ITS NEWBURY TO NEW YORK 

With Alex Frolov down, Kris Newbury has been recalled by the Rangers to take his place.

Obviously we were wrong in thinking it would be Evgeny Grachev and we ruled Newbury out because we thought he had to pass through waivers…guess he doesn’t!

Newbury is having himself a VERY solid season. He’s among the AHL leaders in both points (35, tied for 11th) and assists (30 tied for 3rd). He’s solid defensively and can pass the puck.

For the Whale, this means Ken Gernander will need to shift things around a bit and means that Oren Eizenman will go back to his natural center position.

It’s probably safe to assume that the Whale will make a move to recall someone from Greenville since they won’t have a single extra body for up front. Right now they only have one extra in the injured Wade Redden.

Here’s the official release:

New York, NY– New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Kris Newbury has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Newbury, 28, has registered five goals and 30 assists for 35 points, along with 87 penalty minutes in 41 games with Connecticut this season. He is currently tied for 11th in the AHL in scoring with 35 points, while his 30 assists are tied for third in the league. He also leads the team in points and assists, and ranks fourth in penalty minutes. Newbury has registered a team-high, 10 multi-point performances this season, including two separate streaks of three games with multiple points – November 13 vs. Springfield to November 19 at Springfield (six assists), and December 3 at Providence to December 11 vs. Manchester (one goal, six assists). The 5-11, 213-pounder established a career-high with an eight-game assist streak from November 28 vs. Adirondack to December 17 vs. Worcester, recording three goals and 12 assists over the span.

Last season, Newbury split the season between Grand Rapids and Hartford, registering 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points, along with 205 penalty minutes in 70 AHL contests. He tied for the Wolf Pack lead in scoring with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 18 games after joining the team on March 3. He made his Hartford debut on March 6 at Hamilton. Prior to his trade, Newbury led Grand Rapids and tied for 19th in the AHL with 144 penalty minutes, and ranked third on the Griffins in points (33) and assists (22). He also recorded one goal in four games with the Detroit Red Wings, and has recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) and 64 penalty minutes in 48 career NHL contests over four seasons.

The Brampton, Ontario native was originally San Jose’s fifth round pick, 139th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Rangers from Detroit in exchange for forward Jordan Owens on March 3, 2010.

The Rangers’ practice schedule for tomorrow, January 10, is 11:00 a.m. at the MSG Training Center.