Who the Rangers may pick in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft

Top options for the Rangers

When it comes to the Rangers, there are a few names that keep coming up.  Here are the top contenders.

Brennan Othmann, LW – EHC Olten (Switzerland)

Brennan Othmann is a left winger who played the last season in Switzerland after one season with the Flint Firebirds of the OHL.  Ranked the eighth best North American skater by Central Scouting, most experts had him dropping as far down as 25th overall with the highest ranking at 17th overall by the Sporting News.

Othmann got some attention for his work at the WJC scoring a goal and having seven shots in the gold medal game and he is considered to be one of the hardest working skaters in the draft.  Eliteprospects.com called him a “menace on the forecheck” and one of the hardest players to play against in the Swiss league.

While he doesn’t have the skill level of Lafrenière, Kakko or Kravtsov, he would bring a needed element to the Rangers corps of forwards.

He turned 18 in January and is 6’0″, 174 pounds and is still growing.

Chaz Lucius, C – US National U18 Team

Chaz Lucius is a 6’0″, 172 pound center who has been considered a borderline top ten pick, but has been dropping in the rankings as we get closer to the draft.  He missed almost a year of hockey due to knee surgery and that is one reason his draft stock has been dropping.  He is still considered one of the best finishers in the draft class and when he returned to action, he was outstanding with 13 goals and 18 points in 12 games.

The Minnesota native just turned 18 and is committed to the University of Minnesota.  It may be difficult for the Rangers to pass up on Lucius if he is still around when they pick 15th overall.  He was the top scorer for the US National team as a 17-year-old and his shot is said to be NHL quality.

It’s not all good news when it comes to Lucius and the knee surgery was not the biggest reason his stock dropped.   There have been concerns with his defensive ability and consistency.  Eliteprospects.com has positioned him as “one-dimensional scoring winger.”   The hope is that as he matures, he will conquer some of these issues.

Vince Mercogliano likened him to Cole Caulfield of the Montreal Canadiens. If so, the Rangers could do much worse.

Fyodor Svechkov, C – Lada Togliatti

Will the Rangers want to go to the European well after drafting mostly North American skaters last year?  Fyodor Svechkov is an 18 year old center who is considered one of the top defensive forwards in the draft. He is 6’0″, 180 pounds and played last season in the MHL in Russia, the second tier league below the KHL.

He is not projected to be a top scorer, but as a tenacious defensive center who can win draws and kill penalties, he fits the Rangers needs.

Both top Canadian mock drafts had Svechkov going to the Rangers with Craig Button of TSN ranking him the 10th best skater in the draft and Sportnet’s Sam Corsentino ranking him 13th overall.   He’s like Lucius in that the Rangers may be hard pressed to pass on him if he is still around when they pick.

Cole Sillinger, C – Sioux Falls (USHL)

Cole Sillinger turned 18 in May and is 6’0″, 200 pounds.  A positive COVID-19 test kept him off Team Canada at the WJC, and despite that he scored 24 goals in 31 games for Sioux Falls. Most experts have him going in the 11-15 range in the draft and he could slip as far down as 15th for the Rangers.

The knock on Sillinger is that is one dimensional and a no show on defense. He is the son of former NHL player Mike Sillinger.

Matthew Coronato, LW – Chicago Steel

Matthew Coronato is a 5’10”, 183 pound left winger for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. He’d be an intriguing choice for the Rangers as he was born on Long Island.  He was named the top forward of the year in the USHL after scoring 48 goals and 85 points in 51 games.

There wasn’t a lot of love for him in the draft rankings with most experts seeing him going in the 21-38 range though TSN’s Craig Button had him at 11th overall and the Athletic’s Corey Pronman had him at 15th.

Carson Lambos, D – JYP U20 (Finland)

With all of their depth on defense, it’s hard to see the Rangers drafting a blue liner, but the one name that has come up is that of Carson Lambos who played in Finland this season.  With some of the top picks expected to be defensemen, if a team is looking for a blueliner after the top six, Lambos may be the guy.

A medical issue waylaid him for much of this season and he is considered a wild card in the draft.  Before the season, he had been considered a potential top 10 pick.

Now that we’ve looked at the potential Ranger picks, a quick look at the best players in the draft.