New York Rangers: First five players to get promoted

Cristoval “Boo” Nieves

The Rangers’ biggest lack of depth is at the center role. Luckily, they have an abundance of young centers at the AHL level. Cristoval “Boo” Nieves  projects to be a solid bottom six center down the road.

The 2012 second round draft choice played his first full season with the Wolf Pack last year. That comes following a full four season career at the University of Michigan. While never a huge point producer, Nieves excels at quite a few other aspects of the game.

As previously stated, Nieves projects to be a solid bottom-six center with some upside. He plays the game with a great mix of speed and grit that lends itself well to the NHL game. His upside comes from his vision and passing.

Through his career at Michigan and in his first season in the AHL, Nieves used his passing to great success in all aspects of the game. His breakout passes are crisp, and he moves the puck through the neutral zone with clean tape-to-tape passes. In the final third, he creates with that same skill.