New York Rangers sign Michigan State center Patrick Khodorenko

The New York Rangers signed highly regarded  center Patrick Khodorenko of Michigan State to an entry level contract.

The New York Rangers announced that they had signed center Patrick Khodorenko  from Michigan State.  He signed a three year entry level contract worth $2.775 million after finishing his senior year for the Spartans.

Khodorenko was highly rated by observers of college hockey and was the leading scorer for Michigan State.  His season ended this weekend when they were swept in the Big Ten tournament by Michigan.  It was a disappointing end to his college career as the Spartans lost both games by identical 3-0 scores.

Khodorenko, 21, is a lefthanded shooting center who is six feet, 206 pounds. He led the team in scoring with 16 goals and 33 points in 36 games.  He has been a consistent scorer in the same range for the last three years.  He didn’t miss a game in four years at Michigan State and finished with 120 points in 143 games.  He was fourth overall in scoring in the Big Ten conference.

Born in Walnut Creek, California, he was eligible for the 2017 draft and was ranked #106 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters, but was not selected.

It’s curious as to why he wasn’t drafted. His draft year came after his freshman year at Michigan State when he had a decent season with seven goals and 11 assists, not bad numbers for one of the youngest players in the NCAA.   He was only 17 when he began his freshman season, turning 18 in October.

He chose Michigan State after two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.

Here was his scouting report from draftsite.com:   “Thick centre forward who may not be a blazer, but is very quick short burst flyer. Reads the ice well, and is a great stickhandler.This highly skilled, strong and explosive player who is committed to Michigan State University. At this juncture, he still hasn’t shown consistent production to commensurate his skill set, and projects as an energy player at the bottom end of your line up.”

Khodorenko will report to Hartford on an Amateur Try-Out (ATO).  One thing worth noting.  Khodorenko won 53% of his faceoffs, seventh best in the conference among players who took over 300 draws.

Wolf Pack sign defenseman

Khodorenko was one of a number of available college free agents.  The Hartford Wolf Pack signed defenseman Zach Giuttari to an Amateur Try-Out as well.

Giuttari just completed four years at Brown University.  A Rhode Island native, he is a righthanded shooting defenseman who scored four goals and added 11 assists for Brown in 31 games.

He was the Brown team captain and they were swept by Colgate in the ECAC Tournament this past weekend.  They lost a heartbreaker in the second game, losing 3-2 in overtime.  Giuttari got the primary assist on the tying goal that Brown scored with just over a minute left in regulation.