New York Rangers Have Depth with Prospects

The New York Rangers have long been known for their offensive production. Yet, over the last few years the Rangers have drafted strongly towards the defensive side of the puck. With defensemen like Marc Staal, Fedor Tyutin, and Dan Girardi already making the difficult move into the NHL, the Rangers hope its new group will be able to do the same.

Boddy Sanguinetti is among the Rangers top defensive picks that could be a big name for the Rangers in the future. The Rangers' first choice in the 2006 Draft at number 21, Sanguinetti is the best defensive prospect the Rangers' have. Sanguinetti knows both sides of the puck. He is an offensive defensemen who can move the puck and make beautiful plays. Sanguinetti finished among the top 10 for defensemen in scoring in the OHL last season. As far as seeing Sanguinetti in a Rangers jersey next season, it could happen, but Sanguinetti needs to take more responsibility with the puck in his own end. Although offensively minded for a defensemen, Sanguinetti knows his play in his own end must be better, and he continues to grow and learn daily. Even if Sanguinetti doesn't make this year's Rangers squad, he will be playing big minutes with the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers minor league team.

In the 2007 Draft, Michael Del Zotto was ranked number 15 by the NHL's Central Scouting, and the Rangers were surprised he was still available when they chose him at number 20 overall. Del Zotto was third among defensemen in the OHL with 63 points in 64 games last season. Much like Sanguinetti, Del Zotto is an offensive minded defensemen. His play will need to improve in his own end if he is to make the Rangers squad, but they knew what they were getting when they drafted him. They have a lot of great defensemen in the their pipeline to work with, so they'll give Del Zotto the time he needs to develop into an NHL caliber player.

Changing things up a bit, the Rangers selected flashy Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov with the number 17 pick overall in 2007. Cherepanov's stock had dropped in the draft because of complications between the NHL and the Russian hockey leagues. A concern that Cherepanov would be under contract in Russia and wouldn't be able to play in the NHL scared off a few teams, but the Rangers decided to take the risk. Cherepanov continues to play in Russia, and will not take the trip over seas this season because he remains under contract their until the end of next season. Although the Russian league isn't as physical as the NHL, it does have several highly skill teams. Cherepanov continued his success this season with 15 goals and 28 points in 46 games last season.

Greg Moore is the next prospect, who spent the majority of last season with the Hartford Wolfpack. Moore was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames, and was dealt to New York in the deal involving Blair Betts in 2006. In his second season with the Wolfpack, Moore finished with 26 goals and 66 points, with a plus-27 rating. The 6-1 209 pound centermen may have to make the change to wing to make the NHL, but the Rangers are definitely hopeful for the kid. They are so hopeful that he was called up to play with the Rangers seven times last season.

If the Rangers fall short anywhere in their prospect pipeline it would have to be in net. The Rangers have less than a handful of hopeful goaltenders that could help them in the future. Chris Holt is one of the major goaltenders who could compete for a spot on the Rangers' minor league team next season. Holt was the 180^th pick overall in the 2003 draft, and played well when he came to Hartford last season. In nine games with the Wolfpack, he had a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Look for Holt to make a strong case for himself at Hartford's training camp this season.