Who Rangers fans should root for in the Junior Hockey playoffs.
It’s a great time to be a New York Rangers fan, as the NHL playoffs are around the corner and our heroes have qualified for the second consecutive season. But the Rangers aren’t the only ones gearing up for the postseason. The NCAA tournament is in full gear and the Canadian Junior Hockey leagues have just begun their playoffs. Today we look at the baby Blueshirts participating in those so you know who to root for.
There are two Rangers prospects in the Frozen Four, Eric Ciccolini (Round 7, 2019, 205 overall) and Brody Lamb (Round 4, 2021,104 overall).
The 22-year-old Ciccolini’s senior season has been his best yet. With seven goals and 11 points in 30 games, the 5’11, 170IBS forward seems healthy after an injury took him out practically all of last year before being hit from behind by Minnesota superstar Logan Cooley in November sidelined him for two months.
“He’s had a tough career at Michigan just with major injuries, like concussion, shoulder, knee,” head coach Brandon Naurato, who had the interim tag removed on Friday after two years of wearing it following his five-year extension with the program, told the Michigan Daily. “Hopefully, now he’s just laying it all out there and a little bit more healthy, and he can just get back to what he is.”
Yet even before his recent injury history, Ciccolini hasn’t lived up to the expectations, accumulating 23 points across his first- and second-year student campaigns making it unlikely New York signs him to an entry-level contract after this season. Before he was drafted, the Vaughan, Ontario, native played for the Toronto JR Canadiens.
In 2019, he registered 27 goals and 62 points in 48 games, showing what, according to scouts, was a “High -end skill set, offensive hockey sense, most. dangerous at the top seed.” Yet ever since he’s crossed the border, things have gone downhill for the Ranger hopeful.
The Wolverines have been led by projected overall 2023 NHL second-overall draft choice behind Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, 18, whose 29 goals and 64 points, paced College hockey and Devils prospect Luke Hughes, 19, who leads in scoring defenseman with ten goals and 47 points respectively.
Michigan has been on a tear since the conference playoffs, culminating with a 4-3 victory over the top-ranked Minnesota Gophers in the Big Ten championship game. After blasting Colgate 11-1 in round one of the NCAA tournament, sophomore Mackie Samoskevich booked Michigan’s 27th Frozen Four appearance and a battle against Quinnipiac, with the overtime winner for a 2-1 win over Penn State.
Meanwhile, Brody Lamb is a 19-year-old winger coming off a breakout year in the USHL, where he potted 19 goals and had 62 points with the Green Bay Gamblers. The freshman has been a vital depth piece in his for Minnesota, with four goals and eight points in 37 games.
Per Dobberprospects.com, the 6’1, 165IBS youngster is a “Shifty forward who possesses an effective release” and has a 55% chance of reaching the NHL someday.
The Gophers are spearheaded by Hobey Baker finalist(College MVP trophy) Logan Cooley, 19, who has twenty goals and 57 points. Aiding Cooley is fellow freshman and linemate Jimmy Snuggerd, with his 21 goals and 50 points, along with sophomore Maple Leaf’s prospect and Hobey Baker finalist Mathew Knies, who has 21 goals and 41 points on the season.
Despite falling to Michigan in the conference title game, Minnesota was still ranked as the overall one-seed in the tournament. In round one, they routed Canisus 9-2 before a 4-1 win over Cloud State saw them to a Frozen Four matchup with Boston University on April 6th in Tampa Bay, with the championship set for April 8th.
So with the American prospects out of the way, let’s cross the border and check out Canada!
Maxim Barbashev (Round 5, 2022, 161 overall), QMJHL:
Barbashev is the last of the Rangers prospects in the Q, remaining this season. His favored Moncton Wildcats are in a best-of-seven first-round series against Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The 19-year-old Russian winger has exploded for a career campaign in his third year playing North American hockey, as his 32 goals and 65 points in 67 games rank fourth on the team.
Yet Dobber Prospects warns fans against getting excited, citing that while he brings a “Physical edge” and is tough to defend, he’s still fine-tuning the “Inconsistencies” in his play, which means he’s expected to remain in Moncton for at least another season, hence his 40% chance of currently reaching NHL stardom. Barbashev had an assist off an odd-man rush in game one, but Moncton squandered a 3-0 lead, falling 4-3 in double-overtime on Saturday.
Brennan Othmann (Round 1, 2021, 16 overall),OHL:
The last time we checked in on the face of the Rangers farm system, 20-year-old Brennan Othmann per his request, had been traded. After tallying 13 goals and 24 points sixteen games into the 22-23 season, as captain of the putrid Flint Firebirds, following his 50-goal and 97-point campaign across 66 tilts in 21-22, the most in both categories by a player in their franchise history, the Center was dealt to his hometown team, the Peterborough Petes.
Although his scoring dipped as a result of playing on a team that is a Memorial Cup contender, Othmann finished the regular season with 18 goals and 33 points in 40 games for his new club, one he’ll likely be leaving for the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL in the fall or earlier if they’re eliminated from the OHL playoffs.
This probably won’t be soon considering Othmann’s game-winner on Saturday to go along with an assist in the contest, lifted Peterborough to a 2-1 victory and a 2-0 first-round series lead over the Sudbury Wolves. Othmann also had an assist in the 4-2 game one win and claimed Rangers Prospect of the Month honors for his six goals and 15 points in 14 games during March.
Last but not least on our tour, the Wild West.
Due to the emergence of Bedard, yours truly has found himself paying attention to the happenings of the WHL, where a few Rangers prospects have emerged.
Unfortunately, goaltender Talyn Boyko, (Round 4, 2021, 112 overall) isn’t one of them, as the backup Kelowna Rockets netminder has struggled this season, posting a 3.55 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Unless an injury to his partner transpires, the 20-year-old will be on the bench as his Rockets square off in the first round against the favored Seattle Thunderbirds, who they currently trail 1-0 after coughing up a 2-0 lead for a 3-2 defeat in the series opener on Friday.
Down in Red Deer, Jayden Grubbe(Round 3, 2021,65 overall) is giving Rebels fans a season to remember, with the 20-year-old likely bound for Hartford next season should he agree to an entry-level contract with the Rangers this Summer. In 64 tilts, the 6’3, 201IBS center scored 18 times and had 67 points, good for second on the team.
Grubbe has displayed two-way toughness as the lead center, with a relentless work ethic that has him primed for bigger and better things. As former NHLer and two-time Stanley Cup champion Brent Sutter said, “He is exceptional.”
In the Rebels playoff opener against the Calgary Hitmen, he boxed out the defender in front and pounced on the loose puck for a goal in the 3-0 victory before the Hitmen responded with a 2-1 overtime victory to seize home ice advantage and even the best of seven series at a game apiece.
In Moose Jaw, Ryder Korczak (Round 3, 2021, 75 overall), began the 22-23 season with Hartford but was quickly returned to the Warriors after five games. Since then, the 20-year-old has responded with 28 goals and 69 points in 48 games. As Conor Power recently noted, “New York traded up in the third round to nab the 5’11, 170 lbs centerman out of Yorkton, Saskatoon, who signed his entry-level deal in May last year.”
Per Dobber Prospects, who give him a 70% chance to reach the NHL, “ Korczak is a shifty offensive threat with good vision and passing ability. He has a slight frame that lacks strength and will need to add more explosiveness to his stride, but he could blossom into a productive NHLer.”
Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Ryder had plenty of chances throughout Moose Jaw’s series opener against Lethbridge, where the Warriors emerged with a 2-1 double-overtime victory, but did score in Moose Jaw’s 5-1 game two wins.
Should Moose Jaw advance, they could see Bedard’s Pats in round two, as Regina dominated the Saskatoon Blades, winning both games on the road for a commanding 2-0 series lead. The 17-year-old phenom, whose 72 goals and 143 points in the regular season saw him win the CHL Player of the Year award, scored twice in the 6-1 game one victory and recorded a hat trick in the 6-5 overtime, game two triumphs.
All three CHL leagues have streaming packages you can but if you’re not willing to pay the price, you can find highlights on their websites or on YouTube. Meanwhile, the Frozen Four games will be on ESPN2/ESPN+.
QUESTIONS TO BLS READERS:
1. Which Rangers prospect are you most looking forward to potentially seeing on Broadway and why?
2. Who are you siding with in the Frozen Four, QMJHL, OHL, and WHL playoffs?