Blog Archives
Igor Shestyorkin named KHL goalie of the month
Bobby Bevilacqua
Igor Shestyorkin was selected by the Rangers 118th overall in the 2014 NHL draft and the 14th goalie taken that year. The Rangers also selected Brandon Halverson with their first pick, which was in the second round.
Halverson is playing well with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL, but it’s Shestyorkin that is the best prospect in the Rangers system.
Yesterday the KHL announced that Skestyorkin, 20, was named the best KHL goalie in the league for the month of October. So far he has played in 18 games with SKA St. Petersburg and has a record of 13-1-2 with a 1.46 GAA and a .943 save percentage. Read the rest of this entry
Adam Huska, Igor Shestyorkin solidify Rangers’ goaltending future, allow for moves to be made
Bobby Bevilacqua
Adam Huska in net for the Green Bay Gamblers. Photo courtesy of Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media
In last year’s NHL Draft, the Rangers selected 6’3” Slovakian goaltender Adam Huska with their seventh round pick, a selection that people didn’t think twice about considering the talent the Rangers already have in their goaltending prospect pool.
Brandon Halverson was considered the brightest goalie prospect in the Rangers organization, winning 40 games with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds last season in the OHL, and getting regular reps with the USA Juniors team. Mackenzie Skapski was an excellent goalie in the AHL last season, making two NHL starts before a hip injury caused him to rehab for most of this year. Add that with Magnus Hellberg, the goalie prospect acquired from the Nashville Predators in the offseason, and the Rangers are stacked.
So it’s understandable why nobody batted an eye when the Rangers took Adam Huska with the 184th pick of the draft last season. But after being selected, he played well for Slovakia in the WJC, carrying that momentum into an excellent first full season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits: NHL Expansion, Patrick Kane off NHL cover, Rangers goalie prospects
Bobby Bevilacqua
Some interesting stories from around the league have come out in the past few days, including some news about the Rangers goalie prospects.
NHL Expansion takes another step forward
Gery Bettman has invited the ownership groups in Las Vegas and Quebec to enter Phase Two of the expansion process. Photo courtesy of Trevor Hogan/Associated Press.
As many people know, the NHL is looking to expand the amount of teams in the league for the first time since 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets played their first games in franchise history.
While 16 separate groups/individuals were interested in creating a new team, only two cites had filed an application; Las Vegas and Quebec. Las Vegas has never had an NHL team before, while the small Quebec City was host to the Nordiques from 1979 to 1995, when they became the Colorado Avalanche. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits: Brandon Halverson, Carl Hagelin and the Patrick Kane situation
Bobby Bevilacqua
So I’ve decided to continue with the Quick Hits articles. There really isn’t much to talk about right now, and this allows me to talk about things with the Rangers and any other stories around the league.
Brandon Halverson continues to impress
Photo courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images.
Brandon Halverson, the Rangers second round draft pick in 2014, is one of the most talented prospects in the team’s organization. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 179 pounds, the 19 year old goaltender is making a case to be the starter for the United States in the IIHF World Junior Championship. Read the rest of this entry
Mackenzie Skapski sidelined 4-5 months following hip surgery
Bobby Bevilacqua
Mackenzie Skapski, one of the top goaltending prospects in the Rangers organization, had hip surgery on tuesday to repair a muscle tear. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
New York Rangers goalie and prospect Mackenzie Skapski had arthroscopic surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip, with the procedure taking place on Tuesday. He is expected to be sidelined for 4-5 months, which will put him out of action until sometime in October or November.
Skapski was called up on Febrary 4th following the vascular injury to Henrik Lundqvist, and backed up Cam Talbot for seven weeks. Dubbed the “Buffalo Killer” by head coach Alain Vigneault, Skapski made his first two career starts at the First Niagara Center against the Sabres, winning both games.
On March 14th, in his second career start, the 20 year old shut out the Buffalo Sabres, become the first Rangers goalie since 1957-58 to post a shutout in one of his first two starts. Skapski was 2-0-0 with a .50 GAA and a .978 save percentage in two games. Read the rest of this entry
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