Prospect update: How are the baby Rangers doing?
By Steve Paulus
A number of New York Rangers prospect are in action, despite the pandemic
With the World Junior Championships just a few days away, we’ll soon be able to see some future New York Rangers in action. Defenseman Braden Schneider and goalie Dylan Garand are on Team Canada and forward Brett Berard and defenseman Joey Skinner made it on Team USA. While the focus has been on those players, there are a number of other prospects playing in the NCAA and Europe.
NCAA Players
Most of he collegiate hockey leagues were finally able to get under way in November. While the Ivy League decided to cancel its season, the Big 10 and Hockey East are in full swing. There are four Rangers prospects in those conferences.
Zac Jones (D) – 2019 3rd round – #68
Zac Jones’ stock has risen in the prospect pipeline in his second year at UMass. The Minutemen have played six games, most in the Hockey East Conference and Zac Jones has two goals and one assist in those six games with one of those goals a shorthanded tally. So far this season his plus/minus rating is -1 and he has 15 shots on goal, seven blocked shots and he has taken two penalties.
In his freshman year, Jones had three goals and 23 points in 32 games and he was very impressive at the WJC.
UMass was off this weekend, but will be playing Providence this weekend. They have gotten off to a rough start with a 2-3-1 record.
Riley Hughes (RW) – 2018 7th round – #216
In his freshman season at Northeastern University, Riley Hughes didn’t exactly blow away the league. He had one goal and four points in 34 games for the Huskies, a far cry from his prolific scoring (58 points in 53 games) in the British Columbia Hockey League.
He’s gotten off to a great start this year with two goals in his first two games. Northeastern finally started their season this weekend, several weeks after the scheduled November 23 start date.
NEU won both ends of a home and away series against Merrimack. In the first game, at home, they won 8-2 with Hughes scoring the final NEU goal. It was unassisted as the game wound down. He finished the game with an even plus/minus rating and had two shots on goal.
Sunday, the Huskies traveled to Merrimack and won again, 6-3. Hughes scored Northeastern’s first goal on the power play, starting a comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He finished the game with four shots on goal, blocked one shot and took a third period interference penalty.
That’s it for Northeastern for a while as Hockey East takes pains to keep the season going safely. They don’t play again until after Christmas. As for Hughes, he is one of a number of conferencef players averaging a goal per game including five of his NEU teammates.
Eric Ciccolini (RW) – 2019 7th round – #205
Michigan sophomore Eric Ciccolini got off to a great start with two goals in his first two games but has been scoreless in six games since. In eight games played, he has 14 shots on goal and four minutes in penalties. He has blocked five shots and his plus/miinus rating is +1. He is plus one and has 5 blocked shots.
Michigan is 5-5 , 3-5 in the Big Ten. They dropped their last two games last week to Minnesota. In the first game, a 3-1 loss, he had no shots, was minus one and took a minor for slashing in the third period. The Wolverines were shut out 4-0 in the second game. Ciccolini had two shots on goal, two blocked shots and had an even plus/minus.
When they play next is up in the air as the Big Ten has only issued a schedule for the first half of the season, though December 20.
With three Michigan players making Team USA’s roster for the WJC, it was an opportunity for Ciccolini to step up. Wolverines coach Mel Pearson told the Michigan Daily “There’s some guys in the lineup that you’re just expecting to do more…ric Ciccolini has been in and out. He’s proven he’s ready to have a really good sophomore season. We expect more out of him on a daily basis.”
Brett Berard (LW) – 2020 5th round – #134
As previously mentioned, Berard has made Team USA and is in Edmonton for the WJC. He started the season at Providence in the Hockey East conference where he played two games. Providence lost both games to Boston College, 3-0 in the first and were embarrassed in their second game 9-0.
Berard had no points in the two games, taking seven shots on goal and a plus/minus of -5.
The only collegiate player who has not seen any action is defenseman Simon Kjellberg who is in his sophomore year at RPI. The school cancelled its ECAC season so it looks like no hockey for Kjellberg this school year.