New York Rangers: Ranking the prospects by tiers

Tier 1

Filip Chytil, Vitali Kravtsov

It’s a pretty view from the top of the Rangers’ farm system. Not only is it fair to assume these two  will be first-line caliber players, but I think both have the potential to be stars in the NHL for a long, long time.

We’ll start with Filip Chytil, since he’s the player we’ve all gotten a chance to watch on Garden ice so far.

Chytil will be turning 19 when training camp starts and he already has a season of AHL hockey under his belt. After making the team out of training camp unexpectedly, he didn’t last with the Rangers too long. Chytil played just 12 minutes over two games before the team sent him down to Hartford.

In his 46 games with the Wolf Pack, Chytil was extremely productive. The Czech Republic native tallied 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. 31 points for an 18-year old at the AHL level is almost unheard of. The last player to produce anywhere close to those numbers at that age was William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Chytil has the size (6-foot-3), the skating ability and the hands to become a 30-plus goal scorer during his prime years, just like the other player in this tier.

Vitali Kravstov was looking like he’d be a late first-round to second-round pick during the 2017-18 KHL season. Then he went off in the postseason. In 16 playoff games, Kravtsov notched six goals and five assists for Traktor Chelyabinsk and cemented himself as one of the world’s top young players. That’s why the Rangers selected him with the ninth overall pick.

For the people wondering if his production would carry into this upcoming season, Kravtsov was one of his team’s best players in their first few preseason games before he joined Russia’s U20 team for the Four Nations Tournament. Not only did he play well, but he was named the tournament’s best forward, notching four goals and three assists in three games.

Kratsov will likely join the Rangers for the 2019-20 season, while Chytil will likely have a spot in the Rangers’ top-six come October.