with the Seattle Thunderbirds. In that season, he was only with them for a part of the year, but he was great for them the entire time.
In the 59 games he played in that year, he recorded an impressive 18 goals and 24 assists for a grand total of 42 points. As the seasons went on, those numbers only increased.
In the 2014-2015 season, he played in 67 games, posting a total of 30 goals and 28 assists. That was 58 points in the regular season alone. In the playoffs, he had a goal and added seven assists for eight points in six games.
In 2015-2016, he played in one less game (66) but still managed to score four more goals (34) and eight more assists (36) for 70 points.
Finally, in his most recent season, 2016-2017, his career high points total soared all the way up to 84. His 35 goals and 49 assists in 66 games continued his yearly upward trend. In the playoffs, he scored seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 16 games, also his best postseason stat line to date.
Sean Day
The Rangers are in need of some good defense and their prospects are helping that cause. Sean Day is one of their best defensive prospects in the pipeline right now.
He’s been described as a mobile and effective two-way defenseman with an elite level skill package. He has many other qualities in addition to those, though. This includes the fact that he is great on the forecheck and has a hard shot.
However, his most admirable trait is his consistency. This is evidenced especially by his numbers.
The 19-year-old played for the Mississauga Steelheads since 2013-2014, consistently improving his point production in every season but one. In his inaugural season, he played in 60 games and put up six goals and added ten assists for 16 points.
In 2014-2015, he boosted his career high exponentially. He played in 61 games while tallying 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points.
In 2015-2016, Day went down to 22 points in 57 games played but had a spectacular postseason. He registered two assists and a goal in seven games.
In 2016-2017, he started playing for the Windsor Spitfires, where he recorded 12 goals and 20 assists. Combined with his three goals and two assists in his last five games with the Steelheads, he had a career record 37 points. In that same season, he had five assists in seven games.
Igor Shestyorkin
Many are concerned about what will happen when the Henrik Lundqvist era ends. Certain prospects in the Rangers’ system allow the concerned masses to rest assured, particularly Igor Shestyorkin.
He has been playing for SKA St. Petersburg and their affiliates over the past few seasons. Last season, his first season as the full-time starter in the KHL, Shesterkin posted ridiculous numbers. In 39 games, he went 27-4-6 with a 1.64 GAA and .937 SV%. He also tallied eight shutouts, which led the league.
The Russian 21-year old is off to a great start again this season. He is currently 9-0-2 through 11 games and has notched a 1.30 GAA and a .954 SV% with three shutouts.
The KHL seems to be getting too easy for the Wonderkid, but he will likely remain in Russia for the remaining two years on his contract with two-time Gagarin Cup winning squad.
Adam Tambellini
With the Rangers’ recent losses of Derek Stepan and Oscar Lindberg, their center position is lacking depth. And while it seems as though they’ve figured it out for this season, it’s always good to have as much depth as possible for the future.
That’s where 22-year-old center/left-winger Tambellini comes in. At his age, he is able to start an NHL career soon, and his numbers are helping his argument to be able to play in the big league.
He played with the Calgary Hitmen for two seasons, beginning in 2013-2014 and into 2014-2015, where he was named an assistant captain.
In 31 games in 2013-2014, he posted a total of 39 points with 17 goals and 22 assists. He also recorded nine points in six postseason games, including five goals and four assists.
In 2014-2015, he posted a phenomenal 86 points in 71 games for his best season ever. He notched 47 goals and 39 assists and then continued his success in the playoffs. In 16 games, he put up 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points.
Since 2015-2016, he has been in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording 32 points in that season and 35 points in 2016-2017.
Robin Kovacs
At 20 years old, this right/left winger has a bright future ahead of him because of his unique abilities. He has great stickhandling skills and creativity with the puck.
Furthermore, he specializes on the power play and penalty kill, something the Rangers are definitely thrilled to have in a prospect. He has been described as an all-around winger that recognizes scoring chances and is fast to take them.
In 2013-2014, he played for the AIK J18 in Sweden (where he has been his entire career). He registered 28 points in 40 games, including 15 goals and 13 assists. He also had two points in as many playoff games.
In 2014-2015, he remained consistent, posting the same 28 points. However, this time he scored 17 goals and 11 assists 2015-2016 was his best season yet, where he recorded 34 points in 44 games with 21 goals and 13 assists.
Next: New York Rangers 2017-2018 Player Preview: Robin Kovacs
Kovacs has also participated in tournaments in Stockholm. His best was in 2011-2012 when he recorded 19 points in 8 games, including four goals and 15 assists.