Lettieri Looks to Seize Opportunity in Wake of Kreider Injury

The Rangers will be without forward Chris Kreider for an indefinite period of time after the winger was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right arm Wednesday night.
Coach Alain Vigneault said Kreider complained of swelling in his arm prior to the game and was looked at by the team's doctors, who found nothing "out of the ordinary."
After playing just over five minutes in the first period, the swelling had gotten worse and it was determined Kreider leave the game and get evaluated at the hospital. Doctors there ran tests and the clot was discovered.

"It's part of the game," Vigneault said of the injury. "Stuff happens. Other opportunities for other guys to get a big role and get more ice time. Somebody's got to step up to the plate."
Vigneault mentioned Jimmy Vesey as a player to take on a larger role in Kreider's absence. That, coupled with the absence of Jesper Fast last week led to Vinni Lettieri being recalled from Hartford prior to practice on Thursday.

The 22-year-old has 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points in 31 games with the Wolf Pack during his first full season of pro hockey. The free agent signee said the recall was "the best Christmas present yet" that he had received.
Lettieri was used at right wing at practice alongside Boo Nieves and Paul Carey. He said his mindset is to not change a thing from his game in the American Hockey League.
"Just take what I was doing in Hartford," said Lettieri, who was flying back to Hartford following the Christmas break when Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge contacted him. "Don't change anything. Just come up here. We've got a lot of good players around me. I trust in their ability to help me out and I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and keep shooting the puck."
Lettieri is a player that is more than willing to shoot the puck. He ranked second on Hartford in shots on goal with 76, and said shooting a big part of what's made him successful.
"You never know what happens," he said of shooting. "I was playing with a lot of good guys down there, too. Just shooting the puck has been a major difference, I think. My shots on net - if I didn't take as many shots then I wouldn't be as successful. Just have to have a nose for the net and keep on digging."
Lettieri was teammates with Brady Skjei for two seasons at the University of Minnesota, and the blueliner said Lettieri brings a unique element to the Rangers that can make an already effective offense even more potent.
"He's willing to shoot the puck, which is great to have," Skjei said of his former Golden Gopher teammate. "He's got an unbelievable shot. He gets it off quick and makes it tough for goalies to read. When he's doing that, when he's shooting and he can skate really well, he brings an element that other teams have to look out for."
The Excelsior, Minn.-native had a successful collegiate career that saw him post 37 goals and 83 points in 149 career games that included a Big Ten regular season championship in all four seasons.
But Skjei said he's expecting even more from Lettieri now that he's a pro.
"I think he's one of those guys - he had a good college career - but I think he'll be one of those guys that's a better pro than he was in college," Skjei said of Lettieri. "He's got a bright future here.
"I think just his speed and his shooting," Skjei said when asked to elaborate on his prediction. "The pro game is just different from college. You get your looks and he'll get plenty and take advantage of them."
While injuries are never a welcome development, as Vigneault said they do create chances for others to take the ball - or puck - and run with it, and that's what Lettieri is hoping to do starting Friday in Detroit.
"It's a great opportunity for me to showcase my skill," he said. "I've obviously been waiting for this moment for a long time. You can't come to a better organization than this."