New York Rangers’ top five undrafted players of the Lundqvist Era
Over the past decade and change, the New York Rangers have managed to fit some talented undrafted players into their lineup.
While this goes for nearly every team in the league — with some notable names like Niklas Backstrom, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jordie Benn, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Tyler Johnson (to name a few) also being undrafted — the New York Rangers have landed a handful of players who have had or are on the road to having a big impact.
While some have joined the team after seeing successful NHL careers, others have been noticed in their respective leagues or asked to come for a try out.
While it is a feat in and of itself for any player to grab the attention of an NHL team, these undrafted players are all the more special, in that they had to prove themselves even more to get a shot on professional ice.
Here’s our list of the top five undrafted players to play for the New York Rangers in the last 12 years.
5. Neal Pionk
The New York Rangers signed NCAA free agent, Neal Pionk, during his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Rangers GM Jeff Gorton managed to land Pionk despite a good deal of interest surrounding him. In his second season for Minnesota Duluth, Pionk finished fifth in the nation among defensemen in points.
This was a good signing for Gorton. Pionk managed to come straight out of college, play in the AHL for a few months, and impress in his first 48 games on professional ice.
While his game still needs some refinement, the potential he has shown thus far means that he can become a solid defenseman for the Rangers.
In his brief stint, Pionk registered one goal and thirteen assists for fourteen points. But beyond the statistics on the page, Pionk’s game lends to the New York Rangers style of play.
The strongest aspect of his game comes in his skating and ability to step up on the rush, but he has demonstrated that he can play along the blueline and has a good understanding of his role in the defensive zone.
With some more time to develop, Pionk can become an extremely important player for the Rangers. He has shown that he adds value to the roster, and can become a staple on the defensive end that helps to lead them into a new era.
4. Cam Talbot
The Rangers signed Cam Talbot as a free agent in 2010, when he was playing for the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
Talbot would serve as the Rangers backup goaltender in some of the Rangers most important seasons, as a part of the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2013-14 season and claimed the President’s Trophy in 2014-15.
With Lundqvist seeing ups and downs early in 2013-14, Talbot would appear in 19 games, and helped to anchor the team and get them on the right track. In these 19 games, Talbot went 12-6-1 with a 1.64 goals against average and a .941 save percentage.
He also appeared in two playoff games during the Rangers’ deep run and stopped 11 of 13 shots he faced.
Talbot would play one more season for the Rangers before getting traded to the Edmonton Oilers. With Henrik Lundqvist having a rough start in 2014-15 and then suffering a neck injury which forced him to miss 25 games, Rangers then-head coach Alain Vigneault opted for Talbot.
He appeared in 36 games during the regular season and went 21-9-4. The team would go on to reach the 100-point mark for the eighth time in franchise history, and broke a franchise record finishing the season with 53 regular season wins and 113 total points.
Talbot had a big hand in this success.
Despite the slight drop off he has seen since joining the Oilers, there are plenty of factors at play to cause that. During his time in New York, he showed other teams in the league that he was a goaltender that could handle a full-time role.
3. Martin St. Louis
Martin St. Louis could go down in history as one of the most successful undrafted players ever.
St. Louis was a stand out player at the University of Vermont. During his collegiate career, he was a three-time Hobey Baker Award Finalist and additionally received all-star honors in three consecutive seasons between 1995 and 1997.
Despite receiving interest from NHL teams during his sophomore season, St. Louis decided to play his final season of college eligibility, and interest in him dwindled. After graduating, he would join the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League.
Calgary signed St. Louis midway through the 1998-99 season. He would spend two years there, prior to a 13 year stint in Tampa Bay.
St. Louis joined the Rangers for the final 19 games of the 2013-14 season and was integral in the Rangers’ Cup run. He retired the following season as a New York Ranger.
St. Louis played in 1,139 career games and recorded a total 391 goals and 642 assists for 1,033 points.
Regardless of where he ended up, he would have gone down as one of the most impactful undrafted players in history.
The Rangers were lucky enough to call him theirs for a little while.
2. Dan Girardi
Dan Girardi was eligible to be drafted in the 2003 Entry Draft, but no team bit. However, he contacted multiple teams, and joined the Rangers for a try out prior to the the 2005-06 season. He would eventually sign a two way contract and joined the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Girardi was pulled up from the minors and made his NHL debut on January 27, 2005 and would play the next 11 years in a Rangers uniform.
He would become one of the Rangers most reliable defensemen during the course of his career.
Girardi’s biggest impact came at the points in his career when he displayed solid defensive positioning. Lovingly earning the nickname “Iron Man,” Girardi would constantly sacrifice his body to block pucks.
In addition, this his good sense allowed him to break up plays and take away passing lanes. At his highest points, he would use his passing ability and sense to complete zone exits, and was a steady blueliner who helped drive offense.
While Girardi saw a bit of a drop off in his performance toward the end of his his time with the Rangers, it in no way diminishes the impact he had for many of his years on the team. The fact that he was undrafted and needed to be re-considered makes his successful career all the more impressive.
1. Mats Zuccarello
Mats Zuccarello is hands down the top undrafted player the Rangers have picked up over the last 12 years.
Zuccarello started his career in the Norway’s premier league, GET-ligaen. He spent three years playing for the Frisk Tigers prior to moving to MODO Hockey in the Swedish Hockey League.
In his two seasons in the league, Zuccarello played 90 games for MODO and registered 35 goals and 69 assists for 104 points. In addition, the 23 goals he recorded during the 2009-10 season was a team high. The 64 points registered in this season was a league-high and led to him being voted MVP that season.
The Rangers signed Zuccarello to a two-year deal following his 2010 season. He was the second undrafted Norwegian (and seventh all time) to sign in the NHL.
Zuccarello would make his NHL debut in December of 2010, but did not play a full season until after the 2012-13 lockout.
He played his breakout season in 2013-14, posting 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points, and helped lead the Rangers in their run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He was the first Norwegian player in history to play in the Cup Final, and recorded five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 25 games.
Since then, Zuccarello has become a fan favorite. The three-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Winner, Zuccarello is known for leaving it all out on the ice. Not only does he contribute on the scoresheet (he has led the team in points in four out of the last five regular seasons), but he also plays a physical game (despite his small stature) and is very smart.
This makes a big impact, and his hard work helps make the other players around him better. And when he plays, his effort never goes unnoticed.
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Because of all of these factors, Zucc could likely go down in Rangers history as one of the best undrafted players — potentially in their history.