New York Rangers: How a draft pick may define Jeff Gorton’s career

In June 2017, the New York Rangers had their highest draft pick in years.  They went with Lias Andersson at #7 over Casey Mittelstadt . Did the Rangers make a mistake? Starting this year we will see if that decision was the right one.

When the New York Rangers traded Derek Stepan and Annti Raanta to Arizona the key return was not Tony Deangelo, it was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft. With their first first-round pick in five years and their highest pick since 2004 , it was crucial that the Rangers make the right choice.

Rangers senior European scout Anders Kallur was given the honor of announcing the team’s selection, an early hint that they were going with a European player. When he announced Lias Andersson’s name, there was a smattering of boos and even the television announcers seemed surprised.

The next pick

When the Buffalo Sabres made University of Minnesota center Casey Mittelstadt the next selection at number eight, it set up what will be a comparison that will provide fodder for debate for many years to come.That comparison will start this season.

There’s no doubt that selecting Mittelstadt would have been the “safe” pick. He was ranked sixth by Bob McKenzie of TSN, 12th by Corey Pronman of ESPN, sixth by the Hockey News and seventh by ISS. NHL Central Scouting ranked Mittelstadt as the fourth North American skater.

Meanwhile, Andersson was ranked #13 by McKenzie, #16 by Pronman, #17 by the Hockey News and #25 by ISS. NHL Central Scouting ranked Andersson as the number three European skater.

While Andersson’s selection was a surprise, there is no argument that he will be a solid NHL player. He had an interesting season, playing for three different teams and in two international competitions.

He had a solid start with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League before joining the Swedish national team for the 2018 WJC. As team captain, he led the team to a silver medal and  notoriety when he threw his silver medal into the crowd in frustration.

Afterwards, he joined Hartford of the AHL for the remainder of the season and played seven games with the Rangers with two points in seven games.  Following the season he played all ten games as a 19-year old for Sweden’s gold medal winning national team at the 2018 World Championships.

Mittelstadt played his first season at the University of Minnesota where he continued to display his scoring ability.  He notched 11 goals and 19 assists in 34 games, as their second leading scorer. Like Andersson, he played at the 2018 WJC and won the bronze medal with Team USA. He starred  with 11 points in seven games, including four goals.He made the Big 10 All-Rookie team and in March, he signed an entry level contract with Buffalo. He made his NHL debut in March, playing six games with one goal and four assists.

Ups and downs

Cause for concern is that Andersson’s stock seems to be dropping while Mittelstadt’s keeps rising. The Sporting News ranked Mittelstadt as the fourth best NHL prospect and Andersson didn’t make the top 50. Corey Pronman had Mittelstad ranked first of his the top 50 with Andersson an honorable mention. TSN had Mittelstadt at #5 and Andersson at #13.

This summer, The Athletic ranked all drafted players not in the NHL with Mittelstadt at fourth and Andersson not even on the list.,  In the eyes of many hockey observers, Andersson was surpassed on the Ranger depth chart by fellow 2017 draftee Filip Chytil who was ranked higher than Andersson on all of these lists.

With 2018-19 likely to be the first full season for both players in the NHL, the comparisons can begin in earnest. It all begins on October 6th in Buffalo when Andersson and Mittelstadt will be opposing each other for the first time.

Jeff Gorton’s tenure as General Manager will be judged in part by his draft selections. In selecting Andersson, the Rangers went for his leadership and grit. They see him as a future team captain and a stalwart at center for years to come. It’s ironic that the 2017 draft may be best remembered as the year that Gorton “stole” Filip Chytil at #21 instead of the year that by picking Lias Andersson, he passed on an elite scorer and top line center in Casey Mittelstadt . Only time will tell.