New York Rangers: Where will they go with this draft?
With some chatter that the NHL Entry Draft will actually still be held in June it’s worth a deeper look into the recent drafting trends for the New York Rangers.
The New York Rangers like players from Europe. If there is one thing to be learned from looking at recents drafts, it’s that the European scouting contingent holds a lot of sway when it comes to making picks, especially those in the first round.
Since July 2015, when Jeff Gorton took over as General Manager the Rangers have had six first round picks. With those picks, they selected one Finn, two Swedes, one Russian, one Czech and one USA-born player, K’Andre Miller. Canada is conspicuously absent.
In fact, of the 31 players drafted by he Ranges since 2016, 17 are from Europe and 14 from North America with seven each from the United States and Canada. The disparity is even more glaring looking at the top three rounds. Of the 13 picks taken in those rounds, only two are from Canada.
Here’s the breakdown:
Rds 1-3 Rds 4-7 Total
Canada 2 5 7
Czech Republic 1 1 2
Finland 1 4 5
Russia 1 0 1
Sweden 5 3 8
Switzerland 0 1 1
United States 3 4 7
What’s immediately noticeable is the number of Swedish players drafted by New York in those four drafts. Over a quarter of the picks are from Sweden including five of 13 in the top three rounds.
Of the 31 players drafted under Jeff Gorton’s leadership, four have made it to the NHL (Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson and Tim Gettinger) with Kakko and Chytil as regulars. Not one Canadian prospect has made it to the Rangers or the NHL over the last four years.
Compared to other teams
We looked at the 13 teams within five points of the Rangers when play was halted in March in order to see how the Blueshirts compare when it comes to drafting players.
First off, the fact that they have nurtured only two NHL regulars out of the last four drafts is completely consistent with the competition. Of the 14 similar teams, five have seen one player they have drafted make it as an NHL regular. Six including the Rangers have found two NHL regulars. Three teams have produced three regulars. One fact worth noting is that while the Calgary Flames drafted three current NHL players, only two are playing for them (Matthew Tkachuk and Dillon Dube). The third is the Rangers’ own Adam Fox.
Where there are disparities is when it comes to drafting European players as opposed to North Americans. As noted, five of the six first rounders drafted by Gorton are from Europe. None of the other 13 teams have as many as three. The Rangers are clearly ahead when it comes to European players drafted in the first three rounds with their eight prospects. Toronto and Carolina have drafted seven, all other teams drafted fewer.
Even the teams that drafted more Europeans in the first three rounds also picked a lot of North American players. For example, Carolina selected seven Europeans and 12 North American players in the first three rounds. Toronto took seven Europeans and six North American players.
The fact is that a high percentage of players drafted by the Rangers are from Europe. Here’s how they compare:
Total Picks Europe North America
Rangers 31 17 (55%) 14
Columbus 21 12 (57%) 9
Calgary 24 12 (50%) 12
Edmonton 27 13 (48%) 14
Nashville 26 12 (46%) 14
Toronto 33 15 (45%) 18
Winnipeg 25 11 (44%) 14
Vancouver 29 12 (41%) 17
Arizona 32 12 (38%) 20
Carolina 35 13 (37%) 22
Florida 27 10 (37%) 17
Minnesota 25 8 (32%) 17
Dallas 23 7 (30%) 16
NY Islanders 24 7 (29%) 17
Columbus is the only team among the 14 that drafted a higher percentage of European players than the Rangers and the Blue Jackets had the fewest total number of draft picks over the last four years affecting their percentages.
So, does it really matter?
So what does it mean?
That’s the million dollar question. Is there any reason that a team should favor North American players over Europeans? In an NHL where there are as many superstars from Europe as there are from North America, definitely not.
Where there is an impact is in player development and in style of play. Is there is a cultural difference that affects young players from Europe as they are abruptly dropped into North America? There are language and communication issues. There are differences in the rinks and playing rules. North American prospects, especially those from Canada, are indoctrinated into an NHL lifestyle earlier than their European counterparts. We need to remember that these are teenagers who are uprooted from their native countries.
It’s significant that some of the best young European players in the NHL came over and played their junior hockey in Canada. That list included Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Andrei Svechnikov and Tim Meier.
A financial issue
When European prospects come to North American, a tenure in the AHL is seen as undesirable. Much of this is financial. Why would a European prospect want to leave behind a job with a professional league like the KHL, SHL or Liiga, where they can make much more than the minor league maximum in North America.
More from Blue Line Station
- Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
- Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly
The Vitali Kravtsov case is a perfect example. While he was signed to an Entry Level deal worth $1.775 million including salary and bonuses, his pay dropped to $70k when he was demoted to Hartford. That’s because all Entry Level Contracts are two-way contracts and $70k is the maximum an ELC player can earn if he is in the minor leagues. Small wonder he was frustrated when demoted and he bolted back to the KHL.
For players in Canadian Junior hockey and in the NCAA, there is reimbursement of living expenses and little else. That makes that $70k minor league maximum look mighty attractive if they cannot make it to the NHL.
So, one of the issues facing a team like the Rangers with an inordinate number of European prospects, is that when they come to North America, they are potentially losing a lot of money. That matters.
That’s why the Rangers promoted Igor Shesterkin instead of leaving him in the AHL for a full season. His potential income including salary and bonuses is $3.775 million, yet as long as he was in the AHL he was earning $70k. Shesterkin also had a European Assignment Clause allowing him to return to the KHL if he was not in the NHL.
Considering that it’s easier to manage North American prospects than European kids you have to give the Blueshirts’ front office some credit for returning to the European well over and over again. However, the Rangers’ track record with many of their European prospects hasn’t been great.
It will be interesting to see the route that the Rangers take when the draft takes place. It’s complicated and worth watching.
What is the price of loyalty?. light. Related Story