Who should the New York Rangers target with Carolina’s first round pick?

The New York Rangers have the opportunity to make two selections in the first round of a deep NHL draft. Who should they target?

Well, the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept our beloved New York Rangers during the play-in round, have been eliminated by the Boston Bruins. Despite New York’s disdain for Boston sports, this is actually good news for us Rangers fans as it means that the first-round selection we acquired in the Skjei trade will end up being in the 20-24 pick range.

While there is certainly a possibility that the pick could be moved to acquire some NHL-ready talent, such as a center or a left-shot defenseman, it seems far more likely that Gorton will make the pick. During his video conference after winning the draft lottery, he explicitly said he was excited to have two first-rounders in what he described as a “deep draft.” So let’s work on that assumption.

And it should be mentioned that I agree with Gorton’s assessment, as this is a very special draft class that has had players break a number of league scoring records. The top of the draft is very strong, but the draft is also quite deep. It is also unusual in the sense that a lot of the talent in the first round will be coming from the CHL, which is a league the Rangers have avoided for quite some time when picking in the first round. For context, the last Rangers first-round pick who played their draft year in the CHL was Dylan McIlrath in 2010.

Avoiding the CHL talent pool seems very ill-advised this time around. With the inevitable selection of Alexis Lafrenière at first overall, are the floodgates set to open, bringing more Canadian-grown talent to New York? Let’s dive in and figure out who the Rangers should target.

Seth Jarvis, C/RW, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

Seth Jarvis is part of a group of players that Jeff Gorton can only really dream of falling to the Rangers. He had a monstrous season in the WHL, finishing with 98 points in 58 games, good for second in league scoring. Jarvis projects as a top of the lineup player, and while his smaller stature indicates he might be a winger, I think his creative instincts, skill, and speed all point to him being a center.

It would take a miracle for Jarvis to fall this far, but Gorton has already beaten the odds this summer. Jarvis’ skating and playmaking abilities would add two qualities that the Rangers’ prospect pool really lacks, despite how deep it is. Jarvis is essentially a pipedream. But the draft is crazy so I thought it would be worth noting him as a target.

Dylan Holloway, C/LW, Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA)

Holloway came into the year surrounded by a lot of hype and was often talked about as a potential top-10 pick. Unfortunately, Holloway did not have the season that many predicted, although pretty much nobody on that Wisconsin team did. He posted 17 points in 35 games, which is respectable but you would have to be insane to spend a top-10 pick on that kind of production.

Despite his shortcomings this season, Holloway is still viewed as a prospect that will likely be selected near the 15th pick in the draft. Holloway really reminds me of Chris Kreider. He has an extremely mature body and knows how to throw his weight around. Not to mention that he is an excellent skater. His skill level is not as high as his skating ability, but it is still very high and is a selling point of his game. I have a pretty strong suspicion that Holloway will be gone before the Rangers get on the virtual podium to make their second pick in the first round. But if he falls, they will definitely be interested in him.

Connor Zary, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

It is very tough to peg where Connor Zary will go in this draft. There is a real chance that he is a lottery pick, but I tend to think he will slip a lot closer to 20. Zary had an impressive draft season, putting up 86 points in 57 games. He is known as a strong two-way center who works his tail off. He is also an incredibly skilled player and has a really entertaining highlight reel. There are serious questions about his skating ability for a player of his size (roughly 6′), and that may scare Ranger fans because he profiles fairly similar to Lias Andersson. If he is available, Zary will certainly be considered.

Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi Sanguenéens (QMJHL)

Hendrix Lapierre came into the season with a lot of hype after a huge Ivan Hlinka tournament for Canada last summer. His play at the tournament earned him comparisons to Patrice Bergeron and Evgeni Kuznetsov, two players he has said he models his game after. After a very slow start in the QMJHL, Lapierre’s season took a turn for the worse. Lapierre suffered what was believed to be a concussion and was out for the season. At the time, it was the third documented concussion Lapierre had suffered, and it was fair to question whether he had a future in the sport.

Lapierre sought further medical consultation and it is now believed that he has only had one concussion, but the first concussion he suffered affected his back in a way that mimicked concussion symptoms after the fact. It sounds pretty bizarre, and while I think the combine is generally pretty useless, I am sure teams would like their own doctors to take a look at Lapierre to confirm that information. Because of all of this, Lapierre is no longer even a first-round lock, but he is certainly a first-rounder on talent. The Rangers may consider him.

Mavrik Bourque, C, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

While Lapierre’s draft stock deflated, Mavrik Bourque’s skyrocketed. Bourque had an excellent season, putting up 71 points in 49 games with very little support. Bourque is undersized and not an amazing skater, but those are the only two knocks against him. He is an incredibly skilled player and is very intelligent. His lack of speed makes me think he might be a winger in the NHL, but he is smart enough to stick at center. Lafrenière will be the Rangers’ first Quebec-born first-round pick since 1977, so why not make it two!

Tyson Foerster, C/RW, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Foerster is one of the draft’s premier snipers and he boasts an extremely powerful and accurate shot. He finished the season with 80 points in 62 games, including 36 goals. He is a truly sub-par skater and it is a legitimate issue in his game, but he is very intelligent, has good hands, and strong vision on the ice that compensates for his pure lack of speed at the junior level. He kind of reminds me a bit of Brock Boeser, although Boeser is a better skater. I think he might be a bit of a reach in this range but he would bring the shoot-first mentality that the Rangers are sorely lacking.

Sam Colangelo, RW, Chicago Steel (USHL)

We know that the Rangers like their American developed players and Sam Colangelo is a good one. The 6’2″ winger played on arguably the best team in USHL history this season, and put up 58 points in 44 games. Colangelo is a very well-rounded, highly skilled forward who knows how to use his skill to hold onto the puck. He has a very good shot and I could see him hitting 25-30 goals in the NHL.

The Steel play a very creative offensive system, so creativity is a part of his game that comes naturally to him. I really like Colangelo’s upside and could see him becoming a good second-line winger. He will almost certainly be available when the Rangers make their pick, and I think he would be an excellent choice.

Brendan Brisson, C, Chicago Steel (USHL)

Brendan Brisson is the son of hockey super-agent Pat Brisson. Like Colangelo, Brisson spent his draft season playing for the Chicago Steel, where he put up 59 points in 45 games playing as the team’s number one center. Brisson is a pretty average skater and is undersized, but he is a very, very intelligent player. He has excellent positional instincts in the offensive zone and has a great one-timer that he knows how to use effectively.

He is a highly-skilled player and has the ability to beat players one-on-one on a consistent basis. Despite being a bit undersized, he is a pretty direct player. That attribute, coupled with his intelligence, leads me to believe he will stick at center. Brisson is slated to join the University of Michigan hockey team, which has a loaded incoming freshmen class. If you want skill and intelligence, Brisson brings that in bunches. I could see the Rangers really liking what he brings to the table.

Thomas Bordeleau, C, USNTDP (USHL)

Bordeleau is a player that I like but don’t love. He is very small, standing at only 5’9″, and his in-game concentration is not always the best which makes me worry about his compete level. That said, he is a skilled player with an underrated shot and good offensive instincts. The appeal of Bordeleau is that he spent the past two seasons on a pretty uninspired team offensively, but his natural ability was still able to shine through. The upside is certainly there and I am interested to see how he develops. Bordeleau will join Brisson at the University of Michigan next season, where quality minutes will be hard to come by if they are not earned.

Noel Gunler, RW, Luleå (SHL)

I have written about Gunler before, and he is a player that I am a huge fan of and feel is undervalued by mainstream scouts. As I have also pointed out before, I think the Rangers may be a bit more clued into his talent than most teams because Gunler plays on the same team as Rangers prospect Nils Lundkvist.

Gunler is not an excellent playmaker, but he brings a talent the Rangers lack outside of Mika Zibanejad, and that is a shoot-first mentality. Gunler has a reputation as a lazy player, but that is not accurate. He is a good forechecker and while his skating isn’t pretty it still gets him from A to B faster than most.

Gunler played limited minutes at Luleå this past season but still managed to put up 13 points in 45 games. I expect him to obliterate that total this upcoming season. Gunler would be truly excellent value in this range and is a very realistic pick for the Rangers.

Marat Khusnutdinov, C, SKA-1946 (MHL)

Like Gunler and Jan Myšak (who is my third European target), Marat Khusnutdinov is a player that I have written about before. He stands at only 5’9″ but is a nearly prodigious defensive talent both in terms of effort and positional intelligence. He is an excellent skater with a high skill level and strong creative instincts. The only real knock on him is his shooting talent, but players can work on their shot.

I really believe that if everything clicks for Khusnutdinov, he could be a borderline first-line center. I am higher on him than most, but that is mainly due to a) exposure and b) him not putting up gaudy numbers due to playing on a deep team. Khustnutdinov is a project in a physical sense, but his hockey skill and intelligence are both incredibly advanced. He is a real player, and one I hope will don the Rangers sweater one day.

Jan Myšak, C, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)

Myšak is a player that gets linked with the Rangers very often. He started off the season in the Czech Republic’s professional league before making the switch to the OHL halfway through the season. Myšak scored at a 40 goal pace over a full season in the OHL, putting up 15 goals in 22 games. I don’t think he is a high-end playmaker, but he is still very good in that respect. His real gifts are his speed and scoring ability. He is a very direct player with the puck on his stick and has some nice physical tools. I think he projects as a good second-line player who can play on both special teams.

Rodion Amirov, LW, Salavat (KHL)

Amirov is a highly skilled playmaker who spent most of his draft season in Russia’s top professional league. He only put up 2 points at that level, but it is very easy to see why he is rated so highly by scouts after watching him for a bit. His puck skills are very strong and he is an excellent transition player, which means he will likely be a positive possession player at the NHL level.

His skating is very good and will help with his transition to the NHL. He is not a big player, standing at about 6′ and weighing 170 lbs, but he knows how to use his skill and skating ability to hold onto the puck and win battles. There is a decent chance Amirov will be gone when the Rangers select, but we know the Rangers like their Russians, so if he is still on the board he will definitely be a target.