Prospect Pipeline Scouting Report: Liam Greentree's Playoff Run Ends in Conference Final

With most of the New York Rangers prospects already in off-season mode, the April edition of the Prospect Pipeline Scouting Report will be a sole focus on Liam Greenree's postseason with the Windsor Spitfires.

After covering rounds one and two of the OHL playoffs, the Spitfires were next set to take on the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL Western Conference Final. While Greentree finished the playoffs at over a point-per-game pace, it wasn't enough to propel the Spitfires past the Rangers, as they fell in the series four games to one.

Game 1: Kitchener Rangers Win 4-3 (OT), Greentree 0 G, 0 A

Greentree was held pointless in the opening game of the series, registering two shots on goal throughout the 78-minute overtime campaign. Anthony Cristoforo opened the scoring early for Windsor, but a pair of Kitchener goals put them down midway through the first. Nathan Villeneuve tied the game heading into the first intermission and Jack Nesbitt gave them the lead towards the end of the second. However, just 11 seconds before that second period buzzer sounded, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham tied it for Kitchener. After a scoreless third, it was Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly who was the hero for Kirtchner 18 minutes into overtime.

Game 2: Kitchener Rangers Win 2-1, Greentree 1 G, 0 A

Scoring the lone goal in Windsor's 2-1 loss in game two, Greentree picked off the puck at Kitchener's blue line and came in all alone to score on an outstanding individual effort. A simple forehand-backhand fake was enough to beat goaltender Christian Kirch and give his team the early lead. While the Spitfires led through the second period, a pair of quick goals midway through gave Kitchener the lead. Both goals were a product of special teams as O'Reilly scored on the power play and Pridham on the penalty kill.

Greentree finished the night with a goal, seven shots on net, and a +2 rating, but the Spitfires couldn't pull off the win.

Game 3: Windsor Spitfires Win 4-2, Greentree 0 G, 1 A

It was a great start for Greentree and the Spitfires as he picked up the secondary assist on Jakub Fibigr's power play goal that put them on the board just two minutes into the game. While Windsor extended their lead to two later in the period, Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys brought the Rangers back within one with four minutes to go in the first. After a scoreless second period, each side added a goal before the Spitfires converted on an empty net to pick up their first win of the series by a score of 4-2.

Greentree had one shot on goal and one face-off win in addition to his goal to lead his team in what was their only victory of the series.

Game 4: Kitchener Rangers Win 6-3, Greentree 0 G, 1 A

The series certainly got away from Windsor in game four as they would go on to lose 6-3 after giving up four unanswered goals midway through the outing. Kitchener converted twice in a span of just over a minute in the first period and twice more in a five minute span in the second period to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the final period. While Windsor picked up a pair of goals early enough in the third it wasn't enough, as a shorthanded goal made it 5-2 before an empty netter and a garbage time goal sealed the deal, 6-3.

Greentree had another secondary assist, this time on a goal from Cristoforo, as he did a great job of regaining possession in the defensive zone. This allowed for him to find John McLaughlin at the far blue line who took it towards the net for what became Cristoforo's fourth of the postseason.

Game 5: Kitchener Rangers Win 5-4 (OT), Greentree 0 G, 1 A

Had the Spitfires been able to maintain their strong starts, this could have been a completely different series. Ten minutes in, Greentree assisted on another Cristoforo goal to give his team the lead, and building on that were goals from Cole Davis and Wyatt Kennedy—all three of which coming in a two minute span. Problem was, they let Kitchener stick around. They got themselves on the board at the end of the first and came within one later in the second. Windsor extended the lead once more but before they knew it, they were heading to overtime. Dylan Edwards would turn into the hero in this one, putting an end to Windsor's season as well as Greentree's junior career.

Final Numbers and Thoughts

After finishing the regular season with 74 points in 52 games played (38 goals, 36 assists), Greentree continued to be a top performer on a strong Spitfires team throughout the playoffs. In 13 total postseason games played, Greentree racked up with six goals and eight assists for 14 points.

It's no secret that Greentree is ready to take the next step. Whether that means beginning the season in Hartford or on the Rangers' third line, the time for him to make the jump from junior to professional hockey is certainly here, if it hadn't already arrived. You can make the case that it was a bit overdue, seeing as the chances of him topping his 119 points season (with 24 points in 11 playoff games) last year were slim.

Rangers fans have been down this road before, thought, seeing as Brennan Othmann was in a similar situation where his play indicated he was ready for the next level, but his age prohibited him from taking that step. With Othmann, that had a negative impact on his development. But hopefully that won't be the case with Greentree. There is going to be a chance for him to earn a job with the Rangers out of training camp but in the event he begins the season in Hartford, it should not be considered a bad thing by any stretch.

Chances are the Rangers are going to add established NHL players to their roster through free agency this summer, not to mention any other players they acquire via trade or draft with their top pick. If Greentree doesn't get the chance to jump right to the NHL, he will have the chance to be a top player on a Hartford team in desperate need of a rebuild. As we learned over the weekend, the Wolf Pack will have an entirely new coaching staff heading into next season. The priority in filling that job opening has to be on player development as Greentree is far from the only Rangers prospect making the jump from junior to professional next season.

Between Greentree, Jacob Battaglia, Nathan Aspinall, Brody Lamb, as well as guys like Scott Morrow, Jackson Dorrington, and Carey Terrance who already have a full season in Hartford under their belts, the Wolf Pack have potential to run a young core and will need to find ways to develop them, especially with so many AHL graduates like Matthew Robertson, Noah Laba, Jaroslav Chmelar, and Adam Sykora seemingly making the full-time jump to the NHL. There's always a chance one or two of those guys end up back in Hartford but nonetheless, the pieces are there for the Rangers to see a new core of talent lead the Pack and a big part of that starts with Liam Greentree.