The Rangers held two draft picks in the round five. The first, at 134th overall, was used to select right wing Shane McColgan of the Western Hockey League. McColgan is on the smaller side at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, but is talked highly of by scouts for being a slippery, smooth skater. McColgan had 21 goals and 45 assists in 67 games with Kelowna last season. 

Some more on McColgan....

Shane McColgan is a right wing for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. McColgan, the only U.S.-born player selected in the first round of the WHL's 2008 bantam draft, finished runner-up to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels) as the league's top rookie in 2009-10 after posting 25 goals and 69 points in 71 games. Prior to joining the Rockets, the Manhattan Beach, Calif., native played for the Los Angeles Junior Kings and produced 14 goals and 35 assists in 44 games. - NHL.com

And here's a link to an interview he did with WarhawkReport.com. 

With the 136th overall pick, the Rangers went with size and their first and only defensemen in the draft by selecting Samuel Noreau out of the QMJHL. Noreau is a whopping 6-foot-4, 206 pounds and is a whole lot of mean. He had 141 penalty minutes in 67 games last season. 

Here's a little bit about what Noreau is all about...

Samuel Noreau vs Pierre-Karl Marion Sep 17, 2010 (via hockeyfightsplus)

The New York Rangers made their now third selection in the 2011 NHL Draft by selecting 18 year old center Michael St. Croix of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL.  St. Croix finished his second full season in the WHL with 75 points in 68 games.  He also led all forward on the Oil Kings with a +28 rating, significantly better than all but one other forward. 

Hockey Prospectus ranks St. Croix as their 26th best prospect, just below popular target and 1st round pick, Nicklas Jensen, and above 14th overall pick Jamieson Oleksiak Here's what Corey Pronman has to say on him:

Michael St. Croix came into the season expecting to dominate offensively, and while he did well, he didn't show the complete upside he's capable of. He's a solid skater, with a very fluid and effective stride who has the agility and edge control to be extremely elusive. St. Croix has plus puck skills and can make defenders miss left and right, but also can make very good distributions if they back off him. He's a well above-average power play weapon and can make a ton of things happen from the left side of the offensive zone. He has a solid shot and is able to score his mid-distances. His physical game is well below-average right now, and it likely will top out at most as a fringe tool. St. Croix does go into the physical areas and drives to the net, but he is relatively ineffective and physically overwhelmed easily to the point it makes more sense for him to stay on the perimeter. His hockey sense is solid to above-average, and offensively his awareness is impressive. He makes lightning-quick decisions—sometimes it even looks like he's rushing it by how quickly he moves the puck. St. Croix's defensive game was bad in the first half, but made some progression in the second half, although I'm not 100% he can stay at the center position.

More after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The New York Rangers did not stay quiet while waiting for their 4th round pick to come around, opting to move up to No. 72 in the draft by trading 21 year old C/W Evgeny Grachev to the St. Louis Blues.  Grachev was the 75th overall selection in the 2008 draft.  He played 8 games with the Rangers last year, recording no points and a -3.  He also posted 38 points in 73 games for the Connecticut Whale. 

The team then used the No.72 pick in the draft to select Steven Fogarty, a center from Edina High School in Minnesota.  He is committed to attend the University of Notre Dame next year.

Here's what Minnesota Hockey Prospects has to say on Fogarty:

Plays a physical brand of hockey, grinding it out on the boards and getting dirty in front of the net. Bullies his way around the ice, excelling at playing a power game. Has the ability to finish in tight and pick up his fair share of garbage goals. Has pretty good hands for a big guy and can stick handle with the best of them. passing could use a bit more touch but this is not a glaring weakness. Does not have elite speed but is a mule on his skates.

The report from Kirk Luedeke of Bruins Draft Watch:

Still, there is a lot to like about this playmaking pivot who has a long stride and gets up the ice quickly. He has soft hands and superb vision for finding teammates in open ice. His work ethic is laudable- he wants to play and loves to compete; goes above and beyond to make himself better and put himself into situations that will put him in position to improve. He's raw and needs significant work, but will spend the entire 2011-12 season in the USHL. At 6-1, 195, he's got the physical tools to be a solid NHL prospect and watch for him to go relatively high (3rd-4th rounds) in the draft.

Those reports certainly read like someone  in Gordie Clark's wheelhouse. 

While we could talk alot more about Fogarty (and we will), the news here is that the Rangers traded away Grachev, a former #1 propsect in their system that has since passed on the depth chart by Chris Kreider and Christian Thomas.  Grachev clearly did not show the improvement that the Rangers were hoping for, or the proper motivation.  Grachev is still a very talented player, and the change of scenery may be what kicks him in the butt and gets him to achieve his potential.  You have to question if a third round pick in a relatively weak draft is the best Glen Sather could've done in this situation.

What are your thoughts?

Here's the transcript of Rangers first-round draft pick J.T. Miller's meeting with the media after being drafted, courtesy of the NHL...

      Q.        Your impressions of being drafted by the Rangers? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  It's an unbelievable honor, an original six team, a great state to play in.  It will be great to hopefully play there soon. 

        Q.  How far away are you from getting to the NHL?  What do you have to do to get to the NHL? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  I have to get a little stronger and faster and be able to play with some men out there.  I have to work out in the off-season and play this next year in North Dakota and see what happens there. 

        Q.  From the look on your face, you might have been a little shocked that you went to the Rangers in this spot? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  I was a little shocked.  I only had one meeting with them.  So I wasn't really expecting it. But getting my name called was the best thing in the world, and I couldn't thank them enough. 

        Q.  What do you think they like about you so much? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  I think I'm a pretty competitive kid.  I always want to compete and I'm pretty hard to play against, so I think that's my best attribute. 

        Q.  Have you been to Manhattan or New York City a lot? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  I've only been there once.  I went to Ground Zero there with my family.  That is the only thing I checked out when I was little.  To get a little more insight on the state will be great. 

        Q.  Did you learn anything from the other Pittsburgh guys by being one of the first from the group to go? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  No, they're all going to get drafted.  I've got a good feeling about it.  They're going to go high.  I can't wait for them to get drafted.  To be first is a cool feeling, I guess.  But it doesn't really matter with those guys, but they're a great group of guys and they're going to go high. 

        Q.  Did you talk about specifically what you're going to work on this summer? 
        JONATHAN MILLER:  I'm going to get stronger, I guess, probably conditioning, getting in a little better shape so I can last a little longer with the stronger guys, to be able to compete at my best and be successful doing it. 

More after the jump....

Continue reading this post »

The New York Rangers selected J.T. Miller  with their first round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Here is a brief profile on Miller from College Hockey Blog:

JT Miller has been one of the NTDP’s most dependable players this year, putting up 15 goals and 50 points in 56 games. A lot of his point totals may be inflated by getting to play with the more dynamic Rocco Grimaldi, but at the most recent U-18 worlds it was Miller who led the United States, who won gold, in scoring.

Miller’s offensive game isn’t very refined. He prefers a north-south power game vs. the shiftier moves that Grimaldi prefers. He doesn’t have the best hands, though he is an adequate stick handler and has games where he is much better than others. He also doesn’t finish terribly well. Ideally I think his best offensive spot at North Dakota next year will be planting himself in front of the net and causing problems, like he did when the NTDP played at UND this past winter.

Join us in the open thread to discuss the Rangers pick.

Next up in the Blueshirt Banter draft pick preview special is 18 year old Matt Puempel.  Puempel was the 2009-10 CHL rookie of the year, posting 33 goals and 64 points in 59 games.  This led to preseason discussions as someone that would be in the top of this draft, among Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Adam Larsson   Unfortunately for Matt, he played on a terrible Peterborough team this year, and suffered a hip injury late in the year.  Those two fact combined to knock Puempel down to 28th in the central scouting rankings.  Nonetheless, he is a guy that should be available at 15, and presents considerable upside.

Matt Puempel is a 6'0, 190lb left wing.  He finished the 2010-11 season with a line of 35-34-69 in just 55 games.  His goal scoring rate trailed only Gabriel Landeskog, among the draft eligible prospects this year, and his point scoring rate only behind Ryan Strome among the WHL prospects.  His power play production also rivaled the very best of the group, with 0.60 power play points per game.  He's even someone that our rivals on the Island feel is the best fit for us.

Scouting reports, per usual, after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

In the two years Blueshirt Banter has been in existence, thanks in large part to the fact that the NHL has generously extended us media credentials to the 2009 and 2010 NHL Draft, I feel that with the exception of Jess Rubenstein at The Prospect Park, we've covered the draft and the prospects better than any other website out there that is devoted solely to the New York Rangers.  Our being at the draft helped us bring you video and audio that you weren't able to find most other places.

Unfortunately, this year we aren't going to be able to do that.

As most of you know, the Rangers weren't happy with our being credentialed at last year's Draft, because they are still of the belief that this website organized the "Fire Sather" rally that took place last March (more on that from my story here), despite the fact that the people that did organize it were well documented on numerous websites, in newspapers, and on the radio. All we did was cover it, and the day the Rangers organization can prove something different, I'll kiss their tuchas in Macy's window. Did we cover it? You betcha. Were we in the middle of it? Yes. I'm well aware of the bridges I burned that day, but I was not going to ignore something that was that important to so many Ranger fans. This site is by the fans, for the fans, and if you guys are talking about it, so will we.  If I had to do it all again, I would do exactly the same thing, except maybe next time I would help organize the rally, because at least then I wouldn't have to constantly defend this site to the people the Rangers have lied to about it.

So the Rangers petitioned the NHL for right of refusal on who is credentialed for league events, as is their right, and they have succeeded, as the NHL sent out a list to all the SBNation bloggers who applied for credentials for the 2011 NHL Draft in Minnesota, showing all that had been approved, and one name that had been denied. That name was mine. 

Just to reiterate; it is completely within the Rangers rights to say who they want covering their prospects at the Draft, but considering how much great coverage we've given all their picks the last two years, it seems rather petty. But again, it is completely within the Rangers right to do this, and while I don't agree with it, I respect and abide by it.

In all honesty, the Rangers are probably doing me a favor. Unlike a beat reporter working for a news outlet, any trips I make on behalf of Blueshirt Banter come out of my own pocket. I don't travel with an expense account, so in essence the Rangers probably saved me $1000. I'll be sure and spend it as foolishly as they do.

I've said this before, and I will say it again: I was a Ranger fan long before this current front office came along, and I'll still be a Ranger fan long after they've gone. I just find it sad that an organization that once employed people like Emile Francis, Neil Smith, and John Halligan, who genuinely appreciated Ranger fans and what they meant to the team, is now controlled by a regime that is so paranoid and fearful of criticism that they've created an ever-growing disconnect with their fans. For the sake of future generations of Ranger bloggers, I sincerely hope this organization will someday realize that its not 1987 anymore, and the times they are a changin'.

Undaunted, Joe and the guys have been doing a great job bringing you up to speed on the biggest names in this year's draft, and when the time comes for the Rangers to make their pick Blueshirt Banter will still be your place to be for all the latest. I just thought you guys deserved to know what was going on.