The New York Rangers opened up rookie camp this past weekend and featured their newly acquired top prospects. There was much more focus this time around, considering two of their newest top prospect were acquired after trading away two of their better players. One of them was Liam Greentree, who was the main return piece for the Rangers after dealing Artemi panarin to the Los Angeles Kings.
Greentree played in both exhibition games against the Philadelphia Flyers this weekend, where he scored one goal and dished out an assist. Among himself, Cole Beaudoin, and Alberts Smits, Greentree had more positives than negatives.
At the time of the Panarin trade, Greentree's statistics with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires stood out. But if there was one consistent criticism about his game at the time of the trade, it was his skating and speed. Greentree heard that criticism, and has taken steps to improve.
Liam Greentree trained with J.T. Miller to work on skating
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano interviewed Greentree, who revealed he spent the summer training at Prentiss Hockey Performance in Stamford, Conn. with some of his Rangers teammates, including captain J.T. Miller. Greentree's goal is to improve his skating and his speed.
“For me, a big thing was skating and getting my speed up,” Greentree told Mercogliano. “I feel faster. I feel, you know, a little lighter, so I feel good. I’m trying to play a little physical, too, and I think I did that (Saturday). As long as I’m doing that and I’m skating hard, I think I’ll be good.”
If there was one common complaint about the Rangers' development of prospects, it's that their work on skating hasn't been the greatest. Kudos to Greentree for trying to improve, as he's expected to be in the teams's plans for the foreseeable future. What's even better is hearing that he worked alongside Miller, who is not only the leader on the Rangers, but who is also looking to put a down season behind him.
In two games, he showed the team that he has the desired scoring abilities. nHe just needed to work on his skating.
Liam Greentree may be on outside looking in for Rangers' Opening Night roster
It was a good start for Greentree in rookie camp, but does that mean he's a lock to make the Opening night roster? It's unlikely, given the current roster structure.
For most of the offseason, it looked as though there was a slimmer of hope that Greentree could make the roster as a potential top six forward, as they had a void in that group. While the top six featured Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, Alexis Lafreniere, and Gabe Perreault, they still needed one more forward to round things out and build a better scoring front. But last month, the team signed Eeli Tolvanen to a one year, team-friendly contract. Now, it looks as though it will be a battle between Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand for the final spot in the top six.
With that, Greentree's only chance would be if there are injuries during training camp or the preseason. For now though, it might be best if he starts out the season in the AHL. After all, the Rangers brought in a new coach for the Wolf Pack in Jay Leach, who received praise for his work developing prospects with the Boston Bruins. Greentree can use that opportunity to gain some playing time and get more comfortable in the Rangers' system. Then, possibly, an opportunity in the pro's could happen later this season.
Wherever Greentree plays, he is ensuring that he will be at his best.
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