CANTLON’S CORNER: RANGERS’ PROSPECTS HAVE A SOLID TRAVERSE CITY TOURNEY 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – The New York Rangers prospects finished up their time competing in the Traverse City tournament on a high note and left with a 3-1 record. The team showed the promise they have and equally the work they still need to do.

It started off with a rocky performance in losing 6-2 to the prospects that Rangers President, John Davidson, brought in when he ran the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brett Kemp (Medicine Hat Tigers-WHL), a training camp, invitee scored both goals on the Rangers’ highly-touted Russian goalie, Igor Shesterkin, who had a tough North American debut. There were too many turnovers, especially in the neutral zone, and it proved costly for the young Rangers squad.

Game 2 went much better as the prospects rebounded from the loss and beat the Dallas Stars, 7-4. Defenseman Adam Fox had a stellar five-point scoring effort that included the eventual game-winning goal, his second of the game, at 4:45 of the third period. Fox also contributed the primary assist on Karl Henriksson’s first goal and he began the scoring sequence for his defense partner, Yegor Rykov’s, power play goal just 1:27 into the second period.

VitaIi Kravtsov, the Rangers 2018 first-round pick, earned three assists, with two of them being the primary helper. Ryan Dmowskli (Old Lyme) picked up the final two goals. Fox assisted on his empty netter. Goalie Adam Huska (UCONN) had a strong game with 24 saves.

Game 3 of the tourney saw the Rangers score three goals in the third period as first-round draft pick (2nd overall), Finnish winger, Kaapo Kakko, in his debut game scored the winning goal and had two primary assists in a four-point effort. The Rangers scored two powerplay goals just 1:38 apart in the third period off Kravtsov’s stick.

The Rangers had a five-minute powerplay that carried over from late in the second period after a high-hit by the Stars’ Drake Pilon (no relation to former NHL defenseman with the Islanders, Rich Pilon) on Lewis Zerter-Gossage, who was left dazed and bloodied.

Kravtsov’s first tally came from off the right-wing into a wide-open net, as he converted Kakko’s pass from behind the goal line on the left-wing side at 1:06. Then came the second goal at 2:44. It was a high end, top-shelf play from atop the left-wing circle. From the right-wing circle, Kakko sent a perfect cross-ice pass through the box putting it right in the perfect spot for Kravtsov, who was in full stride and buried it past goalie, Hunter Jones.

The Rangers tied the score at three with 1:37 left in regulation. Kakko again tallied, this time from down as he low-banked a shot that went off some legs in front of the net and popped up in mid-air an. The California Kid, Patrick Newell, exercised some fine hand-eye coordination putting it in out of mid-air.

The game-winner was the whipped cream on top of the sundae as Kakko burst down the right-wing, circled the net, moved through the offensive zone untouched and went back to the right-wing. Then again, he made another rush from behind the net and this time put a backhanded wraparound on the net from the left-wing beat and Jones to the short-side at 2:48 for the game-winner.

The team mobbed number 45.

The Rangers concluded their tournament play with a 5-3 win over the prospects of the defending Stanley Cup champion, St. Louis Blues.

Dmowski kicked off the Rangers scoring at 4:31 of the first period. The goal turned out to be the first of three for the Blueshirts in the period. The Rangers eventually built a 4-0 lead early in the second period as Nick Jones with a goal and an assist scored on the powerplay at 5:47.

Swedish second-round pick from June, Karl Henriksson, had another strong game. He had three assists, two of them the primary kind, as well as points in three of the four games. Newell scored again while Finnish rearguard, Tarmo Reunanen, tallied his first two points on assists. Huska again demonstrated a strong presence.

NOTES:

The Rangers announced the 53-roster players for the first day of training camp on Thursday in Tarrytown, NY.

A few surprises on the list.

One reported here last week has one time Ranger, Wolf Pack, and Sound Tiger, Micheal Haley, invited to training camp on a try-out contract, as was former Wolf Pack, Connor Brickley, who was acquired last January for then Wolf Pack captain, Cole Schneider.

Brickley was an Unrestricted Free Agent over the summer and didn’t receive a contract, so he’s trying this route in a bid to make the Rangers. Schneider meanwhile, re-signed with Nashville to a new one-year deal.

Another player on a Professional Try-Out contract is former Winnipeg Jet defenseman, Joe Morrow, who began his pro-career in Wilkes Barre/Scranton with the Penguins.

One player who was not invited was forward Matt Beleskey. He was the first player assigned to Hartford, as he enters the last year of his four-year NHL one-way deal that was originally signed with the Boston Bruins. Beleskey gets $1.9 million of which the Bruins pay half, but his cap-friendly deal gives the Rangers just a $825K cap hit for this season. Beleskey will go through waivers by September 20, the day before Wolf Pack camp opens.

Wolf Pack training camp is scheduled to begin next Saturday, September 21st at the XL Center in advance of their first exhibition game on Wednesday, September 25th against the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Danbury Ice Arena, the home of the brand new FHL team, the Danbury Hat Tricks.

Ex-Pack goalie, Brandon Halverson, is in Toronto on a try-out contract. Shawn O’Donnell and Matt Register both signed with the Allen Americans (ECHL) last week are in the NHL camp of the Minnesota Wild.

Former Hartford Wolf Pack forward, Corey Locke, 35, has announced his retirement after playing seven pre-season games with HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic-CEL).

Locke played just one season for the Wolf Pack in 2009-10 and led the Wolf Pack with 85 points, the third-best in the AHL.

Only he and Chris Bourque, who also played just one season, are the only Wolf Pack players to have finished in the Top 10 in league scoring in the past ten years.

His AHL totals are 639 games played with 182 goals and 568 points.

Landon Ferraro, the son of Hartford Whaler great, Ray Ferraro, had an injury riddled year with the Iowa Wild (12-2-3-5-14) last year, signs a training camp PTO deal with Vancouver.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Matt Pistilli leaves Lowen Frankfurt (Germany DEL-2) and returns to Esbjerg Energy (Denmark-DHL). Another ex-Sound Tiger, CJ Stretch, departs Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic-EBEL) to MAC Ujbuda (Slovakia-SLEL).

Greg Squires (Brunswick School) goes from Kunlun (China-KHL) to EC Graz (Austria-EBEL).

Chris Izmirlian (Yale University) departs the Greenville Swamp Rabbits  (ECHL) to head to the Rapid City Rush (ECHL).

Drew Blackmun, of Northeastern (HE), transfers to Union College (HE). He will sit out this season as per the NCAA transfer rule.

Cam MacDonald (Selects Academy at South Kent Prep) who plays for Sioux City (USHL) commits to Boston College (HE) for 2022-23.

A left-handed shooting, junior, defenseman, Clayton Phillips, makes an inter-conference transfer in the Big 10. He leaves the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and moves to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

He received an NCAA transfer waiver making him eligible to play this year and has two more years of eligibility left.

Ex-Pack and former Ranger #1 draft, Bobby Sanguinetti, heads to Europe to continue playing signing a deal with EHC Munich (Germany-DEL) who’s roster features twelve former AHL’ers including three ex-Wolf Pack in Chris Bourque and Blake Parlett.