A review of the Rangers’ 2019 draft class one year later

Taking a look at the New York Rangers’ 2019 draft picks one year later

The 2019 draft was a crucial one for the New York Rangers as they lucked into selecting a franchise cornerstone in Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko. The acquisition of Kakko obviously led to a lot of excitement, but the Rangers were widely praised for their draft selections after Kakko by a number of prominent draft writers, including The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman.

In this piece, I’ll grade each pick and take a look at how each player’s post-draft season went, as well as what improvements the Rangers could have made to certain selections. Here we go!

Round 1:  #2  – Kaapo Kakko, RW, New York Rangers

The crown jewel of the Rangers 2019 draft class, Kaapo Kakko spent this past season with the big club, putting up 23 points in 66 games. It was an up and down season for Kakko, who seemed to struggle with confidence and was often pinned in the defensive zone. He will need to improve his skating and defensive zone positioning (drastically) if he wants to live up to the lofty expectations fans and experts set for him.

What is clear though, is that he is a very gifted player. His power play ability is very advanced and I think he should have got more time on the first unit. He showed how quick his hands are and his passing ability is incredible. When he played with confidence, which admittedly was not often, he showed the ability to take over a game.

While many of the players selected after him did have strong seasons in the NCAA or in the CHL, none were truly dominant and I would still take Kakko with the second pick in the draft.

Thumbs up for Gorton.

Round 2: # 49 – Matthew Robertson, LHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Robertson was viewed as a first round prospect the entire 2018-19 season and finished 25th on Bob McKenzie’s final draft board, which is an aggregate ranking from NHL scouts. His slip to the bottom half of the second round was very surprising, to say the least. Robertson is a 6’3″ smooth-skating defenseman who can play on both the power play and the penalty kill.

Robertson had a strong training camp with the Rangers and was signed to an entry-level contract before being assigned to the Oil Kings, who play in the CHL’s Western Hockey League. Robertson had a strong season anchoring the blue line of one of the CHL’s top teams, and managed to put up 47 points in 60 games. He is also a very strong candidate to make the Canadian World Junior team this coming season.

Robertson is a tough pick to evaluate. The value of getting a first round talent late in the second round is tremendous, particularly when you consider the debacle of 2018 when the Rangers used the 39th pick to select goaltender Olof Lindbom ahead of several gifted forwards. Robertson improved this season and played well in a major role, so that is another thumbs up.

He fills a clear need the Rangers have as a left-sided defenseman with a top four pairing upside, so another thumbs up. But three picks later the Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Nick Robertson, who has developed into an elite goal scorer and a top ten prospect in the league (it was very confusing when I got the notification that the Rangers had selected a “Robertson”). Still, the selection of Matthew Robertson was very good value and fills a need, so:

Thumbs up for Gorton.

Round 2:  # 59 – Karl Henriksson, LHC, Frölunda (SHL)

Karl Henriksson was viewed as a third rounder in the eyes of McKenzie’s scouts, but his selection was widely praised by European based scouts. Henriksson is best known for playing on a line with 2020 superstar prospects Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz in international competitions. Henriksson is undersized, but plays a strong defensive game, and is an excellent playmaker.

He struggled for ice time with Frölunda in the men’s league this season but put up excellent numbers in the U20 Swedish League, with 41 points in 27 games and had a strong U20 World Junior performance centering a line with Raymond and Holtz.

He will be Sweden’s first line center at the 2021 U20 World Junior tournament and should get much more time at the professional level. Henriksson clearly looks like the best pick in the late second/early third round and looks like he could become a good third line center for the Rangers one day.

Thumbs up for Gorton.

Round 3: # 68 – Zac Jones, LHD, UMass Amherst (NCAA)

Zac Jones had an excellent freshman season at UMass Amherst, putting up 23 points in 32 games, and was Team USA’s best defenseman at the World Junior Tournament. He is undersized, standing at only 5’10”, but he knows how to play in his own end and has excellent offensive instincts. He probably could have put up close to a point per game this season if Marc Del Gaizo, one of the best offensive defensemen in college hockey, did not play on the same team.

Whereas Matthew Robertson and K’Andre Miller, the Rangers other high-profile defense prospects, do not possess a lot of offensive upside, Zac Jones clearly does. I would not be shocked to see him quarterback the Rangers’ second power play unit someday.

Jones was an excellent pick and looks like the best player selected in the third round. If there was a re-draft today, he might go in the first round. He has top four upside and will be a fun player to watch.

Two thumbs up for Gorton.

Round 5:  #130 – Leevi Aaltonen, LW, KalPa (Liiga)

When the Rangers selected Aaltonen in the fifth round, it was widely praised. Aaltonen is a small, speedy winger with a big shot, who spent his post-draft season playing in Finland’s highest division, where he put up 7 points in 45 games. He also spent a brief stint in Finland’s second professional division, Mestis, where he posted 4 points in 3 games. Somewhat surprisingly, Aaltonen was not a part of Finland’s U20 World Junior team.

While Aaltonen is not really viewed as a player with some untapped potential, he is the type of player the Rangers have been successful with during recent years. His pathway to the NHL will likely be a long one, but it is still fair to say at this point that Aaltonen is a player that possesses NHL upside, even if it will be in a very limited role. He looks like one of the better picks from the 5th round, so:

Thumbs up for Gorton

Round 6: #161 – Adam Edstrom, C, Rögle (SHL)

Adam Edstrom was a player that I was pretty unfamiliar with when I heard his name called on draft day. From people more tapped into the Swedish junior circuit, the consensus seemed to be it was an okay pick, especially as a 6th rounder. Edstrom proceeded to have a very good season in the SHL, posting 9 points in 46 games, which was the 14th highest point total for a U20 player in the league.

Edstrom is a very big player, standing at 6’6″, and he knows how to use his physical attributes. Like Aaltonen, it will be a very long road for Edstrom if he hopes to break into the NHL. But at the very least it seems the Rangers have drafted a player that could at least become a valuable part of the Hartford Wolf Pack.

I personally would have gone with one of Nikita Nesterenko or Marshall Warren, who were both selected by the Wild, but Edstrom looks like a fine pick. The “thumbs up” isn’t as emphatic this time, but still:

Thumbs up for Gorton

Round 7: #205 – Eric Ciccolini, C/RW, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)

Eric Ciccolini had a fine freshman season for the Wolverines, posting 11 points in 26 games before an injury ended his season. He mostly played in a depth role, but I like what he brings to the table. He has some skill and can make plays at a decent rate. I am very interested to see how next season pans out for him for a number of reasons.

The first is obviously the Coronavirus pandemic, as I have no idea what the return to play plan is for Michigan’s conference. The second is the strength of Michigan’s incoming recruiting class. Joining Michigan’s forward corps will be two 2020 1st round draft prospects in Brendan Brisson and Thomas Bordeleau. They will be joined by top 2021 draft prospects Matthew Samoskevich and Kent Johnson.

Johnson is a legitimate contender for the 1st overall pick in the 2021 draft. Another rumor that has taken off is that 2021 top forward prospect Matthew Beniers, who is currently committed to Harvard, will switch his commitment to Michigan.

It is tough to see how Ciccolini’s minutes will increase, but college hockey is really unpredictable so who knows! I would have picked Dustin Wolf in this spot, but Ciccolini still looks like a good pick.

Thumbs up for Gorton

This really was not intended to be an analysis totally praising Gorton and his draft decisions. I assure you that I could write a long essay about how awful the Olof Lindbom pick was in 2018. But the praise the Rangers received after draft day in 2019 looks deserved over a year later.

Kakko was one of the lone bright spots in an abysmal series sweep against the Hurricanes. Jones and Robertson both look like they could be valuable second pairing defensemen. Karl Henriksson had a good season and I expect him to break out this coming season. And finally, all of the Rangers later round picks look like they will provide some value to the Rangers, either in Hartford or hopefully in New York.

After years of very poor drafting, the Rangers seem to finally be turning things around and have built a deep prospect pool. Gorton will look to add to that in October, hopefully with the addition of Alexis Lafrenière!