The NHL Entry Draft was this weekend, and it came with its share of exciting events. There were a few trades, and an unveiling of the name of the Winnipeg franchise, which will be called the Jets again. I'm not as knowledgeable one the draftees, but I figured I'd analyze them for what I think they'll be worth.
With the #15 pick, the Rangers took right-winger J.T. Miller. Originally, it was thought that the Rangers were going to pick a center, but the Rangers opted to go with Miller instead, which is not a bad thing. Miller is described in his profile as a "consistent, hard-working defensive-forward who always makes life tough on opponents," which is something the Rangers could greatly use, especially among forwards. Another notable feature to Miller is the fact that he lead the American World Juniors team in points with 13 on their way to winning gold two years ago. This is very promising because the Rangers have managed to pick up quite a few of the members from that team (Derek Stepan, Ryan Bourque and Chris Kreider to name a few). Down the line, it is possible to see all of these players who won gold on the ice together again. This time, in a different red, white and blue jersey though.
Next up was Steven Fogarty at the #72 pick in the 3rd round. the Rangers had to make a trade up in order to get this pick, as they made a deal with St. Louis. The Rangers got their pick, while the Blues got Evgeny Grachev from the minor league system of the Rangers. Fogarty is the center everyone thought the Rangers were going to get first, but they managed to pick him up in the 3rd round. Fogarty played for the Edina Hornets, as well as his school in Minnesota. He is described as "well conditioned" and a good play-maker. A play-maker is what the Rangers need on their top line to center Gaborik, therefore this seems like a solid pick as well.
Next was Michael St. Croix, the first Canadian selection made by the Rangers. St. Croix is also a center, but is more of a scorer than Fogarty is. However, Fogarty stands at 6'2, and St. Croix is 5'11. St. Croix managed to get 35 more points than Fogarty in his last season in the WHL, but I'm not sure if St. Croix is what the Rangers need at this point in time.
Following St. Croix was Shane McColgan, also of the WHL. McColgan is a 5'8 right-winger who is described as "not afraid to go into the dirty areas on the ice". He sounds to me like a reincarnate of Theo Fleury, but it is very rare that the shorter end of players end up having huge success in their careers. I'm not going to count out McColgan now, but I think it's more unlikely we'll ever see him.
Samuel Noreau was the next draft pick by the Rangers. the first defensemen drafted by the team, Noreau is a presence to be seen standing at a staggering 6'5, 206 lbs. Noreau is what the Rangers are beginning to sculpt their team into; a big, physical team with physical players. With a 6'5 body, its not hard to join that crew. I do think Noreau will have NHL success, if not with the Rangers, someone else will certainly show interest in him.
The final pick of the draft was Slovakian Peter Ceresnak, a defenseman who also fits the new Rangers mold. Ceresnak stands at 6'3 and could be a good combination with Noreau when the time comes for them to prove themselves for the franchise.
In all, it seemed like a solid draft for the Rangers, but nly time will tell what becomes of these young men and their hockey careers.
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