Rangers Prospect Report: 01.06.20
2.Zachary Jonesfinished the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship with two points (one goal, one assist), a plus-one rating, and 12 shots on goal in five games, and he tallied two assists with UMass in his first game following the tournament on Jan. 4 at Denver. The Rangers' third round pick (68th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft tied for first among United States defensemen in points and led United States defensemen in shots on goal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jones has registered 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) and a plus-10 rating in 18 games during his freshman year with UMass this season. He ranks second among NCAA freshmen defensemen in points, is tied for second among NCAA freshmen defensemen in assists, and leads NCAA freshmen defensemen in shots on goal (47) in 2019-20.
3. Morgan Barron registered three points (two goals, one assist) and posted a plusthree rating in two games with Cornell as part of the Fortress Invitational in Las Vegas, and he tallied both of Cornell's goals in a 2-2 tie on Jan. 4 vs. Providence. The Rangers' sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft has registered 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and a plus-12 rating in 13 games with Cornell this season. Barron leads Cornell in several categories this season, including goals, points, and shots on goal (49), and he is also tied for third on the team in plus/minus rating. He is tied for ninth in the NCAA in points per game (1.31) and ranks seventh in the NCAA in goals per game (0.69) this season, and he is one of 14 players in the NCAA who have registered 17 or more points and a plus12 rating or better in 2019-20.
Emerging From the Pack
- Igor Shesterkinwas selected to play in the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, and earned a win in each of his two appearances during the past week. The Rangers' fourth round pick (118th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has posted a 15-4-3 record, along with a 1.93 GAA, a .932 SV%, and 3 SO in 23 appearances with Hartford this season. Shesterkin leads the AHL in GAA, ranks second in the AHL in wins and SV%, and is tied for third in the AHL in shutouts this season. He has earned a win in each of his last four appearances, posting a 1.00 GAA, a .964 SV%, and 1 SO over the span. In addition, Shesterkin has allowed one goal or fewer in 12 of his 23 AHL appearances this season. He was recalled by the Rangers on Jan. 6.
- Joey Keane was selected to play in the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic. The Rangers' third round pick (88th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has registered 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 35 games with the Wolf Pack this season. Keane is tied for fourth among AHL defensemen in goals and is tied for 12th among AHL defensemen in points this season. In addition, he leads AHL rookie defensemen in goals and is tied for second among AHL rookie defensemen in points in 2019-20.
- Yegor Rykov posted his second consecutive multi-assist/point game by registering two assists on Dec. 31 vs. Bridgeport. He has notched four assists/points in the last four games, five assists/points in the last seven games, and seven assists/points in 14 AHL games with the Wolf Pack this season.
- Adam Huska stopped 26 of 27 shots to earn a win on Jan. 4 vs. Utica, and he was selected as the game's First Star. The Rangers' seventh round pick (184th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has helped the Wolf Pack earn at least one point in 10 of his 14 starts this season. Huska ranks fourth among AHL rookie goaltenders in GAA this season (2.69).
- Vinni Lettieri tallied a goal/point in two of Hartford's three games during the past week (two goals, one assist), and he registered the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation on Jan. 3 at Providence. He leads the Wolf Pack in goals (13) and points (27) this season.
- Phillip Di Giuseppe recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in Hartford's three games during the past week. He leads the Wolf Pack in shots on goal (121), ranks second in goals (11), ranks third in plus/minus rating (plus-12), and is tied for fourth in points (21) this season.
- Darren Raddysh tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in three games during the past week. He has recorded 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and a plus-18 rating in 36 games with the Wolf Pack this season. Raddysh is tied for third in the AHL - and is tied for the team lead - in plus/minus rating in 2019-20.
- Tim Gettinger registered two goals and led all skaters with seven shots on goal on Jan. 3 at Providence. The Rangers' fifth round pick (141st overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has recorded three goals/points in the last four games and eight points (five goals, three assists) in the last 12 games. Gettinger is tied for third on the Wolf Pack in goals this season (nine).
- Boo Nieves recorded three assists/points in Hartford's three games during the past week, and he notched two assists and posted a plus-three rating on Jan. 3 at Providence. He has registered a point in four of the last five games, tallying six points (one goal, five assists) over the span. Nieves has registered 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) and a plus-six rating in 34 AHL games with the Wolf Pack in 2019-20, and he has established an AHL career-high in assists this season. In addition, he is tied for second on Hartford in assists in 2019-20.
- Nick Ebert tallied an assist/point in two of Hartford's three games during the past week (two assists). He has registered a point in eight of his last 15 games (two goals, six assists) and has recorded 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 30 AHL games this season.
Quick Hits
- Karl Henriksson helped Sweden earn a bronze medal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, as he registered three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games in the tournament. The Rangers' second round pick (58th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft represented Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship for the first time, and he is also eligible to represent Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship next year.
- K'Andre Miller registered two assists, posted a plus-one rating, and averaged 19:24 of ice time in five games while representing the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Rangers' first round pick (22nd overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft represented the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship for the second consecutive year, and he also served as one of the team's alternate captains in the tournament this year. Miller led the United States in average ice time in this year's tournament.
- Nico Gross concluded his World Junior Championship career with Switzerland during the past week. The Rangers' fourth round pick (101st overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft tallied one goal in three games while representing Switzerland at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. Gross represented Switzerland at the IIHF World Junior Championship for the fourth consecutive year, and he also served as one of the team's alternate captains for the third consecutive year in the tournament. He is one of 10 players who have skated in 20 career games with Switzerland at the IIHF World Junior Championship in the tournament's history. Gross returns to Oshawa in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he has tallied 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) and has posted a plus-four rating in 27 games thus far this season.
- Tyler Wallstopped 24 of 25 shots and earned a win on Jan. 4 at Merrimack. The Rangers' sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft earned his 51st career collegiate win, tying Dwayne Roloson's UMass-Lowell record for wins by a goaltender since the school began playing in Division 1. Wall has posted an 11-3- 4 record, along with a 1.69 GAA, a .945 SV%, and 2 SO in 18 appearances with UMass-Lowell this season. Wall ranks second in the NCAA in SV% and ranks fifth in the NCAA in GAA in 2019-20.
- Lauri Pajuniemiwas named one of the Top Three Players on his Team at the Spengler Cup, as he finished the tournament with two points (one goal, one assist) in four games with TPS. The Rangers' fifth round pick (132nd overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has recorded 27 points (19 goals, eight assists) in 31 games in Liiga this season. Pajuniemi has established career-highs in goals and points, and has tied his career-high in assists this season. In addition, he ranks second in Liiga in goals this season.
- Matthew Robertson registered three assists/points in four games during the past week, and he was named the game's Second Star on Jan. 3 vs. Moose Jaw, as he tallied two assists and posted a plus-two rating. The Rangers' second round pick (49th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has registered a point in seven of his last 10 games, recording nine points (two goals, seven assists) over the span. Robertson has notched 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 37 WHL games with Edmonton this season. He is tied for fifth among WHL defensemen in goals and is tied for 14th among WHL defensemen in points this season. In addition, among WHL defensemen who are in their U19 season or younger, Robertson is tied for second in goals and is tied for fifth in points in 2019-20.
- Olof Lindbom made 18 saves on Jan. 4 against Tingsryds. The Rangers' second round pick (39th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has stopped 45 of 48 shots over his last two appearances (.938 SV%), and he has allowed two goals or fewer in each appearance. Lindbom has posted a 2.59 GAA and a .908 SV% in 10 appearances with Mora in Allsvenskan this season.
- Tarmo Reunanen tallied an assist and posted a plus-three rating on Jan. 4 against TPS. The Rangers' fourth round pick (98th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has registered eight points (two goals, six assists) in 28 games with Lukko in Liiga this season.
- Simon Kjellbergtallied a goal and posted a plus-one rating on Jan. 3 against Clarkson. The Rangers' sixth round pick (163rd overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has recorded eight points (four goals, four assists) and a plus-three rating in 17 games in his freshman year with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2019-20. Kjellberg is tied for second among NCAA freshmen defensemen in goals this season.
- Eric Ciccolini recorded an assist while helping the University of Michigan defeat Ferris State in the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 30. The Rangers' seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has registered seven points (one goal, six assists) in 20 games with Michigan this season. Ciccolini is tied for the team lead in assists in 2019-20, and he is the only freshman who has skated in each of the team's 20 games this season.
Quote Book
"He has impressed all season long. No matter the type of game or the amount of work, he
is always calm and focused. The players have a lot of confidence when he is in the net." -
Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch on Igor Shesterkin
"He comes in on a nightly basis, and he makes saves most goalies can't. It makes things
a lot easier having him back there." - Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Nick Ebert onIgor Shesterkin(Credit: Hartford Wolf Pack)
