YOUNGSTERS PACKING FOR SUMMER CAMP

2011 RANGERS PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT CAMP

New York, June 26, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club will hold the 2011 Prospect Development Camp, Monday, June 27th – Friday, July 1st, at the Madison Square Garden Training Center.  The camp will bring together several of the team’s top prospects, including Christian Thomas, Tim Erixon, Carl Hagelin, Ryan Bourque, and Dylan McIlrath.  In addition, players selected at the NHL Entry Draft on Friday and Saturday in Minnesota, including first round selection J.T. Miller, will participate in the camp.

Miller, 18, was selected as the Rangers’ first round choice, 15th overall, in the NHL Entry Draft on Friday in Minnesota.  The East Palestine, Ohio native led Team USA in scoring with 13 points in six tournament contests en route to capturing the gold medal at the 2011 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship in Germany.  He tied for third among all tournament skaters in points, fourth in assists (nine), sixth in goals (four), and seventh with a plus-eight rating.  Miller was selected by tournament coaches as Team USA’s top player during the elite tournament after leading Team USA in points and assists, and finishing second on the team in goals and plus/minus rating.  He also skated in 48 games with the U.S. National Under-18 Team (USHL) last season, registering 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points, along with 80 penalty minutes.  Miller established USHL career-highs in games played, assists, points, and penalty minutes, and ranked third on the team in points, and second in assists and penalty minutes.  He also established career-highs with two shorthanded goals and three game-winning goals, and notched a USA U-18 career best, two power play goals.

Thomas, 18, ranks first in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 95 goals over the last two seasons, and eighth in scoring with 165 points over the span.  He captured “Most Dangerous in Goal Area” and “Best Shot” honors in the 2010-11 Eastern Conference Coaches Poll and was voted runner-up in “Hardest Shot” after finishing second among all Canadian Hockey League (CHL) skaters with a career-high, 54 goals.  He and his father, former NHL forward Steve Thomas, became the only father-son duo to record 50+ goals in an OHL campaign.  Thomas skated in 66 games with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) last season, registering 54 goals and 45 assists for 99 points, along with 38 penalty minutes and a plus-20 rating.  He established career-highs in points, goals, assists, power play goals (19), game-winning goals (nine), penalty minutes, and plus/minus rating.  Thomas ranked second in the OHL in goals and sixth in points, and tied for first in the league in power play goals and third in game-winning goals.  He led Oshawa in goals, assists, points, power play goals, and game-winning goals, tied for second in shorthanded goals (two), and ranked third in plus/minus rating.  In the 2011 OHL Playoffs, Thomas led the league in postseason scoring with 19 points and nine goals at the time of Oshawa’s elimination in the second round, having recorded at least one point in nine of 10 contests and six multi-point performances.

The Toronto, Ontario native was originally the Rangers’ second round choice, 40th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Erixon, 20, skated in 48 games with Skelleftea of the Swedish Elite League (SEL) last season, registering five goals and 19 assists for 24 points, along with 40 penalty minutes.  He established career-highs in games played, assists and points while skating in his third full season in Sweden’s top league.  Erixon tied for fifth on the team in assists and eighth in points, and ranked fifth on the club in penalty minutes.  He also tallied three goals and five assists in 18 playoff contests with Skelleftea.  Erixon tied for fifth on the team in playoff goals and assists, and sixth in points while establishing playoff career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points, and penalty minutes (12).  Internationally, Erixon captured a silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2011 IIHF World Championships in Slovakia, registering one assist and a plus-two rating in nine games.

Erixon was originally selected by Calgary as their first round choice, 23rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  Born in Port Chester, New York, he is the son of former Blueshirts forward, Jan Erixon, who played his entire 10-year NHL career with the Rangers from 1983-84 to 1992-93.

Hagelin, 22, helped lead the University of Michigan Wolverines to the 2010-11 NCAA Championship game versus University of Minnesota Duluth on April 9, having registered an assist in their Frozen Four semifinals victory vs. the top-ranked University of North Dakota on April 7.  He also tallied two goals and one assist to earn Second Star honors in the “Big Chill” outdoor game vs. Michigan State University on December 11 at Michigan Stadium in front of 85,541, the “highest attendance for an ice hockey match” in history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.  Hagelin captured the Hal Downes Award as team MVP, the Hazel M. Losh award as Michigan’s top scorer, and the Carl Isaacson award as the best student athlete for the second consecutive season after registering 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points, along with 39 penalty minutes in 44 games.  He tied for 14th in the nation in points and 11th in assists, and led Michigan skaters in points, goals, assists, game-winning goals (six), power play goals (seven), and plus/minus rating (plus-21).  In addition, Hagelin was named the CCHA Best Defensive Forward award and a finalist for CCHA Player of the Year, and was nominated to the All-CCHA First Team and CCHA Scholar-Athlete Team.

The Sodertalje, Sweden native was originally the Rangers’ sixth round choice, 168th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Bourque, 20, is a two-time medalist at the World Junior Championship as a member of the United States U-20 team, including a gold medal in the 2010 tournament and a bronze medal in the 2011 tournament.  Last season, Bourque skated in 49 games with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), registering 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points, along with 22 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating.  He established career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points, and power play goals (six).  Bourque ranked third on the team in goals, points and points per game average (1.20).  He posted a career-high, 17 multi-point performances, and tallied a career-high, 11-game point streak from December 3 at Victoriaville to January 26 vs. Rimouski (10 goals, four assists over the span).

The Boxford, Massachusetts native was originally the Rangers’ third round choice, 80th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

McIlrath, 18, skated in 62 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season, registering five goals and 18 assists for 23 points, along with 153 penalty minutes.  He ranked third among team defensemen in points, goals and power play goals (two), and ranked third on Moose Jaw in penalty minutes.  McIlrath established a career-high with his 18th assist of the season in a 5-3 win vs. Regina on March 1.  He recorded at least one point in six of eight games from October 13 vs. Kootenay to November 5 at Regina, registering seven points (two goals, five assists) during the stretch.  In addition, McIlrath skated in two games with the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL), making his professional debut on April 9 vs. Bridgeport.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba native was originally selected as the Rangers’ first round choice, 10th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

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