Rangers Recall Nicklas Jensen from Hartford Wolfpack
The most valuable piece remaining from the Carl Hagelin debacle will get a chance to show the Rangers what he's capable of.
After Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey, and Matt Puempel were all injured during last night's game against the Islanders, the Rangers had less than 12 healthy forwards on the roster for Thursday night's game in Winnipeg. To remedy that situation, they've summoned Nicklas Jensen up to the big leagues:
OFFICIAL: #NYR have recalled forward Nicklas Jensen from @WolfPackAHL.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 7, 2016
The Danish forward was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Emerson Etem trade in January, and was a popular dark horse candidate to claim a roster spot on opening night However, an underwhelming performance in training camp resulted in Jensen's demotion to the AHL. Since then, he has scored eight goals and fifteen points, which puts him into a tie for 1st in goals (Marek Hrivik) and 2nd in points (also Hrivik) among Wolfpack skaters.
Jensen is a former 1st Round Pick of the Canucks, and he has shown flashes of offensive skill throughout his career. Unfortunately for Jensen, he's been unable to put it all together and land a permanent spot in the NHL so far, only amassing 24 games with Vancouver over the span of three seasons. With the rash of injuries New York has suffered, Jensen will look to prove that the Rangers erred in cutting him from the roster back in October, and finally find his niche in the National Hockey League.
"I’m confident, I’m happy and I’m excited to be here.” - Nicklas Jensen talks about getting called up by #NYR. pic.twitter.com/uiEMgJrjTV
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 7, 2016
New York chose to recall Jensen over numerous other options, such as proven NHLers like Justin Fontaine and Tanner Glass, while also passing on younger skaters like Cristoval Nieves and Robin Kovacs. Whatever their reasons may be, Jensen will look justify Jeff Gorton's choice on Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets.