New York Rangers: Young future Rangers set to shine at World Juniors

The World Junior Championships are an exciting time for the hockey community. The hockey is always first rate, and we also get to take a look at some top prospects, many of whom will be NHL draft picks in June, as well as prospects that have already been drafted. For the New York Rangers, this is the case. After years of having a near-barren farm system, the prospect pipeline is finally an organizational strength.

From 2012 2016, it seemed that the New York Rangers didn’t care all that much about their farm system. As a team in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, it was all about going all in at all cost. Prospects and first round picks were routinely traded for established players to help push the Rangers to the top. But, this ultimate goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport and winning the Stanley Cup didn’t materialize.

Because of the years of trades in an attempt to win it all, the Ranger’s prospect pool was very, underwhelming. However, General Manager Jeff Gorton has managed to fix that by trading away some established veterans in exchange for draft picks and prospects over the past two years. A Ranger’s farm system that was routinely one of the worst in the league developed into one that is pretty good, albeit incomplete.

One great way to get a look at your team’s prospects is at the IIHF World Junior Championships, a tournament that occurs in January of every year. Young prospects, both drafted and yet to be drafted, get a chance to shine on a big stage, playing for their country.

The Rangers figure to have a good amount of players who will be participating in this year’s World Juniors. Players like Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, Vitali Kravtsov, Ryan Lindgren, and Nils Lundkvist all figure to represent their respective country’s.

Last year, both Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson shone for their respective countries at the World Juniors. With both Chytil and Andersson likely to be playing in the NHL full time this year, it is time for some of the Rangers’ other prospects to introduce themselves on the big stage.

A few players will be returning from last year’s World Juniors, such as Libor Hajek and Brett Howden. Hajek impressed at last year’s World Juniors, putting up eight points in seven games. Howden also made an impact, as he put up seven points in seven games en route to helping Canada win gold.

Some other players that figure to get some exposure at this year’s World Juniors are Vitali Kravtsov and Nils Lundkvist. Kravtsov, the highly skilled Russian winger drafted ninth overall by the Rangers in this past June’s draft, has done nothing but impress since he was drafted. He recently dominated at the U-20 Four Nations tournament, and is likely to make Russia’s World Juniors roster.

Lundkvist is another recent draft pick. The young Swedish puck mover competed in last year’s U-18 World Juniors, posting two assists in seven games as Sweden won bronze.

There are some other prospects, such as Igor Shestyorkin, Yegor Rykov, and Ryan Lindgren, that all figure to be on their respective countries’ World Junior rosters. The New York Rangers finally have a group of prospects with the skill level to impress on a stage such as the World Juniors.

The New York Rangers possess a deep, skilled group of prospects. Many of them are future full-time NHL contributors. This year’s World Junior Championships figure to give everyone a look at just how good these future New York Rangers are.