It seems like déjà-vous to us, but the worst kept secret in Ranger-land was finally made official Wednesday as the team signed forward Mats Zuccarello Aasen from MODO of the Swedish Elite League. Aasen has the nickname Hobbit because he’s listed at 5’9” and 170 pounds. I’m not looking to throw a wet blanket on anyone’s campfire here, but isn’t this the same kind of talk that came when the Rangers brought on another player of the same kind of build? Does the name Petr Prucha ring a bell? How about Andres Ambϋhl? We could go on and on with names of small and supposedly talented players that the Rangers felt could do it at the NHL level only to see them go by the wayside. Let’s hope they got it right this time.
Here’s a picture for the ladies from dagbladet.no… 
And one from the Modo site
Here’s some video…
Here’s the official release.
RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FREE AGENT FORWARD MATS ZUCCARELLO AASEN
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent forward Mats Zuccarello Aasen.
“Mats is a highly skilled player with excellent hockey sense,” stated Sather. “He has produced at every level he has played, and we think his offensive abilities, both as a scorer and play maker, make him a valuable asset to the organization.”
Zuccarello Aasen, 22, skated in 55 games with MODO of the Swedish Elite League (SEL) this past season, registering 23 goals and 41 assists for 64 points, along with 62 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes. Zuccarello Aasen led the SEL in scoring with 64 points, en route to capturing the Guldhjälmen award as the league’s Most Valuable Player. He also ranked third in the league in goals and shots (164), tied for third in assists, and led all SEL forwards in average ice time (22:17).
The 5-9, 170-pounder has appeared in 90 career SEL games with Modo, recording 35 goals and 69 assists for 104 points, along with 10 penalty minutes. Zuccarello Aasen has also skated in 98 career games with Frisk Asker of the GET-ligaen in Norway, registering 63 goals and 68 assists for 131 points, including 96 penalty minutes. He captured the Norwegian “Player of the Year” award in 2007-08, ranking second in the league in assists (40), third in points (64) and tied for sixth in goals (24). Zuccarello Aasen led the league in playoff scoring that season, ranking first in goals (12), assists (15) and points (27) in 15 post-season games.
Internationally, the Oslo, Norway native has represented his country in several tournaments, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, finishing third on the team in scoring with three points (one goal and two assists) in four contests. Recently, Zuccarello Aasen participated in the 2010 World Championship in Germany, marking his third World Championship appearance with Norway. He finished the tournament tied for the team lead with three goals and second on Norway with four points in six contests. He also led Norway with 17 shots on goal and two game winning goals in the tournament.
Meanwhile in Hartford, the rebuild begins with the signing of defenseman Rochester Institute of Technology co-Captain Dan Ringwald. The 23-year old is the All-time R.I.T Division 1 Assists Leader.
The official release follows.
Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack have signed defenseman Dan Ringwald to an American Hockey League contract.
Ringwald just completed an outstanding four-year career at Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.) as the Tigers’ all-time Division I school record-holder in both overall assists and career games-played, as well as points by a defenseman. The 6-1, 205-pound native of Oakville, Ontario totaled 21 goals and 104 assists for 125 points, along with 65 penalty minutes, in 145 career outings in an R.I.T. uniform, also good for second overall in points in school Division I history.
In 2009-10, the 23-year-old Ringwald helped lead R.I.T. to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Frozen Four, earning Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) Best Defenseman honors, and his third straight First-Team All-AHA nod, along the way. With 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points, Ringwald was the third-highest point-scorer among all NCAA Division I blueliners, led all AHA defensemen in points and assists and finished second among league defensemen in goals. Overall among Atlantic Hockey skaters, Ringwald’s total of 26 assists tied him for seventh in the league, and he finished 10th in points. In addition, Ringwald topped all R.I.T. defensemen in points, goals and assists, registered the third-most points and assists among all Tiger skaters and finished the season tied for fourth on the team in goals. Also, Ringwald notched the first natural hat trick in R.I.T.’s Division I history in a 7-3 victory vs. UConn October 31.
Ringwald also was a First-Team All-AHA selection both his Sophomore and Junior years. In 2008-09, he scored three goals and added 31 assists for 34 points in 38 games, finishing tied for second in the AHA, tied for second in the nation among defensemen, and tenth nationally overall, in assists. His totals of 34 points and 31 assists both ranked second among AHA blueliners, and 34 points was good for a tie for sixth in the nation among defensemen. Teamwise, Ringwald finished tops in assists and was third in points. During the 2007-08 campaign, Ringwald played in 36 games, and registered totals of three goals and 31 assists for 34 points, identical to his Junior-season statistics. His points-per-game average of 0.94 that year led all NCAA Division I defensemen. Ringwald also tied for the national lead among blueliners in assists, registered the second-most points among defensemen, and finished fifth overall in the nation in assists. Ringwald also led all 2007-08 AHA defensemen in points and assists, topped the R.I.T. squad in plus/minus (+9) and finished third on the team in points.
Here’s some video:
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