New York Rangers Prospects: Some new faces in Hartford

The season isn’t over for the New York Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.  There are some new faces on the roster who have signed Amateur Tryout contracts as the season draws to a close.

There are seven players in the lineup for the Hartford Wolf Pack who are on Amateur Tryouts.  While it’s doubtful that all of them will end up as New York Rangers, it’s worth noting who the Blueshirts brain trust thought was worth a look.  Some of the players are under contract with the Rangers.  The Wolf Pack has also signed four players to ATO’s in the hopes that they will find a overlooked diamond in the rough.

Players under contract

Jake Elmer – The Rangers signed Elmer to an entry level contract while he was still playing the for Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL.  The right wing had a career year in 2018-19 with 39 goals and 81 points in 68 games.

With their elimination from the WHL playoffs, Elmer joined the Wolf Pack and has played two games. He notched his first point, an assist, in the Pack’s 6-2 win over the Binghamton Devils on Sunday.  The goal was scored by Nick Jones, also with the team on an ATO.

Patrick Newell – The Rangers signed Newell to an entry level contract on March 30 after his St. Cloud State team was eliminated from NCAA Frozen Four contention.  Newell, 23,  is a Hobey Baker finalist this season who was named NCHC Forward of the Year as the leading scorer on St. Cloud, the top ranked college team in the nation.

Newell has played three games for the Wolf Pack and hasn’t scored. The right wing is minus three in those games.

Adam Huska – Goalie Huska finished his season at UConn and immediately signed an entry level contract with the Blueshirts.

The Slovakian netminder has had a rocky start in his pro career. He has played six games for the Wolf Pack, with a 1-4 record.  His GAA is 4.02 and his save percentage is .868.

Hartford signees

These players were signed to Amateur Tryouts by the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Lewis Zerter-Gossage –  Zerter-Gossage, 23, was the captain of the Harvard hockey team and was signed to an ATO by the Wolf Pack with five games left in their season. He led the Crimson with 18 goals this season.  He notched 42 goals and 85 points in his 128 game college career.

In his two games in Hartford, Zerter-Gossage has scored one goal. His goal was an “all-prospects” goal as he was assisted by fellow ATO players Shawn McBride and Ryan Dmowski.

Shawn McBride – McBride, 23,  was another team captain, with American International College.  McBride is a center who played 151 games in his four year collegiate career.  He scored 19 goals and added 42 assists for 61 points. AIC upset number one seed St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.  McBride is seen as a two-way player with leadership skills.

McBride has played two games in Hartford with one assist.

Ryan Dmowski – Dmowski, 22,  is a left wing who joined Hartford on an ATO after the conclusion of the UMass-Lowell season.  In his senior year, he had 14 goals and 23 points.in 37 games.

Dmowski has played seven games for the Wolf Pack with three assists.

Nick Jones – Jones, 22,  is a center who played the last two years at the University of North Dakota. he was second on the team in goals and points, going 9-11-20 in 26 games. Prior to North Dakota he played two years in the British Columbia Hockey League where he was a top scorer for Penticton.

Jones has had a productive debut with the Wolf Pack, notching a goal and two assists in seven games as a pro.

The Wolf Pack have three more games left in their season and they haven’t qualified for the  AHL playoffs.  The players signed to entry level contracts by the Rangers will no doubt take part in the prospects camp after the Entry Draft and will participate in the Traverse City Prospects tournament.   That’s been the path in the past for players like Brady Skjei, Ryan Lindgren and Ty Ronning.

For the players signed to tryouts by Hartford, that’s three games for these young athletes to prove that deserve an AHL or NHL contract. Like their parent team, Hartford is in a rebuild after another disappointing season.  Hartford has traditionally not offered this many ATO contracts so they are clearly looking to improve.

Do ATO’s to unsigned players ever work out? Not too often.  In 2012, the Connecticut Whale signed forward Marek Hrivik to an ATO.  He showed enough in his eight game tryout to earn an entry level contract.  He ultimately played 21 games for the Rangers and is now in the KHL.  Last season the Wolf Pack signed forward Drew Melanson to an ATO and subsequently he signed an ECHL contract with the Rangers affiliate in Maine.

As older, undrafted players, this could be the last chance for some of these players to continue their hockey careers. As for the Rangers and Hartford, there is no risk in giving them a chance.