Several of the New York Rangers’ key prospects are playing in Hartford for the AHL Wolf Pack. Blue Line Station checks in on their progress early in the season.
As the New York Rangers enter their first true rebuild in over a decade, their AHL farm team in Hartford finds itself with a roster full of prospects. 2017 first-round pick Lias Andersson headlines the group, but he’s joined by the likes of Tim Gettinger, Ty Ronning, Libor Hajek, and more.
Along with Hajek, who came to the Rangers from Tampa Bay as part of the Ryan McDonagh trade, Sean Day and Ryan Lindgren are key defensive prospects playing in Hartford.
Andersson is joined by fellow Swede Michael Lindqvist, along with Finnish import Ville Meskanen. All three have had strong starts to the season.
The Wolf Pack have jumped out to a 3-1-1 start, in large part due to the efforts of their young skaters. Andersson leads the way, as expected, but he’s just one part of a many-headed monster.
Defensemen on display
With Libor Hajek at the head of the pack, the New York Rangers have a crop of potential stud defensemen currently skating in Hartford. Ryan Lindgren, another trade deadline return from last season, showed well during training camp and is continuing his strong defensive play in the AHL.
For Sean Day, on the other hand, more questions remain. He had a shaky showing during the Traverse City prospect tournament, and didn’t do much to impress during training camp. As supremely talented skater and offensively inclined blueliner, he needs to put up points. Through four games with the Wolf Pack, however, he has zero points and sports an ugly -5. While +/- isn’t the best stat to evaluate a player with, Day’s mark is notable for being by far the worst on a winning team.
John Gilmour, meanwhile, is continuing his scoring ways from last season. He has two goals and one assist through five games, second-best among defensemen on the team. Chris Bigras leads the way with three assists and four points.
Andersson in the spotlight
For the first time in years, Hartford sports a number of legitimate NHL prospects.
The two European free agents, Lindqvist and Meskanen, have each chipped in three points in five games. Ryan Gropp, the Rangers’ notorious second-round pick from the Hagelin trade, has two goals. Steven Fogarty, who got a long look in training camp for the 4th line center role on the Rangers, has notched a goal and four assists.
But it’s Lias Andersson who has stolen the show during the early going. Andersson leads the Wolf Pack with two goals and six points in five games, including a shorthanded goal against the Providence Bruins on Saturday. He also dropped the gloves in that game, ending with a Gordie Howe hat trick.
Along with Andersson, rookie Tim Gettinger has adapted well to professional hockey. He is second on the team with five points, and has shown a willingness to use his big frame. When combined with his excellent vision, Gettinger is showing that he can be an effective playmaker.
Ty Ronning, meanwhile, has only broken into the lineup for two games thus far, recording zero points. The diminutive winger performed well in preseason and at the end of last year, so he looks to bounce back in the early going.
Andersson’s six points is the best mark among all under-20 skaters in the AHL so far this year. When the Rangers sent him down to start the season, they could only hope that the Swedish center would perform at such a high level.