Random Ranger Ruminations

With Traverse City starting tomorrow, I figured I'd throw up a quick post of some of the Ranger-related thoughts rattling around my head:

*On the prospect tournament, it will be quite intriguing to see how Lindberg and Fast handle the small ice. Fast handled it well the first time - scoring in his lone game with the Whale last spring - while Lindberg was simply outstanding in Sweden last season. Zip had a good look at the Ranger roster for the prospect tournament the other day. 

*Tickets in Traverse City are $10 a day. Just think about that ... damned shame Michigan is so far away. Sad that MSG is not broadcasting but not a surprise in the least, the Knicks have always been the favourite so the network spent their money going to Vegas instead.

*It is a shame the franchise is so fan-unfriendly. So many other teams are holding open camp dates and other events but the Blueshirts will be closed away in their Westchester country club facility. So the first chance we get to see them in NY is not until the home opener in months. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes New Yorkers more annoyed.

*However, if you are around and interested, Ryan McDonagh is doing a Steiner signing at Jack Doyle's on Saturday from 2-4 pm.

*Just how good can Danny Kristo be? And if he is as good as he has looked on the ice over the last season, will his off ice issues haunt him the way they did Don Murdoch 30-plus years ago? Kristo and the other kids have a real shot to make an impact with Hags and Cally out in the short term.

*But if they all disappoint, there are four seemingly capable vets to take the wing spots on the top two lines - Nash, Kreider, Zucc and Pouliot. Seeing as AV is a three-line coach, he could easily dress scrubs to get Stu Bickel minutes on the fourth line.

*This being the 20th anniversary of the famed 1994 Stanley Cup victory, what do you think the Rangers will do? Joey Kocur tweeted me a few months back that he expects to be back in NYC for a ceremony. However they decide to honor the lone Cup in the last 73 years, I just hope it happens on Saturday, November 30th. The Rangers' opponent that afternoon? Vancouver.

*It is interesting how many correlations there are between the defensemen AV handled in Vancouver and the ones on the Blueshirt blueline in terms of style. Willie Mitchell/Dan Girardi, Kevin Bieksa/Ryan McDonagh, Sami Salo/Marc Staal - ok, in their inability to stay healthy, not their games - Christian Ehrhoff/Del Zaster. It will be interesting to see if John Moore can turn into Alex Edler …

*If Dylan McIlrath doesn't make the big club - I hope he does but I highly doubt it - who the hell is going to provide the toughness for the team? Haley doesn't belong in the NHL, Asham was waived (I'll really miss him), Boyle can't fight and Pyatt loses his gloves just once a season. That leaves Derek Dorsett, who is a lightweight that has gotten housed by other tough guys. Love, love his heart, but many of his fights are just painful to watch (like this one).

*How painful will it be to watch Del Zaster? He should be even more exposed than he was in the past as his partner and the forwards on the ice with him won't be collapsing as quickly under AV's system.

*Why the hell is Boyle still on the roster? If Sather is to be believed, there was interestfrom other teams in the oversized waste of space - so why not trade him? Dominic Moore, if he has his head back in the game, is 10 times the player Boyle is. So why keep Boyle around?

*That is, unless Sather is keeping him around as an insurance policy should Step hold out and not play this fall or somehow end up elsewhere … I'm sure plenty of other teams would love to have him. It isn't terribly farfetched to see Minnesota putting out an offer sheet for the hometown kid. And they could then move some money out of town to fit him in: Heatley is in the last season of a massive deal and Pominville is in the last year of his contract - I bet a terrible franchise like the Islanders could use either/both of them. Let's just pray the kid capitulates and takes the bridge deal.

*Getting more and more nervous about how much the new bridges will obstruct the view inside MSG for folks like myself in the nosebleeds. Ranger staff have tried to reassure me that the view of the ice will be fine but others who have been inside have warned me to prepare for an opening night rant to my rep.

*That being said, she was quite accommodating for the Yankee Stadium games so a big thanks and a hat tip to her for that. Speaking of the Stadium Series matches, how soon until the Rangers unveil the sweaters they will wear? You have to figure they will be out in time for Christmas, right?

*MSG broadcasts could look quite different this fall. The staff on camera should be the same (dammit, Joe is due back), but the guys behind the scenes have changed. Longtime producer Joe Whelan left before last season (thus the poorly timed promotions during the spring) and this campaign will be without director Bobby Lewis. Lewis worked at MSG for 40 years and called the shots for Ranger games for 30 of them. And, I must say, he did a helluva job and definitely will be missed.

*Finally, on the retirement topic, yet again I'm wavering as to keeping this blog thing alive - at least in its usual form. While the schedule not being so compressed will help, last season was such a burnout that I currently have zero interest in doing nightly recaps. Of course, I felt the same the last few seasons and, when the puck hit ice, my blood started boiling and I had to rant somewhere. So we'll just have to see, stay tuned!

TC: Sabres 5, Rangers 2

Near the end of the first period Dave Maloney talked about how tough a test the big, more experienced Buffalo squad was for the lil Rangers. Well, the Baby Blueshirts were found lacking. Just as the big boys have done for so long, we were teased with some great play at the top of the tournament only to see our title hopes dashed.

Ah well.

Aaaaaand now I'm over it, how about you? The only title that really means something is the Stanley Cup and if tasting this defeat helps them onto the right path towards that one, then all is worth it.

That being said, just a few notes before we can move along ...

*You could tell that this wasn't going to end well right from the start: in the first two minutes the Rangers were pinned in their own zone, committed two turnovers, had a man caught looking down at the puck and went offsides on a power play.

*Carl Hagelin was the best Ranger on the ice. The Swede (by way of Michigan) drew a pair of penalties - the first came on a burst of speed to the outside, the other was from grinding on the endboards. Good, hard work both times. He also recovered a loose puck off of a offensive zone faceoff loss and found J.T. Miller open for a gimme goal.

*Miller, for his part, showed a great release on his goal. He was left utterly alone in the slot by Buffalo but he didn't hesitate in the least and put the Rangers on the scoreboard. I was very, very down on his drafting and am still not convinced he can be a NHL player but after this tourney I understand what the Ranger scouts saw in him. He does not give up.

*Nice touch by the Traverse CIty folks to play Men At Work's "It's a Mistake" when Jyri Niemi took a penalty midway through the first period. Sadly, it was not a mistake - it was a penalty and an awful one for him to take after choking up the puck. And the Sabres then scored on the ensuing power play, a puck on edge over Stajcer's shoulder short side. Niemi was the worst Ranger in this one, which is surprising considering his year of AHL experience.

*Nice of Jason Wilson to show up in this tournament and lose a fight.

*Did I see a Ranger try a wrap=around in the third period? Frolov return to the team?

*Samuel Noreau was bad in the first game, he was bad in the last one. He clearly still has a ways to go before becoming a NHLer but the progress was very reassuring.

*Perhaps it was the pressure of the captaincy or something but McIlrath had his second poor game in a row. We already knew he will spend the season in Moose Jaw but now we don't have to be disappointed by it - the building blocks of a stalwart blueliner are there but there is still a significant amount of work left to go.

*Joe Micheletti is just atrocious. He stutters, he sputters, he has no idea what is going on and has no chemistry with his broadcasting partners. It is going to be a looooooooooooong season.

*The MSG guys struggled to find someone to compare Tim Erixon to - first saying McDonagh, then Marc Staal. Here is my opinion - Teppo Numminen. Good positionally, great with the puck, not particularly physical but more than capable and someone who can have a really solid NHL career.

*Ken Holland was interviewed and the Wings GM didn't sound nearly as smart as he is. I think the 'OMG this is on TV' factor played a part, as did the fact that his attention was split between the interview and the game. I've spoken to Holland before and found him thoughtful, well spoken and incredibly, incredibly hockey intelligent.

For all of the ripping on the Rangers and on MSG, it was simply awesome to be able to watch this tournament. The Rangers intentionally keep the fans away from their training camp so this was the best chance to see Future Blue for those of us far away from major junior.

TC: Hurricanes 4, Rangers 3 (Double OT)

You knew it was too good to be true. A Ranger team that can fly, that goes to the net, that battles whistle to whistle and can score seemingly at will? Yep, too good to be true. The Baby Blueshirts played a lot like the big boys when they faced the Hurricanes on Tuesday afternoon: they blew a lead, blew power play after power play, took bad penalties and played down to their opponents. The box score of the 4-3 double OT loss is here.

Some credit should go to Carolina for weathering a 23-5 storm in the third period but for all of the Ranger shots, few challenged the Canes kid in net. However, we need to be pleased that the Rangers put on that onslaught as it shows they responded to Ken Gernander's intermission speech. While Gernander offered a stern message to the guys to pick up their play, you can be sure John Tortorella would have lost his top - and just imagine how they might have turned things around.

Player notes:

*Christian Thomas had a great first period but ultimately gave the game away with his giveaway in the second OT. Trying to pull-up at the blueline on sloppy ice while being closely covered in a three-on-three situation was just dangerous. Thomas is a solid sniper who needs to be smarter.

*J.T. Miller got a ton of ice time and clearly gave it his all every second he was out there. It amounted to nothing. His senseless post-whistle fight was as punchless as his shot. If he can keep his intensity up while refining his game over the next two, three seasons we might have a player there. Might.

*Shane McColgan was a constant threat but sadly did not get a shot to decide it in the overtime. Not sure why.

*My fav Dylan McIlrath was among those who responded to Kenny G for the third period but his penalty in the overtime was inexcusable. Mac is big and he is tough but he can not be reckless.

*If there was any doubt Carl Hagelin and Tim Erixon sealed their spots in the big training camp by singlehandedly dominating action at times.

*Jonathan Audy-Marchessault continued his outstanding tournament but I stand by my Corey Locke comparison. A quick, tenacious offensive player who needs to be better defensively to make the next step.

*Sam Noreau - the kid who is supposed to be this big project - was the most solid of the Blueshirt blueliners. Jyri Niemi - who has a full year of North American experience - has done nothing to stand out in this tournament to date.

*Michael St. Croix and Collin Bowman were both awful. St. Croix seemed utterly lost out there again while Bowman just couldn't handle the competition.

Despite the disappointment the boys have a chance for redemption in tomorrow night's final. Let's hope they can bounce back and take home the title.

TC: Rangers 6, Stars 2

Didn't get a chance to collect any scribbles on the Baby Blueshirt win yesterday so here are just a few observations - the game's box score is available here.

*Don't mess with McIlrath. Seriously. It is not smart. Love this kid.

*Ryan Bourque is everything the summer hype built Christian Thomas to be. Ray's kid was really strong on his skates and, despite his size, willing to go to the tough areas. He has a good shot and really made a leap from last year.

*Scott Stajcer looked far calmer than the last time I watched him play and it served him well in this one. Solid effort.

*Still unimpressed with JT Miller. Perhaps it is because I perhaps irrationally hope for first round draft picks to justify their selection by showing something special and he has not been special yet. However, credit to the kid for the opportunistic goal early and for some solid penalty killing work.

*Was a fan of Shane McColgan when he was drafted because of his roller hockey background. Am a bigger fan of him for fighting to stand up for Thomas. Sure the whole 'fighting after a check' thing is getting annoying in the NHL, but here it showed McColgan's willingness to be a team player and that he is not just a one-way scorer.

*There was a shift right before the McColgan fight that left an impression. The Rangers dumped the puck down the ice and chased after it. Three Stars touched the puck as they moved it back out of their zone and each one was hit by a different Ranger - Wilson, Jordan and Kerbashian. Dallas made it back into the New York end but the Blueshirts recovered and Stajcer made an easy save. All too often the big Rangers dumped and didn't quite chase, much less make the other team pay for getting back out of their zone. It was simple forechecking but it stood out to me.

*My two biggest standouts from game one - Blake Parlett and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault - were very good again. Parlett definitely looks like a professional out there among kids with his calmness and decision-making. Audy-Marchessault will need to improve more off the puck if he is to avoid becoming Corey Locke - super skilled scorer in the AHL but not a NHL regular.

*By all indications Carl Hagelin will make it tough for the Rangers to cut him in camp. Tim Erixon, who was already penciled into the New York roster by most folks before this tourney even started, wasn't as involved as he had been in the first game but he didn't have to be.

*Michael St. Croix was not good. Late in the second period he got lost up-ice ice chasing after the same player as Jason Wilson. Dallas moved the puck right past him and the man he should have picked up on the backcheck made the nice pass to set up the Stars goal. It was a big goal as it came with just seconds left in the frame and they were back within one at 3-2.

*While I feel that the 'Twitter war' between Dave and Jay is ridiculous and I can't stand Joe at all, MSG is doing a fantastic job with these broadcasts. Insightful guests throughout the game, quick but entertaining interviews with the kids and pretty good camera angles in an arena not built for TV.

*The Rangers are definitely in the weaker of the two divisions.

No game tonight but an afternoon matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow at 3:30.

TC: Rangers 5, Blues 2

It was great to be able to tune in to MSG on Saturday to catch some Ranger hockey - it's that time of year again people and it is wonderful. The Baby Blueshirts faced a poor St. Louis side and came through with a victory. They showed a bit of resolve by coming back to win after blowing a 2-0 lead but the final result isn't really all that important. This Traverse City tournament is all about the players learning the basic Ranger system while getting comfortable playing at a higher speed than most are used to. The brass uses it to evaluate the players so that is primarily what I will do here.

It should be explained that the St. Louis team was missing their stud Vlad Tarasenko, who was back in Russia. There were a few other decent players but the majority of the Blues top young talent have already made the leap to the NHL so it wasn't like the lil Rangers were facing an elite side. That being said, they still had a good showing. For the statheads out there, the official game sheet is here.

A few Baby Blueshirts who impressed:

*Blake Parlett: solid and steady with smart, quick puck movement. Heard good things about him last season in Greenville and Hartford and they all appeared true. No panic and good poise - hugely impressive.

*Tim Erixon: Really not much of a surprise that he appeared calm and collected given that he has nearly 140 games of professional experience under his belt.

*Carl Hagelin: Waited a long time to finally see him in a Blueshirt and former Ranger Red Berenson certainly helped develop him into a player. It will be interesting to see him play against men in a week.

*Ryan Bourque and Dylan McIlrath: The two are together for the reason that both had major things to improve on after last year's tournament and they both clearly worked on them. Bourque is stronger and McIlrath is swifter. Sure Mac got tabbed with a few penalties but he smartly avoided fisticuffs and showed far better puck movement than last year.

*Jonathan Audy-Marchessault: And we thought Zuccarello-Aasen would be too long for a sweater? This kid started strong but clearly laboured as the game went on. Definitely showed good signs though.

A few Baby Blueshirts who didn't:

*All of the 2011 draft picks: JT Miller was barely there. Shane McColgan was trying too hard to impress. Michael St. Croix did quite well during a second period penalty kill but overall was mediocre. Peter Ceresnak was disastrous.

*Jason Missiaen: Everyone said he was a project and man, is he. He needs to put on weight, he needs to work on his footwork and improve his puck control. Among other things.

*Tommy Grant: The oldest of the kids at 25, Grant was barely there.

*Christian Thomas: Perhaps he was disappointing purely because of the hype around him. He looked like a Pavel Brendl-type one-dimensional winger. Hopefully he shows more as the tournament goes on.

Finally, it says something fantastic about the state of hockey that Jeep and all of the other sponsors would jump on board to bring MSG on site to cover the tournament. While it is hellacious to have to listen to Joe Micheletti but we all have to suffer for our passions. Both Dave Maloney and special guest John Davidson (love you JD!!) were far smoother and more interesting than Joe, why can't MSG see that? But still, it was great to be watching hockey again. Game 2 is tonight at 6 against Dallas.

Traverse City Primer

By now you surely have seen the roster and schedule for the Traverse City tournament so I won't re-post the full release here. I will just throw out some observations:

*There are eight teams split in two divisions - the Gretzky and the Howe. The Rangers are in the Great One's, as are Columbus, Carolina and Minnesota. Atlanta will not be back this year but Stevie Ys Bolts will take their place in the Howe alongside St. Louis, Dallas and Detroit. The Blueshirts finished third in '09, with Carolina beating Minnesota for the title. Other teams have yet to release their rosters but the likelihood of the Canes repeating is slim as Brandon Sutter and Jamie McBain are now NHLers. My guess is that the Blues, who the Rangers defeated for third, will be tough to beat as they have a lot of good, young talent yet to break their NHL roster.

*Only a select few will be able to actually watch the games as the NHL Network has decided to cheap out and not cover the tournament. Because you need to watch the top 10 goals of 2001 or Game 3 of this season's Bruins/Sabres series again. The other sports networks cover their sports year round, why doesn't the NHL? Oh yeah, Gary's 7.2 million dollar salary has to come from somewhere.

*The 'big' names on the Ranger roster will be Derek Stepan, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan McDonagh and Dylan McIlrath. Grachev is one of seven Future Blue playing for the second straight year. Hopefully McIlrath will show signs of the play that I saw that made me the only one outside of Gordie Clark to select McIlrath for the Blueshirts.

*Sam Klassen is one of the eight returnees. He had a good showing last September and I'd love to see him star this time around. Goaltender Scott Stajcer split time with Chad DosNueve last time and was clearly the inferior goaltender. This time he will go against Cameron Talbot, a college kid the Rangers signed this spring. Stajcer needs a good showing so he can show he isn't another Antoine Lafleur. Ethan Werek and Roman Horak both return after having solid seasons. Jess at Prospect Park has raved about the development of both so Traverse City should be a good test of their progress.

*Five of the six players the Rangers selected at the draft will be in Michigan, only Jesper Fasth won't be making it. We will finally get a chance to hear about the virtually unknown Jason Wilson and see if Randy McNaught has any skill to go with his size (I doubt it). Christian Thomas can line up alongside returnee Ryan Bourque to see who is shorter, who is faster and who has the better sniping skills.

*There are, of course, a few undrafted free agents on the roster. Undersized at 5'10, 178, Brendan Shinnimin from Tri Cities will try to show off the skills and toughness that led him to pick up 107 points and 111 PIM over the Americans' 92 games last season (including playoffs). That is the kind of score line that has me drooling but he did that against kids, could he do it against men far bigger and stronger than himself? One of Dale Hunter's proteges in London, Colin Martin has decent size (6'1, 205) but questionable talent - he had 33 points in 62 regular season games but 11 in 10 postseason. Both Shinnimin and Martin are forwards, on the blueline will be Bruin Brandon Manning. Not Boston Bruin but Chilliwack. His numbers - 75 games, 60 points and 148 PIM - are fantastic for a defenseman, leading me to believe that there is a major flaw somewhere in his game as he went undrafted. Let's hope not and hope that the Rangers giving him a chance gives them a chance to sign a diamond in the rough.

*Unless something significant happens - the Rangers don't sign Frolov after all, Sather pulls a trade out of his nether regions, a major injury bug sweeps Broadway - the likelihood that any of these kids will pull on Blueshirts this season is not particularly good. That means that Traverse City will be the lone spot where we can see whether this new "commitment to youth" by the Ranger brass is paying off. Fingers crossed!

Traverse City Video

No thanks to the NHL. All credit to Hockeysfuture.com:



I watched it twice, then looked up the roster and yep, that's Grachev (59) making the best play making room for himself in front, spinning and scoring. In another cut you get a glimpse at the speed of Ryan Bourque (60) and free agent tryout Luke Pither (67) seemed quite involved in a few of them.

Damn NHL Network yet again for being cheap. I mean, it's great that the network exists at all but, as my dad always stressed to me: if you are going to do something, do it right!!

Traverse City Primer

As has been posted around the web today, the official preliminary Ranger roster for the prospect tournament has been posted. Here is the direct link.

Currently there is no word as to whether the NHL Network will pick up some of the games like they did last year. Hopefully they do so we can get a sneak peak of the flash and speed of Ray Bourque's boy Ryan, Gino (mind if I call you Gino?) Grachev and MDZ. I certainly would love to see how guys like Dale Weise, Ethan Werek and Justin Soryal fare as all three are hard working, tough kids who have a lot to prove.

The official tournament page says:

The prospects tournament breakdown has the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in the "Western Conference" and the Red Wings, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes in the "Eastern Conference."

Interesting that Detroit put themselves back in the East seeing as they have been trying to get there ever since 1993 when the NHL (wrongly) got rid of the Wales/Campbell Conferences, reorganized and dumbed things down to the current geographical incarnation.

The Rangers are scheduled to play three 'pool' games before a final placement match:

Sunday, Sept. 6
3 p.m. N.Y. Rangers vs. Carolina
Carolina will feature former first rounders Zach Boychuk and Brandon Sutter as well as Ryan McDonagh's former Wisconsin teammate Jamie McBain. McDonagh won't be playing for the Rangers as he is headed back to school; McBain turned pro.

Monday, Sept. 7
3 p.m. N.Y. Rangers vs. Atlanta
Atlanta will have their top pick from this year, Evander Kane, trying to prove he deserves an immediate spot back in the NHL. Jeremy Morin, their second rounder, played alongside the Rangers' Ryan Bourque with the U.S. under-18s. They also have Paul Postma, who posted 84 points in 70 games last season for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Would be unremarkable if it wasn't for the fact that Postma is a defenseman...

Wednesday, Sept. 9
7 p.m. Detroit vs. N.Y. Rangers
Detroit will be tough with 2008 top pick Thomas McCollum in net. Other names that stand out to me are Landon Ferraro (Chicken Parm's son) and Tomas Tatar, who turned a lot of heads at the World Juniors.

I am sure that more storylines and more info will come out when the tournament gets closer but I had to get this out - it feels good to be writing about actual games again. As always, keep an eye on Prospect Park for info as Jess will cover this closely I'm sure. Just a few more weeks to go!