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New York Rangers: Ranking the top five rookies who could make the team

By William Borowski

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers skates against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2018 in New York City. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers skates against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2018 in New York City. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 29: New York Rangers Defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) skates during New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp on June 29, 2018 at the MSG Training Center in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 29: New York Rangers Defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) skates during New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp on June 29, 2018 at the MSG Training Center in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

#5: Ryan Lindgren

Age: 20, 6-foot, 198 lbs, left-handed defenseman, 4G/9A in 45 GP this year. (NCAA, 35GP) (AHL, 10GP)

Ryan Lindgren was acquired by the New York Rangers in a package deal with the Boston Bruins for veteran power forward Rick Nash. The University of Minnesota and Team USA product is a traditional defenseman with a stay at home mentality.

He’s not offensively gifted but is strong in his own end. Although not the biggest guy on the ice, he’s never afraid to throw the body and is relentless on puck battles.

The gold medal winner at the 2016-2017 U20 World Junior Championship, who was playing a ton of minutes for Team USA, was unable to play in the gold medal game due to a stomach bug, but ended up leading the chant in the locker room shortly after the US victory. Take a look.

It’s a long shot that he cracks the roster due to him not being 100% NHL ready but if he impresses his coaches during training camp he could possibly steal a spot on the final defensive pairing.

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