SURPRISE!!!

Here’s the biggest surprise to date…Evgeny Grachev is being called up by the New York Rangers according to Andrew Gross of The Record and Steve Zipay of Newsday…

This is Grachev’s second recall but is likely the first time he will play. Hopefully he plays better in New York than what he’s shown in Hartford, which to be fair, has not been much.

Here’s the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Evgeny Grachev has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Grachev, 20, was ranked 21st overall among NHL prospects by The Hockey News on their 2010 Future Watch list.  He has registered one goal and one assist in nine games with Hartford this season.  Grachev tallied his first point of the season with a goal, and finished with a plus-three rating on October 10 vs. Worcester.  He also recorded the primary assist on the game winning goal with 4:58 remaining in a 2-1 win on October 16 at Bridgeport.

Last season, the 6-4, 224-pounder led all Hartford rookies in assists (16), points (28) and power play goals (four), and tied for first on the Wolf Pack in goals (12).  Grachev also tied for sixth on the team in goals, eighth in points and ninth in assists.  He registered five multi-point efforts, including three multi-goal performances, and recorded a season-high, four-game scoring streak from October 9 at Providence to October 16 at Portland (one goal and three assists).  Grachev notched his first professional point with a power play goal on October 9 at Providence, and made his professional debut on October 3 at Binghamton.

The Khabarovsk, Russia native was originally the Rangers’ third round choice, 75th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Rangers return to action tomorrow when they will face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), to close out their three-game homestand.  The contest is the first game of a back-to-back set for the Blueshirts, who will travel to Toronto to face-off against the Maple Leafs on Saturday, October 30 at the Air Canada Centre (7:00 p.m.)