New York Rangers prospects and COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some future New York Rangers are in limbo this season

When it was reported that Vitali Kravtsov would be returning to Russia next month to play for Traktor in the KHL, it could the first of a number of similar player moves. The New York Rangers have  some prospects who may not play hockey at all this season or are looking at delays before games begin.

We’ve already seen center Morgan Barron sign his Entry Level Contract (ELC) as soon as the Ivy League announced that all fall sports would be cancelled.  With his chance to win a NCAA championship dashed, he turned pro. The Rangers have a number of collegiate players who don’t have the same option.

NCAA players face uncertain future

The Rangers have four unsigned prospects who are supposed to be playing in the NCAA this season.  Top defenseman Zac Jones is at U-Mass Amherst, forward Riley Hughes attends Northeastern University, Forward Eric Ciccolini is at Michigan and defenseman Simon Kjelberg is at RPI, all entering their sophomore years.

Late last month, Hockey East announced that they were going to play the 2020-21 season.  There will be restrictions on who they will play and it’s uncertain when the season will start, but they intend to play a full schedule.  That means that Zac Jones will probably remain at UMass, though he is not eligible for the World Junior Championships in December.

The same goes for Riley Hughes at Northeastern, also in the Hockey East Conference.  The ECAC announced similar plans so Simon Kjellberg should return to RPI this fall.

The Big Ten has announced that all fall sports will be cancelled and they are uncertain about resuming in the spring and that affects forward Eric Ciccolini at the University of Michigan.  Is he willing to lose a year of competitive hockey?  He may have no choice.

Canadian junior leagues delayed

Two Canadian junior hockey leagues have announced a delayed start to their 2020-21 season.  The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) announced a start date of December 1.

The one Ranger prospect in the OHL is defenseman Hunter Skinner who plays for the London Knights.

The Western Hockey League (WHL) will begin play on December 4.

One of the best Ranger prospects is defenseman Matthew Robertson who plays for the Edmonton Oil Kings.  Robertson signed his ELC already and could be in a Wolf Pack or Ranger uniform once the WHL season is over.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) has not solidified their plans yet, but in July it was reported that that they had proposed a shorter season that would begin on October 1 with restrictions.  The presumptive top pick in the draft, Alexis Lafreniere, has already made it known that he will not join Rimouski when play begins, preferring to work out and prepare for his pro debut in December.

European players will be in action

The Rangers have selected a lot of European players in the draft in recent years and that will be to their benefit when it comes to the pandemic.

Finland’s Liiga, the top pro league, has been playing preseason games since August 5 and the regular season is expected to begin on October 1.  Ranger prospects playing in Liiga include right wing Lauri Pajuniemi with TPS and forward Leevi  Aaltonen with KalPa.  Defenseman Tarmo Reunanen has signed his ELC and spent last season on loan to Lukko.

The Rangers top right handed defense prospect, Nils Lundkvist, announced that he would play the coming season with Lulea in Sweden.  Lulea played their first exhibition game already and the SHL season starts for real on September 12.

Former first round pick Lias Andersson is on loan to HV71 in the SHL.

Also playing in Sweden are center Adam Edström who plays for Rogle, center Karl Henriksson is with Frolunda, and defenseman Calle Själin has signed for the season with Leksand.

The Allsvenskan is the second tier pro league in Sweden and Goalie Olof Lindbom will be playing with Mora along with defenseman Jakob Ragnarsson with Timra.

With the Swedish and Finnish leagues concluding their seasons before the AHL and NHL, it’s an opportunity for all of these young players to make the move to North America, depending on their seasons.