Blueshirts' roster set for Traverse City
by Staff Writer / New York RangersNew York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today the preliminary roster for the 2010 Traverse City Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan.
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| Defensemen Dylan McIlrath, left, and Ryan McDonagh will be teammates on the Rangers' 2010 Traverse City (Mich.) Prospects Tournament squad. |
A group of 23 prospects will represent the Rangers next month at the annual Traverse City Prospects Tournament, which the Blueshirts won in 2007.
Nineteen of the 22 members of the 2010 roster are players whose NHL rights are currently owned by the Rangers. Eleven players are Rangers draftees from the past two years, while eight others have already signed their first NHL contracts with the team.
Seventeen of the 22 players participated in the Rangers’ annual Prospect Development Camp earlier this summer. This includes 2010 draft picks Dylan McIlrath, Christian Thomas, Andrew Yogan, Jason Wilson and Randy McNaught.
Forward Evgeny Grachev, the Rangers’ 2008 third round selection, will be returning to the tournament for the third straight season. He will be joined by fellow 2008 third round draft pick, defenseman Tomas Kundratek, who was a member of the Rangers’ Traverse City team last summer.
Five players from the 2009 draft class – forwards Ryan Bourque, Ethan Werek and Roman Horak, defenseman Daniel Maggio and goaltender Scott Stajcer – are also back from the 2009 team, as is defenseman Sam Klassen.
Competing in the tournament’s “Gretzky Division”, the Rangers will play round-robin games against Carolina, Columbus and Minnesota, beginning with the Sept. 11 tilt against Columbus’ prospects. Their placement in the round-robin will determine who they face in the championship round that concludes the tournament.
| 2010 NY RANGERS TRAVERSE CITY PROSPECTS TOURNAMENT ROSTER | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||
| No. | Player | POS. | HT | WT | Age | 2008-09 Team (League) |
| 83 | Jason Bast | C | 5-10 | 188 | 21 | Moose Jaw (WHL) |
| 60 | Ryan Bourque | LW | 5-9 | 171 | 19 | Quebec (QMJHL) |
| 59 | Evgeny Grachev | RW | 6-4 | 222 | 20 | Hartford (AHL) |
| 64 | Roman Horak | C | 6-0 | 175 | 19 | Chilliwack (WHL) |
| 53 | Chris McKelvie | RW | 6-1 | 195 | 25 | Bemidji State (CHA); Hartford (AHL) |
| 76 | Randy McNaught | RW | 6-4 | 220 | 20 | Saskatoon (WHL) |
| 56 | Brendan Shinnimin | C | 5-10 | 176 | 19 | Tri-City (WHL) |
| 57 | Derek Stepan | C | 6-0 | 187 | 20 | Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 67 | Kelsey Tessier | C | 5-9 | 168 | 20 | Moncton (QMJHL) |
| 58 | Christian Thomas | RW | 5-9 | 164 | 18 | Oshawa (OHL) |
| 61 | Ethan Werek | C | 6-1 | 195 | 19 | Kingston (OHL) |
| 48 | Jason Wilson | LW | 6-2 | 206 | 20 | Owen Sound (OHL) |
| 49 | Andrew Yogan | LW | 6-3 | 203 | 18 | Erie (OHL) |
| Defensemen | ||||||
| 63 | Lee Baldwin | D | 6-4 | 203 | 22 | Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA); Hartford (AHL) |
| 72 | Sam Klassen | D | 6-2 | 199 | 21 | Saskatoon (WHL) |
| 65 | Tomas Kundratek | D | 6-2 | 200 | 20 | Medicine Hat (WHL) |
| 52 | Dan Maggio | D | 6-3 | 202 | 19 | Sudbury (OHL) |
| 70 | Brandon Manning | D | 6-1 | 195 | 20 | Chilliwack (WHL) |
| 73 | Dylan McIlrath | D | 6-4 | 218 | 18 | Moose Jaw (WHL) |
| 51 | Ryan McDonagh | D | 6-1 | 222 | 21 | Wisconsin (WCHA) |
| 75 | Jyri Niemi | D | 6-2 | 208 | 20 | Saskatoon (WHL) |
| Goaltenders | ||||||
| 96 | Scott Stajcer | G | 6-3 | 200 | 19 | Owen Sound (OHL) |
| 81 | Cam Talbot | G | 6-3 | 205 | 23 | Alabama-Huntsville (CHA); Hartford (AHL) |
| TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE | |||
| Day | Date | Opponent | Time |
| Saturday | Sept. 11 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | Sept. 12 | Carolina Hurricanes | 5:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Sept. 14 | Minnesota Wild | 3:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Sept. 15 | Placement Game (opponent TBD) | TBD |