Top 25 Under 25: Number 21 - Marek Hrivik

One of the biggest strengths New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather has is his ability to sift out and find solid undrafted talent. Dan Girardi is probably the biggest name of the group Sather has brought in, and by far the most successful.

We've seen a few different players fit this mold, most recently Kyle Jean who was just signed to a professional contract this summer. Hrivik is a very special case, mainly because he used the AHL playoffs to make a name for himself within the Rangers' organization.

Hrivik played in eight AHL regular season games last year, scoring just a single goal and adding no assists. But in the playoffs he completely broke out, scoring five goals and four assists for nine points in nine games. His performance was good enough to earn him a contract to boot.

Hrivik gets the nod on the list because he was able to put everything together in the AHL playoffs. But he has more work to do, and will need to show his skills in the regular season to prove that those nine playoff games weren't a fluke. Still, his performance when the pressure was highest at the AHL level can't be ignored.

Thoughts?