Last week the New York Rangers announced the roster of players who will be participating in the annual Traverse City prospect tournament.
OFFICIAL #NYR Traverse City Roster featuring 23 prospects including Skjei, Halverson & three 2015 Draft Picks #NYRTCT pic.twitter.com/Bnm38UDpWJ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) August 31, 2015
In addition to New York, the Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues will send a squad of youngsters to round out the eight team tournament.
The list of players the Rangers are sending to Michigan is a mixed bag of prospects old and new, and while players like Brady Skjei certainly stand out, there are names that not everyone is quite familiar with. The tournament gets underway in a few days so now is as good a time as any to introduce some of the players to keep an eye on once the team takes the ice.
Up front the Blueshirts have a number of talented forwards, but the ones to watch out for include Adam Tambellini, Brad Morrison and Ryan Gropp.
Adam Tambellini
Tambellini is one of the older forwards on the roster and he has flown under the radar amongst Ranger prospects. The son of former Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini is coming off an amazing season, and the upcoming tournament gives him a chance to make more of a name for himself.
The 20-year-old pivot had a strong second year in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen, and he scored 47 goals and added 39 assists for 86 points. He followed up his regular season performance with 13 goals and 26 points in 16 playoff games, and he’s primed to be a top contributor for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL.
Tambellini was described by The Hockey News as a player, “blessed with great offensive skill and a very projectable frame. He has everything needed to put up very good numbers as a pro.”
Adam Herman of Blueshirt Banter is high on Tambellini, and felt that the Rangers’ third round pick from the 2013 draft deserved the entry level contract he received in March.
He added about 15 pounds this past offseason, and while he still needs to add more it’s done wonders for him in shielding the puck and winning board battles. He’s also become much more active defensively and has turned into a good PKer. He’s a player who will need a good amount of seasoning in the AHL and perhaps even the ECHL, but I like him as a dark-horse prospect who has top-six upside in the mold of an Anders Lee.
Adam’s assessment of Adam is spot on, and Lee is really a quality comparable. There’s no denying Tambellini’s offensive talent, overager or not, because scoring 47 goals isn’t something that everyone is able to do. I feel that his time in Hartford will be a good test of his abilities, and he’s certainly got a chance to turn some heads at Traverse City.
Brad Morrison
The next forward is Brad Morrison, and he was selected by New York at the 2015 draft in the third round.
Morrison is another talented center who has promise for the Rangers, but there is some work to be done. He’s a great skater with smooth hands and a respectable wrist shot, but he doesn’t quite measure up. The Prince George Cougars’ pivot currently comes in at 6’0″ and 154 pounds, and that’s something and while his lack of size hasn’t prevented him from being a factor in the WHL, he’s going to need to get stronger to play in the NHL.
Morrison also needs to round out his game, because thus far he’s been an offensive center who’s defensive game is paltry at best. He tallied 23 goals during the 2014-15 tilt, and 2015-16 could be a big year for him now that he has another year of WHL experience under his belt. The Rangers abundance of center depth makes me think that he could become a winger at some point, and that is something that may be the best thing for him due to his small stature and skill set that is tilted in the offensive quadrant.
Ryan Gropp
Last but not least among the forwards is Ryan Gropp who was the Blueshirts’ top pick at the 2015 draft. Gropp is a skilled 6’2″, 187 pound winger who was a main threat for the Seattle Thunderbirds during the 2014-15 season.
Nice little highlight pack of what Ryan Gropp brings to the table https://t.co/dL5yymjbCD he seems to have a nose for soft areas of the ice
— Kevin Power (@Kpower90) June 28, 2015
That was because Mathew Barzal spent a significant amount of time out of the lineup with an injury, and that left the rest of the team to pick up the slack. Gropp spent some time with Barzal during the season, but it should be noted that playing alongside him didn’t inflate his offensive production.
@BlueshirtBanter @AdamHerman_BSB @_NYRvana_ @sportsology I like this pic.twitter.com/QM8KpSbPMF
— Steven David (@Garts2point2) June 28, 2015
What the chart shows is that Barzal was able to help Gropp pot some timely goals, but it also shows that Gropp was able to be more of a playmaker without him.
Gropp’s upside is still to early to project at this point, but heading into the draft there was some buzz about him and his overall game.
Via MyNHLDraft.com:
When you watch the Thunderbirds play, it isn’t hard to find Gropp on the ice; this isn’t simply a result of his size, skating and puck skills, alone, but he makes an impact as soon as he jumps over the boards for his shift. You notice a change in the game’s pace because, through complimenting his linemates like a perfectly-fitting puzzle piece, he creates innumerable scoring chances. Gropp doesn’t shy away from physical play, either, and uses his rangy 6’3 frame to his advantage along the boards and in the corners. He also has a very accurate shot.
The profile on Gropp also said he plays like Rick Nash, and it was presented with the qualifier that he’s an aggressive forechecker who is tough to play against in addition to his offensive skill. I am not sure if I would go that far, but I will certainly agree that he’s a nice all-around winger whose ability to generate offense, play smart hockey and get physical makes him a very intriguing prospect.
While the Blueshirts certainly have their fair share of forward prospects, they also have a number of talented youngsters on the blueline. Brady Skjei needs no introduction so we can skip him, and that leaves Calle Andersson, Ryan Mantha and Jerret Smith as the defenders to watch with a keen eye.
Calle Andersson
The Rangers selected Andersson in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, and he could be a dark horse to join the Rangers at some point in the near future. He stands 6’2″, weighs 212 pounds and is a right-handed defender. Andersson is a prototypical two-way defender with offensive and defensive strengths.
In addition the Blueshirts’ prospect is solid skater and skilled passer. To date he’s played for Malmo in Sweden, EV Zug and HC Lugano of the Swiss National League. The 2015-16 season will mark Andersson’s first in North America, and he will join a Hartford Wolf Pack team that was very competive last season. In many ways Andersson has become a forgotten prospect, but he has a great opportunity in front of him to make a name for himself.
Ryan Mantha
Ryan Mantha is coming off an impressive season with the Niagara IceDogs, and he’s a behemoth with serious potential. At 6’6″ and 225 pounds he’s a sizable prospect who plays physical and has some decent offensive tools.
He tallied 25 points in 52 games last season, including 10 goals. Mantha was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and at this point you could say he’s got more of a future with the team than 2010 first-rounder Dylan McIlrath. Mantha will return for his second OHL season in the fall, and it could be a year in which he takes the next step as a prospect.
Jerret Smith
The last defender is Jerret Smith, and he’s actual a camp invite and not a team prospect. Smith is a 6’2″, 207-pound right-handed defender who is a teammate of Ryan Gropp. Last season he tallied 38 points in 72 regular season games, and six points in six playoff games.
Smith was a member of a duo with Shea Theodore, Anaheim Ducks prospect, and the pairing was one of the better duos in the WHL. His head coach has a lot of faith in Smith, and he’s been referred to as a “Steady Eddie.”
Via Andy Eide of Sportsnet and 710 ESPN Seattle:
Steady Eddie – that’s the phrase Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk often uses when praising the play of defenseman Jerret Smith.
While it may not sound like it, it’s actually pretty high praise for a defenseman. It means that Smith is reliable and can be counted on by his teammates and coaches. {…}
His offense has landed him on the point as part of Seattle’s top power-play unit, a unit that is seventh best in the WHL. Scoring goals is fun, but Smith hasn’t let the offense take away from his duties on the back end. He and partner Shea Theodore are deployed against the opponents’ top offensive line each game. That’s a daunting task considering the talent in the WHL, but Smith and Theodore have held their own. Even with the tougher work load, Smith has maintained a plus-seven rating this season.
Smith certainly sounds like a promising defender, and I asked Andy what he thought of him as a player.
@TomUrtzJr great kid, solid in his own end, blossomed offensively last year.
— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) September 4, 2015
His defensive game certainly is a plus, and it is really nice to hear his offensive game is developing. The team doesn’t have many contract spots left, but he sounds like a player worth taking a chance on if he makes a splash during the tournament.
Lastly the Rangers have one major goaltending prospect participating in the tournament and fans that aren’t familiar with him are in for a treat.
Brandon Halverson
Halverson was drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft, and he had an amazing season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He appeared in 50 games and posted a record of 40-5-2 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average with six shutouts. Those numbers may seem high, but they are really good for the OHL.
Here’ is how he ranked in the OHL last season in each major category
Brandon Halverson Among OHL Goalies
Category
Stat
Rank
Wins
40
No. 1
Goals-Against Average
2.63
No. 3
Save Percentage
.913
No. 7
The Rangers surprised a lot of people when they took a goalie early in last year’s draft, but over a year later the pick looks like a steal.
Halverson is on pace to take an enhanced role with Team USA this year, and he may be the team’s starter at the 2016 WJC tournament in Finland.
Overall
The Rangers are a team with a roster that is pretty much set in stone this year and next. However they have a number of talented prospects ready to step into the lineup in some capacity in the next three years. The future is brighter for the Rangers on the prospect front than some realize, and the upcoming tournament is going to be a great time to watch these talented players in action.
Stats via Elite Prospects and NHL.com unless otherwise noted.