Saturday, March 8, 2008
Rangers Prospect Update
Here is a great read from a poster named "squishy" at the hfboards. I am only posting the prospects I feel you should keep really close eyes on. If you want to read more click here.
P.A. Par
57GP 25G 36A 61PT +8 57PM
Through the first 60 games of the schedule Parenteau is leading the team in goals and points and was 4th in the league in points, 8th in goals and 12th in assists. It's hard to complain about a player who's leading the team in scoring, is amongst the league leaders, and is putting up points at better than a point-per-game pace. His knack for finding open teammates on the ice and getting passes through seemingly covered lanes is his best attribute, but with the good comes the bad, and from time to time those passes do get picked off. That's not such a bad thing in the offensive zone, but he tends to take the same risks with his passes in his own zone, which has at times gotten the Pack into trouble. He plays with a bit of an aggressive edge, and gets away with a lot of chippy little shoves and swats that undoubtedly get under opponents skin while -- for the most part -- going undetected by referees. Grade: A (A-)
Gre
52GP 21G 29A 50P +23 25PM
While Moore's breakout season can be seen as nothing short of a major success, it seems his play has dropped off a bit since the early part of the season when he was piling up points at nearly a point-per-game pace and was on a yo-yo ride between NY and Hartford. It may just be a matter of not playing with as much confidence as he did earlier in the season. It's got to be tough mentally to get the frequent call, but see only very limited opportunity on-ice when he was in NY. Still, through 60 games, he ranked 3rd on the Pack in points, and 19th over all in the league, and with 50 points has already doubled his 25 point output as a rookie last season. He's centered the Pack's top line for the majority of the season, and plays in all situations, including heading the Pack's top penalty killing unit, where his 4 goals have earned him 4th place in the league in shorthanded goals. His +23 ranked 2nd on the team and 4th in the AHL through 60 games, illustrating his skill as a good 2-way player, though through 12 games played during the month of February, he was only Even after being a plus in each of the previous months of the season. Grade: A- (A)
Dane 
56GP 18G 16A 34PT +20 149PM
Perhaps it was his late demotion to the Pack that caused Byers to get off to such a slow start this season. But ever since Ryan Callahan joined the Pack for 11 games back in January, Byers has been reborn, scoring at a steady point-per-game pace through January, and keeping up the pace through February even after Callahan returned to NY. His 5-game goal scoring streak (6 goals) in January ranks as the longest scoring streak on the Wolf Pack this season, and ranks 5th in the league among longest goal-scoring streaks for the season. Compare that to October, when he went 11 straight games without so much as a point. The vast majority of his goals have been of the garbage variety, scored from in close on either rebounds or deflections. In fact, it is Byers ability to set up in front of the net, take the abuse that comes with the location, and get the puck in the net that is his greatest asset. He's also a solid 2-way player, as his +20 (good for 4th on the team and 8th in the league) suggests. He plays in all situations and has proven willing and able to stand up for his teammates when the has arisen, as illustrated by his team-leading 149 penalty minutes. Grade: B+ (C-)
La
59GP 17G 17A 34PT +15 45PM
When I wrote my First Quarter grades post, there wasn't a player in Hartford I was more disappointed in. Korpikoski's gone a long way to redeem himself, in particular over the 13 games he played in February, when he finally started to put up points at a pace more befitting a 1st round draft pick playing his 2nd year pro (11 points in 13 games). He's been the ultimate utility player for the Pack this season, playing all three forward positions, on any of the Pack's three lines, with equal comfort level. He's one of the Pack's best penalty killers, and recently has started to get more regular power play time as a reward for his improved offensive play. He's still prone to holding on to the puck too long -- and losing it as a result -- but his shot has improved and he's more likely to use it now than he has been in the past. It will be interesting to see whether he's able to keep up the improved offensive production over the next 20 games and into the playoffs. If he does, a shot in the NHL shouldn't be far behind. Grade: B (C-)
Ale
49GP 8G 23A 31PT -2 73PM
Baring a late season turnaround, it will be impossible not to call Bourret's season a disappointment. On a couple of occasions it's looked like he was going to get on a roll and turn things around, but each time a some kind of minor injury has forced him out of the lineup for a game or two and knocked him off his stride. On the positive side, his six game-winners on the season rank him 1st on the Pack and 6th in the league in that category, and he has gradually been eating away at his at-one-time team worst -10. On the negative side, for every active, physical shift he plays, he plays three more where he looks at best disengaged and at worst completely invisible. He's got all the skills; great on-ice vision, a decent shot, good speed and a scrappy, physical playing style, but its still a matter of waiting to see if he's willing to put in the work to play at a consistently-engaged, high level on a nightly basis. Grade: C (D)
Arte
54GP 11G 18A 29PT +7 22PM
When I heard the Rangers had agreed to release Anisimov to play in the World Junior Championships, I was worried the return to the larger ice surface and Russian style of play might set him back in terms of his adjustment to the North American game. Just the opposite happened. Since returning from the Czech Republic he's shown steady and consistent improvement in all facets of his game. After going -4 in December, leaving him a -2 on the season at the time he left for the WJCs, he's climbed steadily into plus territory at +7. His defensive coverage has been spot on, and he's shown better anticipation at both ends of the ice, suggestion he's starting to think the game at AHL speed. He's been very good on faceoffs, after struggling early in the season, and is shooting the puck more. It's starting pay off, with 4 goals in his last 9 games, including a highlight reel goal against Springfield on February 13th that easily ranks at the head of the Pack's top 5 goals of the year. At 19, he's the youngest player in the AHL, but his 29 points are still good enough for 19th in the league in rookie scoring, while his 4 game winners tie him for 2nd on the team, and 5th in the league amongst rookies. He needs to continue to fill into his 6'3" frame and build his core strength, which will improve his balance and help him keep from getting knocked down as much as he currently does. It'll also allow him to win more battles along the boards, though he's shown improvement in that area as well. When you consider that he's averaging .54 points per game through February, compared to Brandon Dubinsky's average of .48 PPG through February a year ago (as a 20 year old rookie and without the difficulties of adjusting to a new language and playing style) it's hard not to get excited about his progress. Grade: B+ (B-)
Hu
53GP 12G 16A 28PT +4 136PM
Don't look now, but Hugh Jessiman is starting to resemble the power forward he was drafted to be. He's skating more confidently with the puck, driving to the net, throwing his considerable weight around and its paying off both on the scoresheet and in terms of earning ice time. What's most impressed me is the confidence and power with which he's skating off the boards or out of the corner with the puck and taking it to the net. While neither his play or the 28 points he's picked up scream "NHL Ready", for the first time in his almost three years as a pro its actually looking like the NHL is a possibility somewhere down the road. He still needs to work on being physically and mentally engaged on every single shift, and his skating and balance, while improved, could still be better. But he's played an integral part on the team this season, particularly in terms of being the team's primary tough guy since both Lessard and Fritz went down to injuries. He may never be a heavyweaight fighter, but his size and reach help him hold his own, and his willingness to step up and fill the role -- despite battling an elbow injury that he re-aggravates whenever he fights -- is to be commended. Grade: B (C)
B
58GP 8G 13A 21PT -1 70PM
Dupont started the season strong, but then hit a bit of a lull as the dog days wore on. He seemed to suffer most when the early season line of Dupont - Anisimov - Parenteau was broken up, and he slowly sunk down the dept chart to the point where he was one of the 2 spare forwards in the line up on a couple occasions. He went the entire month of December (10 games) without a point and picked up only a goal and assist through 13 games in January. During that time he often looked to be a half step behind the play. But recently things have started clicking for him and he's been getting more involved in the play at both ends of the ice. He's seen his ice time increase as a result to point that the he's seen playing time on the top two lines and power play again recently. A solid penalty killer who can play a physical game, Dupont's proven willing to drop the gloves, though it took until game 60 for him to finally win a clear decision. Grade: B- (B+)
Iv
46GP 5G 13A 18PT +4 45PM
If I were to describe Baranka's season in one word it would be "inconsistent". His skill is obvious, which is what makes him sometimes frustrating to watch. He can make a brilliant defensive play on one shift, and then come out on the next and turn the puck over in his own zone and cost his team a quality scoring chance against. For the 3rd consecutive season he's been dogged by injuries, missing 14 games over the course of the season thus far, most recently with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss 6 at the end of January. Grade: B- (B)
Mic
51GP 2G 6A 8PT -11 61PM
Sauer's game has suffered a bit as the season has progressed and expectations have increased. Capable of playing sound positional hockey one minute, he's also had more than a few moments where he's looked lost on the ice. A team worst -11 on a team with few players in the red, he's had the misfortune of putting 3 or 4 goals into his own net and has gets beaten one-on-one more than often than you'd like to see. He struggles to keep the puck in the offensive zone at times (both at even strength and on the occasional power play shift he is given), but has improved his physical play along the boards and around the net as the season has progressed. Grade: B- (B)
Mii
27GP 57GA 1484MINS 2.30GAA .916S% 2SO
Word that Wiikman had supplanted the since-departed Al Montoya as Hartford's number one goalie spread like wildfire through the Ranger nation, despite the fact that it wasn't necessarily 100% true. Wiikman certainly did get on a good roll in late November/early December, when he won his first 6 consecutive AHL decisions after getting a shot because of injuries to both Montoya and Chris Holt. He got on another hot streak in mid January, winning 6 of 7 starts, culminating in the week ending January 27th, during which he went 3-0-0 while recording two shutouts -- one against the top team in the league -- and stopping all but 1 of 93 shots he faced en route to being named the AHL's co-player of the week. In 9 games played in January Wiikman posted a 1.59 GAA and a .943 save percentage, rocketing up the standings for a brief stay at the top of the AHL goaltending ranks. A shootout loss on February 2nd gave Montoya an opening to get back in the net, and he stayed there for the next 5 games, picking up 5 consecutive wins before bowing out of the 6th with a groin injury. Since then Wiikman's struggled to play at the high level he'd attained consistently, alternating wins and losses or shootout losses through the next 7 games (though his teammates deserve as much, if not more, of the blame for that record as he does). He currently ranks 8th in the league in GAA and 11th in save percentage. His 2.30 goals against average is good for 2nd in the league amongst rookies. He's a fierce competitor who will never give up on a play, a trait that has allowed him to make some spectacular, game-saving saves. He's small and athletic, which allows him to get across the crease quickly. His positioning is sound, if not perfect, and he controls his rebounds pretty well, thought he could definitely be better. Not a big puck-handler, he's improved since earlier in the season when his adventures behind the net got him in trouble more than once. Grade: B+ (B-)
The two top prospects missing are obviously Alexei Cherepanov and Bobby Sanguinetti, but this is still an extremely good posts and we all thank him/her for it. (Pictures added by me)
