2 forwards and a goalie selected in the 4th round for the New York Rangers

The New York Rangers had accumulated three picks in the fourth round from 104th overall to 112th.  That’s three out of nine picks and they used them to build up their prospect pool at forward and in goal. The team has still not taken a defenseman in the draft and they’ve picked only one European player.

104th pick – Brody Lamb, F

With the 104th overall pick they selected forward Brody Lamb who split the last season between high school competition in Minnesota and the USHL.   He was dominant as a high school player in Minnesota where he scored 52 goals and 87 points in 24 games.  He then played 10 games for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL with two assists.

Lamb is committed to the University of Minnesota, but will have to play one more season in the USHL before he goes to college in 2022-23.  He’s a long term project who is several years away from any chance of turning pro.

The native of Kassan, Minnesota is 6’0″, 185 pounds and he turns 18 in August.

106th pick – Kalle Vaisanen, LW

Kalle Vaisanen was the player chosen by the Rangers with their 106th pick and the first European to be selected by the team this year.  Vaisanen is an18 year old left winger who has been playing for the junior team in the TPS system.  He played 27 games for the TPS U18 team, scoring nine goals and 30 points.

Vaisanen is a big kid, standing 6’4″ but he needs to fill out, weighing only  181 pounds. Some observers have promoted Vaisanen as one of the best Finnish players available in this draft and the Rangers have to hope that he develops that way.  He turned 18 in January and was born in Kostka, Finland.

112th pick -Talyn Boyko, G

The Rangers drafted their first non-forward of the 2021 draft, picking goalie Talyn Boyko with their 112th pick and third in the fourth round.  A native of Drumheller, Alberta, he just finished his third season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL.

Boyko turns 19 in October and is huge.  He is 6’8″ tall and weighs 201 pounds.

His numbers with Tri-City are not impressive, but the team has been mediocre while he has been there.  This season he was named the number one goalie and he responded with his best season, posting a 3.02 Goals Against Average and a .901 Save Percentage.

Benoit Allaire has to weigh in on these goalie selections and he must see something in Boyko.  The netminder was ranked the 12th best North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting.

The Rangers have two more picks to go, one in the fifth round and one in the seventh round.