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
Rangers Recap: Observations following the preseason opener
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The offseason moves seem to already paying off, and the Rangers played differently than they did last year based on their personnel. For the preseason I won’t be doing goal breakdowns or a period-by-period summary, but instead a bullet list with observations.
- It’s too early to tell for sure because it’s only been one game, but the team played differently. Last year, speed was noticeably lacking and the team didn’t have an identity. The offseason moves made show that the team is looking for speed and youth. There was a lot of excellent transition, puck movement and breakaways, and I’m excited to see this team come together on the final roster.
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
New York Rangers: Wolf Pack and Prospect Report
Drew Williams
Notable Prospect Notes
Pavel Buchnevich
- Buchnevich has been excellent with Severstal of the KHL, playing on the top line as one of the leading scorers. Buchnevich has six goals and 10 assists in 23 games.
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Photo courtesy of Andreas Hillergen/AFP/Getty Images.
Brian Gibbons:
- Leading in points for the Wolf Pack with eight points in ten games played (3G, 5A)
- Signed in free agency; Played for the Penguins and Columbus
- Likely to be called up if a third-line player is injured
Brady Skjei
- Highly touted 1st rounder taken by the Ranger 28th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
- Has played in all ten AHL games so far
- Statline: 0G, 3A, 3P; +1 with 0 PIM
Injured Rangers recovering well ahead of training camp
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
While every team certainly deals with injuries in the playoffs, the Rangers had quite a lot of significant health issues to some of their key players during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The captain Ryan McDonagh broke his foot in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal had procedures done on their ankles, and Derick Brassard had to undergo wrist surgery. And of course, Mats Zuccarello missed the last two rounds of the playoffs with the worst injury, after being struck on the side of the head by a puck.
The puck came off of the stick of Ryan McDonagh, as a slap shot went awry and hit Zuccarello upside the head during Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nobody officially knew the extent of the injuries until after the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
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