The prospects are off the ice following their fourth day, though coach John Tortorella left for his Florida home after Wednesday's session. After starting with two days of conditioning and skating tests, today marked the second day the players did actual hockey drills and scrimmaged some after the ice was re-sheeted.
Based on this week, it's looking like the Rangers had a good draft in 2008. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto (20th overall), center Derek Stepan (51st), left wing Evgeny Grachev (75th) and defenseman Tomas Kundratek have all stood out at different times for different reasons. Del Zotto displays that same poise that marks Marc Staal's game, though he needs to manage the puck better at times. That, no doubt, will come with age/experience. Stepan showed good anticipation in both the offensive and defensive zones. Grachev is just a fluid skater/shooter with obvious goal-scoring instincts. At the end of the session, with a group of players including this year's picks Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque taking penalty shots on Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens, all but Grachev tried to impress with dipsy-does and other unnecessary moves. Grachev just skated in - repeatedly - and simply flicked puck after puck past Scrivens. Kundratek, paired the last two days with Del Zotto, showed good offensive instincts and an ability to move the puck, plus a hard shot. In one drill, though, Stepan beat Kundratek with a quick move then roofed a goal off the goalie's mask.
Also on my like list: Matt Gilroy (though that's hard to judge since the soon-to-be-25-year-old is so much more mature than the others) and Finnish defenseman Ilkka Heikkinen, who will be 25 in November and would seem likely to start the season at Hartford (AHL). Heikkinen has a hard blast from the point and a quick wrist shot.
thanks for usual great reporting andrew
did the rangers have the right to bring cally or dubi to arbitration. i thought they did with henrik to prevent an offer from another team and then negotiated the one yr deal before it got to an arbitration hearing. i would have thought they should have with dubi and cally as well if they had the right to do so.
Posted by: LI Joe | July 02, 2009 at 01:12 PM
Does Heikkinen play like Timmonen? It sounds like we will be loaded with young, quality defensemen. I assume Potter will be resigned, correct? If not, things will get interesting for that final spot.
Posted by: Chris | July 02, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Ask and ye shall receive apparently. Thanks for the info Andrew! Still no announcement of the Chappel signing though? What about Mitch Gaulton... coming back from Tommy John surgery only to be blasted for your lack of conditioning... was he managing to keep up with the pack?
Posted by: amos | July 02, 2009 at 01:48 PM
Any report on Daavettila and how he has looked at camp?
Posted by: Rich | July 02, 2009 at 02:10 PM
Despite all the hullabaloo surrounding him last year, I haven't seen anything about AA at this year's training camp. Is he there? If so, how is he doing?
Posted by: Jeff S. from Delaware | July 02, 2009 at 02:28 PM
Why would a team ever want to take someone to arbitration? In my opinion, you want to stay away from it at all costs. Sometimes you have to do it, but I think you try and stay away from it.
Basically both sides sit down with a moderator and the team explains why the player does not deserve the money he is asking for. That's gotta get to a player at some point, no matter what they say. You don't want the player to be upset just to save a couple of dollars. We also want that player (presumably) to want to stay with the team in the future. At least I do.
Posted by: Jeff S. from Delaware | July 02, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Anisimov is not at the prospect camp. He's a known entity with 2 yrs AHL and a cup of coffee with NYR.
Posted by: Chris | July 02, 2009 at 02:38 PM
Lol thanks Chris
Posted by: Jeff S. in Delaware | July 02, 2009 at 04:13 PM
jeff s - well exercising thear b right prevents an offer sheet. then the team and player can fairly negotiate a deal of 1 or more yrs. does not have to get to the hearing stage. the rangers employed this exact technique with henrik. it never got to the hearing stage but they did not have to worry about an offer sheet
i would not be surprised to see either cally or dubi get an offer sheet for $ 3 mm per yr or more
Posted by: LI Joe | July 02, 2009 at 04:15 PM