Rangers 2021: K’Andre Miller, ‘Laffy’, ‘Schneids’ and more

The New York Rangers held a live session on their YouTube channel on Thursday evening. Here are some highlights.

As you know, the New York Rangers have very high hopes for K’Andre Miller, believing the 6-foot-5, 210-pound defenseman will be a force on their blue line for many years to come. But could he make his Broadway debut as soon as January 2021, when the NHL hopes to begin its next regular season?

John Davidson seems to think so.

During the team’s live question-and-answer YouTube session on Thursday, the Rangers president singled out Miller after host Bill Pidto wondered aloud whether any of the team’s prospects could step in as soon as next season.

“We have an understanding that they’re young, you don’t want to rush them because that makes people go backwards before they go forwards,” Davidson said.

“However, if they earn it … an example would be K’Andre Miller. He’s a defenseman that came to our camp before the bubble (playoffs) and really was good. The first day he made a couple of mistakes and  we were kind of going, ‘Well, he’s young, maybe he’s nervous.’ But from that day on, he was terrific. He’s a big man, he can skate like the wind, so when you look at him, as well as he played … can he make the team? Maybe.”

Miller was the Rangers’ first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2018 Entry Draft. The 20-year-old University of Wisconsin product had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points, along with 24 penalty minutes in 36 games with the Badgers last season, and two assists and one minor penalty in five contests for the U.S.-Under 20 Team. He’s reportedly skating on his own in Stamford, Conn.

Training before training camp

Not surprisingly, Davidson had no definitive update on when training camp will open or how long it might last. However, he said the team is being proactive in monitoring its prospects.

“Training has been real important,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure we get as many of the players that belong to us playing somewhere. David Quinn, Jeff Gorton, Chris Drury, (and) all parts of our management are making calls to our players, seeing where they are, what they’re doing. Some are training in Connecticut, not too far from here. We check on them all the time, to see how they are doing and if they’re pushing each other.”

Davidson said he’s been watching videos of several prospects playing in Europe, particularly forward Vitaly Kravtsov and defenseman Nils Lundkvist. He also noted that Matt Rempe, a 6-foot-8, 236-pound center taken in the sixth round (165th overall) has been assigned to the Alberta Junior Hockey League. His Western Hockey League team, Seattle, won’t begin its season until December 4.

“We really have to make sure that the players are in a position where they’ve really done a good job with their training — they’re paying attention, they’re being serious, which to this point, we’ve seen that,” Davidson said. “It’s the same with the everyday person: don’t let your guard down with what’s going on in the world with COVID(-19). Stay diligent, be smart, do your thing, because one day we’re going to get the call (to open training camp) and away we go.”

Davidson praised the work of the Rangers’ development coaches: former team members Jed Ortmeyer and Tanner Glass, stationed in North America, and Finland-based Tuomo Ruutu.

“I call these (prospects) up and said ‘How ya making out? Ya know we have development coaches’ and they say, ‘Oh, we’ve already talked to them,” Davidson said. “So that was a real good sign. It was an immediate response from our coaching staff to these picks, and the previous picks from years before. (The coaches) really build a relationship with these guys about everything. They can lean on each other, ask questions, and get answers from three guys who were very good pros.”

Johnson and Rooney to the penalty killing unit

Davidson hopes forward Kevin Rooney and defenseman Jack Johnson can help the Rangers’ penalty kill unit, which last season ranked 23rd in the NHL at 77.39 percent.

Rooney, a 27-year-old center, had two short-handed goals last season for the New Jersey Devils, who finished with the league’s seventh-best PK at 82.35%. He signed a two-year deal with New York earlier this month worth $750,000 per season.

Johnson, 33, fills a need on the left side and worked with both Davidson (in Columbus) and assistant coach Jacques Martin (in Pittsburgh). Johnson was part of the Penguins’ PK unit, which placed 10th on the PK.

“Our penalty killing just wasn’t good enough last year,” Davidson said. “We think we’ve helped ourselves in that area. … (Rooney) is a very good penalty killer as a forward. Jack Johnson is a workout fiend.  He’ll be in the weight room and these young players — and we’ve got a ton of them — they’re gonna see how it’s done. How hard you work. How much time you have to put in. It’s very helpful (to have a veteran player like Johnson).”

Getting to know Lafreniere and Schneider

The session also featured appearances by Rangers’ first-round draft choices Alexis Lafrenière and Braden Schneider. Lafrenière, a physical and offensively gifted center, was drafted first overall out of Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junuior League. The Blueshirts traded up to snag Schneider at 19th overall from Brandon of the WHL.

Both shared their thoughts on a variety of quick-hit questions.

Favorite pregame meal

Lafrenière: Pasta

Schneider: Past and chicken — “until I got sick of it; then I switched to rice, shrimp and beans.”

Favorite place to shoot

Lafrenière: Top shelf

Schneider: Five-hole

Favorite Halloween treat

Lafrenière: Gummy bears

Schneider: Hershey Cookies-n-Cream bar

Current NHLer whose style resembles mine

Lafrenière: Mikko Rantanen

Schneider: Shea Weber

They said it

Schneider on the biggest obstacles to adjusting to the NHL: “The speed and the timing would be the two toughest things. I learned pretty quickly in junior when I tried to run around like I did in minor hockey that have to pick and choose. There’s a lot better players as you go up each level, so you’ve gotta be smart; can’t jump out of your way (to make a big hit) when it’s not there, but when it comes, make sure you’re in the right spot.”

Lafrenière to Pidto on how to use Snapchat: “You just send pictures and you write something.” Duh.

Lafrenière on picking uniform number 13: “Pavel Datsyuk.”

Schneider on what number he would pick: “I’ll be happy to wear anything.”

Oh, and Laffy and Schneids?  That’s what their teammates call Lafrenière and Schneider.