New York Rangers: Draft prospect profile Brady Tkachuk
At this point, most New York Rangers’ fans have accepted that the playoffs are a major longshot and that they should be preparing for the draft. But, since the Rangers may not get the first overall pick, who could they draft?
The New York Rangers’ 2017-2018 season has been from perfect. They are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010 after a season of mediocrity.
However, one positive thing to come out of this is a high draft pick. As long as their season doesn’t take a dramatic positive turn, they will get a pick in the top 15.
While many are hopeful about a top five or even top 10 pick, it’s always better to be prepared. Let’s take a look at a prospect who won’t necessarily go first overall, but would still help a lot.
One of the players that could potentially be available when the Rangers pick is Brady Tkachuk. Yes, he’s that kind of Tkachuk; son of Keith and brother of Matthew, both past, and present NHL players. He’s also cousins with some familiar faces, Ranger Kevin Hayes and his brother Jimmy Hayes. But, there are a ton of reasons to remember this player that go past his family ties.
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Career so far
Tkachuk began his hockey career in 2013. During the 2013-2014 season, he played for the St. Louis AAA Blues Bantam Major of the T1EBHL. In 26 games, he recorded 18 goals and 15 assists for a total of 33 points.
Between the end of that season, and the entirety of the next, he played a total of 34 games for the St. Louis AAA Blues U16 of the T1EHL U16. In his time there, he notched 15 goals and 28 assists, totaling 43 points.
In the years since then, he played in two more leagues, the USHL and the USDP, where he continued to develop. Last year, he the forward made his first appearance in World Juniors. He served as USA’s captain and scored one goal and six assists for a total of seven points in seven games.
The 18-year-old truly made a name for himself this past year, when he played for Boston University of the NCAA. In 38 games with them, he has 29 points (eight goals and 21 assists).
Additionally, he reprised his role as a member of Team USA in this year’s World Juniors, recording two more points than last year in the same amount of games (three goals and six assists for nine points in seven games).
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Expectations and how he can help
There is a mixed bag of opinions in regards to Brady Tkachuk. However, all of the opinions are pretty positive, to varying degrees.
He has been ranked as high as the projected third overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, by Future Considerations and NHL Central Scouting. The forward was projected as the fourth overall pick by ISS Hockey and McKeen’s Hockey, and fifth overall by HockeyProspect.com, so it seems that the jury is still out on him.
But, if one thing is for sure, the left-handed shot is definitely a great player. According to ISS Hockey, he has a “big body [and] isn’t afraid to use it.” Furthermore, they add that he “plays all 200 feet of the rink” and “loves those dirty areas.”
Standing at 6’3″ and 196 pounds, he brings an element that can’t be taught; size. His physical presence is a huge upside of his game, adding on to his consistent point production.
The New York Rangers have been dealing with a lack of center depth lately. Though it seems to be solved right now, Tkachuk can play either center or left wing, so he could help in that regard.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native also plays a more physically offensive game than many of the current Rangers. Skill is obviously important, and he has that, but the physicality is a great bonus to have.
So, he may not be Rasmus Dahlin or Filip Zadina, but Brady Tkachuk could definitely be a huge help to the New York Rangers. Some consider him a top-five pick, while others have no idea who he is.
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The Rangers need to knock their top ten pick out of the park, Tkachuk might be that home run.