New York Rangers first round pick possibilities: The forwards
By Steve Paulus
Left Wings
There are not a lot of left wingers among prospects rated from 15-30. Of the left wings, there is no common consensus among the evaluators.
Nils Hoglander – The Rangers have never hesitated when it comes to European players and Nils Hoglander is one left winger whose stock is rising. Central Scouting had him as the 11th best European skater, but seven of the skaters ahead of him are defensemen, so he is really rated the fourth best European forward.
Corey Pronman had him ranked 16th overall. Steve Kournianos had him at 17th and he didn’t make the Sportsnet or TSN lists. Hoglander just finished his first season in the SHL in Sweden and had a solid season for Rogle.
Hoglander is another smaller forward at 5’8″, 183 lbs, but Kournianos had this to say about him: “A smaller player with a big heart, Hoglander’s trickery with the puck and feistiness away from it are perfect for today’s North American game.” Pronman echoed those sentiments, calling him “a great passer with fantastic hands.”
Egor Afanasyev – Afanasyev was rated the 16th best North American skater by Central Scouting. Born in Russia, he is playing for Muskegon in the USHL where he had 27 goals and 62 points in 58 games. Craig Button had him ranked 21st and Sportsnet ranked him the 25th best prospect, but he didn’t make the other lists.
At 6’3″ he is a big winger with a good shot. A team looking for a power forward prospect could probably do worse.
Jacob Pelletier – Pelletier was rated the 27th North American skater, but a couple of the experts had him rated higher. Sportsnets had him at 20th overall and the Sporting News had him at 24th. Apparently, Pelletier’s reputation is growing because of his tenacity. At 5’9″ and 161 pounds, Pelletier is not the biggest player, but apparently he plays bigger than he is.
He is another one of those big scorers in the QMJHL as he had 39 goals and 89 points in 65 games for Moncton. The Sporting News had this to say about him: “He plays the game at a feverish pace and can make a difference no matter where the puck is located..”
Nicholas Robertson – Robertson was ranked 17th among North Americans by Central Scouting and Pronman has him as high as 13th overall. Another smaller player at 5’9″, 160 lbs. he scored 27 goals and was a point-a-game player for Peterborough in the OHL.
Pronman had Robertson listed as a High-End NHL Prospect (he had only seven of those) and cites Robertson as a dynamic player with one of the best shots in the draft. Interestingly, he didn’t make the lists from the other experts.
Pavel Dorofeyev – Dorofeyev is the last left winger on our list. He was ranked 12th best among European skaters (fifth best forward) and he made Pronman’s list at #26 and was rated very highly by the Sporting News at #12.
Although he played 23 games this season in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, he spent most of the season in a Russian junior league where he was a top scorer. There have been some concerns about his sense of urgency, but the Sporting News called him a “sniper who can control play.” He is six feet all and weighs in at 170 lbs.