Live Chat with Jess from The Prospect Park

Greetings all

Thanks for having me

Ryan: No I have not see Kreider myself but those who I respect say he is a late 1st rd pick

Those 3 forms are close to what I use when I go check out a prospect

They look at more than just how shots hits etc work but instead allow you to look at situational issues

An example is the forwards as last season one of the key areas the Rangers are hurting in is breakaway speed (IE the first step).

Derek Stepan on many occasions showed me how explosive his speed really is and that form allowed me to chart how many times Stepan either drew a penalty or created a scoring chance

Dark

Dubi over at the Blueshirt Bulletin knew I lived out west and this was during the lockout so he asked if I was interested in helping him with content.

It actually saved me because in 2004 I was ready to switch away from the Rangers to the Sharks

I went up to Portland and got to watch Dubinsky while he was a member of the Winterhawks as well as getting to talk with him about HIS love of being a Ranger fan.

Dubinsky was in his own way a teacher to me as I got to relearn my love of being a Ranger fan.

Fans have no idea just how big a Ranger fan Dubi is

Hey Jess,

Considering that a few legacies like the Parese kid and Tambellini are doing well, should the Rangers look at Chicken Parm’s kid or wait for Riley, the son of Ray and Cammi?

Reg

To be honest I am very disappointed in Hillier as I did have higher expectations for him than I did Zaborsky. Hillier had some injury issues yes BUT I felt he finally had overcome his being a one-half player.

Zaborsky I knew was going to struggle because of his smallish frame, I thought he might have adapted faster but I think he understands that his skating is going to be his best hope

However I do not seriously think of either as NHL material at this point in time, Zaborsky simply can not put on more muscle and Hillier I fear does not want it bad enough

Joe

Sanguinetti is going to fool people, like Dubinsky he too grew up a NYR fan but in his case he grew up at the garden.

People have been down on Sangs since day 1 but he wants to be a NYR and his work ethic is stronger than he gets credit for.

He will never be a Kevin Lowe or Jay Wells BUT his offense is going to make people very happy.

Sangs can score from anywhere as well as be a creator himself

Dark

Sangs himself reminded me that he only has one year as a pro under his belt.

Look at it this way

The OHL is like 30 MPH
The AHL is like 50 MPH
The NHL is like 75 MPH

A prospect needs to work his way up to the speed of each level and nobody has the same adjustment speed. I say Sangs is close to being ready

Ryan

Actually the influence on both was Cody Hodgson their captain as well as coach Stan Butler. Be glad that Hodgson is Vancouver property as he is going to be an impact player

Mhurley

To be honest I am not so sold on either Ferraro son as I think they are too small

Dark

Sangs will need a strong partner like a Sauer to help him cover on defense

RR

It depends on your idea of impact, I think Sangs and Del Zotto when they get to play together are going to be monsters on the PP. Both are deadly with their shots, excellent passers and not afraid to shoot the puck (I know NYR fans will love that part)

Jim

The mistake we all make at times is how many instant decisions a hockey player has to make, I am no fan of Redden and think it was a mistake to sign him but walk in his shoes and you will realize just how fast it is on the NHL ice.

I see all levels of the game and I have to adjust for the speed for each level, it takes time

Reg

I think the Rangers can get a good player just by staying at 19.

The bigger question is: Do the Rangers have enough assets to make a move?

Answer: No because they need to decide to they want to trade at the draft OR make a trade after the draft?

Ranger Reporter:

Grachev despite his numbers struggles with working hard all the time; his advantage in the OHL was his size and towards the end of his season he was understanding the need to work hard every night.

I would hope the Rangers give him time to work on his work ethic as Tortorella will eat him alive if he tries to coast.

It was a lot of fun helping Jim but what that mock draft was missing was someone calling him trying to get him to trade his pick, how to adapt to another team jumping over him via a trade.

Right now only Garth Snow is sure who he is going to pick in the draft, after that no GM is 100% sure who they will pick and the deeper you go the harder it is to guess with certainty who a team will pick.

There is so many different factors to take into account.

Reg

It boiled down to need as the Rangers lack a RW who has size, who offers skill and who can develop into a Top 6.

Despres is going to be a good d-man but that is what the Rangers do not need more of

Dark

I would have to say yes the younger guys are happier to have Torts as he on the surface does not care about the politics of MSG, he wants to win.

Work hard and you get to play with Torts that is his MO. Renney lost the faith of the kids because he relied too much on the vets who were the very players who threw him under the bus

Hey Jess I have been reading this blog and very impressed. This is Justin from TGG. I know you’re high on one guy we discussed earlier, but who else do you think would be a great fit for the Rangers?

Also your MPH comparisons for OHL, AHL, NHL was awesome. Could you include the NCAA and USHL in that? OBbviously USHL is slower, but interested to see your take on those levels….I’m thinking about whether or not Mike Lee could go in the first round ;)

RR

To be honest the problem with the Rangers making moves is that they are thin at every position (from a prospect standpoint) even at defense.

To trade for either of the players you mentioned is going to require (FOR EXAMPLE) a Cally, a Del Zotto, the 1st rd pick and a contract to be dumped.

Ok you moved Cally so how do you replace him?
You moved Del Zotto how do you replace him?
You gave away your draft pick so how do you fill that hole?

You may have added a star player but you have also now created more holes within your system.

The Rangers do a terrible job in asset management and that is why every year we see this roster turnover

Justin

I would put the USHL at about 25 MPH
NCAA at 45 MPH

Their disadvantage is not enough games.

I like Maxwell

I like Adam Brown of Kelowna as well as Martin Jones (Calgary), Pasquale (Sp?) of Saginaw

I just about died of laughter when I read Gordie Clark say this is a weak goalie draft.

Mark it down the Rangers will draft a goalie as this is the opposite an excellent year for goalies

Dark

People think I am nuts when I say Derek Stepan is going to be an impact player for the Rangers BUT IT IS TRUE. (sorry about the shouting)

Stepan I watched on 5 occasions and in each his speed as well as his smarts were impact factors. Stepan did not need to make any headshakes or fancy moves; he just took off with his speed facing the player he was going against.

Every single time the guy who was trying to guard him could do nothing but reach out and grab him.

Stepan was just a freshman and he (IMO) has a plan to leave school early, he is a very smart and confident prospect who is going to be well schooled at both ends of the ice.

Wisconsin produces NHL players and Stepan is going to be the fastest Ranger the moment he shows up

Jim and Joe are both right there is quality goaltending out there, I agree the first 2 rds are forwards then go for the goalie in the 3rd (there is no 4th rd pick)

Jim

2 years at the most

Joe

Next year your Bobcats get Doug Lidster’s kid (6’4 225) but not a serious NHL prospect I fear

Reg

Yes Dowzak grew as a player and a person thanks to Jeff Finley.

Dowzak got a wake up call by being a healthy scratch in Jan but his play in the WHL playoffs caught me by surprise. I really thought Dowzak was headed back to the ECHL until the WHL playoffs.

The light bulb went on for him and I believe Dowzak realizes what he must do

Joe

Sorry I do not know of him as this past year was crazy for me so I had to focus on the teams where the prospects played as well as their opposition I never got a chance to see the Bobcats.

I knew about Lidster’s kid because of an email from the BCHL where he plays

Sorry Ryan I missed it but I would say just guessing it was Nazem Kadri but since I did not see that I am not 100% sure

Shoot your questions about picks for the weekend

Jim

I am on the west coast so I am open for as long as people want to talk

Sorry Ryan since I did not see the report you are talking about then I am not so sure who he was referring to.

If I was picking I would take Zac Budish (if he lasts) or Jordan Caron. I think Caron is more in line with the Tortorella mindset.

At 47 there is a kid in the USHL named Alex Chiasson who I really like as he is big RW who has a scorers touch as well as a bit of a nasty streak

Joe

AA I think will make the team because in part cap issues but also he is ready.

The NYR will need his defense to replace Betts who I hear is going to sign elsewhere mainly for playing time.

I think the Rangers are making a number of mistakes by waiting rather than signing RFAs and UFAs.

Sign now while you have players wanting to come play for Torts and you can get them to sign for less.

Once a price tag is established then players are going to go why am I taking less than so-so?

I see Betts leaving because under Torts his playing time went down but also other teams are going to see his value as a PK specialist.

Why Sather does this I am not sure but has been his MO since his Oiler days. He has traditionally lowballed his own free agents thinking they should sign for less.

Ryan

But you overlook what Betts does give you: a player who will is willing to do the dirty work so a Drury or Gomez does not have to play 2:00 on the PK.

Teams do value defensive specialists like a Betts. Remember who was on the ice for that last faceoff in Game 7 against the Canucks: Craig MacTavish

Thanks Joe I would love to come back anytime but I do need to do a quick plug for the Blueshirt Bulletin if people do not mind

The Blueshirt has been around since 1991, it is the only place where you can find all the beat reporters who cover the Rangers on a daily basis as well as coverage of Ranger prospects from draft day to the ECHL and AHL.

You get 10-11 issues a year for less than the price of one season ticket (30 dollars)

http://ordinaryleastsquare.typepad.com/blueshirtbulletin/

Thanks Ryan I do appreciate what you did here for me

Reg

Dane Byers for one as I see him as a replacement for Orr but with more offense but not as good a fighter.

Michael Sauer is a prospect who will take the lessons learned and put them to good use (he replaces Mara)

AA replaces Betts

Sangunietti we already talked about

But my dark horse would be Matt Gilroy who will give the Rangers a replacement for Morris

Thanks for having me and I hope to be invited back as this was a blast