Rangers Select Five Players at 2013 Draft

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather, along with Director of Player Personnel, Gordie Clark, oversaw the club's activity in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on Sunday, June 30 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The club, which held five picks in the draft, selected three forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender

The Rangers began the draft by selecting three forwards - Adam Tambellini (65th overall), Pavel Buchnevich (75th overall), and Anthony Duclair (80th overall) - in the third round.
Tambellini split last season between the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), registering career-highs with 36 goals, 29 assists, and 65 points in 52 games. He tied for third in the league in goals and ranked 10th overall in points. The Port Moody, British Columbia native helped Surrey capture the 2013 Fred Page Cup as BCHL champions, tallying a league-leading, 10 goals, and finishing third with 18 points in 17 playoff contests. Tambellini went on to register three goals and four points in five games, as the Eagles won the inaugural Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, and earn a spot in the Royal Bank Cup.
Tambellini's father, Steve, was selected 15th overall by the Islanders in 1978, and went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Islanders in 1980. His brother, Jeff, was selected 27th overall by the Kings in 2003, and appeared in 242 NHL games with Los Angeles, NY Islanders, and Vancouver from 2005-06 to 2010-11. He has committed to playing at the University of North Dakota in the fall of 2013.
Buchnevich registered eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points, along with 36 penalty minutes in 24 games last season with Almaz Cherepovets of the Minor Hockey League (MHL). He ranked second on the team in points per game among players who skated in at least 10 games, averaging 0.96 points per contest. The Cherepovets, Russia native led Almaz in postseason scoring, tallying team-highs with four assists and five points in three playoff contests. He also made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut, registering two points (one goal, one assist) in 12 games with Severstal Cherepovets.
In addition, Buchnevich represented Russia at the 2013 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championship in Sochi, Russia, tallying five goals and six assists for 11 points in seven tournament contests. He tied for first among tournament skaters in assists, and second overall in goals and points.
Duclair registered 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points, along with 22 penalty minutes and a plus-23 rating in 55 games last season with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He ranked fourth on the team in points (50), fifth in assists (30), and tied for fourth in goals (20). The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native also ranked third on the Remparts with a plus-23 rating. In the playoffs, Duclair tied his career-highs with three goals, five assists, and eight points in 11 postseason contests. He tied for third on Quebec in playoff assists, and fourth on the team in playoff goals and points.
Duclair has been named the TELUS Second Star of the Week on two occasions, for the week ending on March 4, 2012, and also for the week ending on November 25, 2012.
The Blueshirts tabbed PEI Rocket defenseman, Ryan Graves, with their fourth round selection (110th overall). Graves registered three goals and 13 assists for 16 points, along with 90 penalty minutes and a plus-seven rating in 68 games last season. He established career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points, penalty minutes, and plus/minus rating. The Yarmouth, Nova Scotia native also made his QMJHL playoff debut last season, skating in six postseason contests.
The Rangers closed out their 2013 draft by selecting Canadian goaltender Mackenzie Skapski of the Kootenay Ice in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with their sixth round pick (170th overall). Skapski posted a 34-25-1 record, along with a 2.78 goals against average, .910 save percentage, and seven shutouts in 65 games last season. He established career-highs in games played, wins, save percentage, and shutouts, and posted a career-best in goals against average. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native tied for the WHL lead in shutouts, and ranked sixth in the league in wins.
Earlier in the day, New York completed a trade with the Minnesota Wild, receiving defenseman Justin Falk in exchange for forward Benn Ferriero and a sixth round choice (originally Columbus') in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Falk, 24, has registered 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 108 career regular season contests over four seasons with the Wild. He was originally selected by Minnesota as a fourth round choice, 110th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Overall, the Rangers selected three forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender, four from Canadian hockey leagues and one from a European hockey league, four Canadians and one European.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Rangers acquired defenseman Justin Falk from Minnesota in exchange for forward Benn Ferriero and a sixth round choice in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft - It is only the second time since 1976 the Rangers did not select an American-born player (2007) - The last time the Blueshirts did not have a first round pick was 2002 - The last time the Rangers did not have a pick in the first two rounds of a draft was 1968 - The Rangers selected four Canadians and one European player