A deeper look at the best prospects in the Rangers system

Here’s part three of my prospect rankings, these players are the best prospects in the Rangers system in the top 10. You can find parts one through three, here, here and here respectively.

5. Brandon Halverson

19 years old, Goaltender, 2nd round pick 59th overall.

Last year for many prospect rankings, Halverson was the best goaltending prospect in the Rangers system. His numbers this season have been disappointing, but they do not drop his value significantly or even at all. Now i was surprised when i looked at his 3.15 goals against average and his .899 save percentage, but he still has half the season to play.

It’s also possible that the mild ankle sprain he suffered in August at the World Junior Evaluation camp has lingered and has affected him throughout the season. Despite Halverson posting disappointing numbers and possibly affected by his ankle injury he was still able to make Team USA as their backup goaltender for the second straight year. Halverson was given two starts, was dominate and had 0.65 goals against average along with a .973 save percentage.

Halverson has already agreed to an entry level contract with the Rangers in the summer of 2015, so it’s likely that he’ll be competing for a starting job in Hartford at the commence of training camp. The Rangers have four potential high end goaltending prospects and it wouldn’t be surprising if any one of the four took over as the starting goaltender for the Rangers not too far down the road. However if i had to chose one right now, despite a disappointing season it would be Halverson.

Halversons has great size with his 6″4 frame and is gifted with great lateral movement to go along with that. Unlike most big goaltenders who take away much of the net with their size, they tend to struggle with their lateral movement, not the case with Halverson. Halverson will need at the very least 2 years in the AHL, before becoming a backup goaltender in the NHL. When Henrik Lundqvist retires or regresses significantly towards the end of his contract, Halverson would be my leading choice to be the next guy between the pipes. It’s a long way down the road, but i think it’s definitely attainable.

4. Mackenzie Skapski

21 years old, Goaltender, 6th round pick 170th overall.

Much like Halverson, it’s been a similar wacky season for Skapski as well. Skapski might have been able to make the Rangers team out of training camp and serve as backup goaltender behind Henrik Lundqvist. However Skapski had a major hip procedure that kept him out of action for the first couple of months of the regular season. When Skapski came back he wasn’t able to find a game, it’s understandable, but a .888 save percentage and a 3.51 goals against average in 10 games had him reassigned to the ECHL.

The hope is that he is able to find his game down there eventually, but he is still having struggles there. Skapski’s numbers have been pretty identical in the ECHL, posting a 3.71 goals against average and a .887 save percentage in 9 games played. The good news for the Rangers is Magnus Hellberg has done an excellent job in holding down the fort for Hartford in the meantime. I don’t see Hellberg having any starting goaltender potential with the Rangers, but becoming a possible backup goaltender in the near future? It’s entirely possible and a possibility next season.

Hellberg will have one year left with a cap hit of 625,000 at the end of this season, and goaltender Antti Raanta is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of this season. Now the Rangers could give Hellberg a shot at the backup position considering they are in need of cap friendly contracts. The Rangers could also resign Raanta or another backup with experience for more money and keep Hellberg down in the Hartford for competition with Halverson and Skapski.

Skapski has NHL experience under his belt and was terrific against in two starts against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014-2015 season. Even though the Sabres were a terrible team, not many goalies can say they were perfect for nearly 120 minutes at age 20. Skapski will have to find his game in the ECHL, but it’s still not entirely impossible that Skapski will be the backup for the Rangers some time in the 2016-2017 season.

3. Adam Tabellini

21 years old, Center/Winger, 3rd round pick 65th overall.

Tambellini finished his final season in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen with a bang, as he dominated the league like a veteran would do by posting 86 points in 71 games. Currently with the Wolfpack he must make the transition from playing with boys to men. It’s been a challenge for Tambellini so far, but it’s not surprising, because making that specific type of transition takes time to adjust.

Tambellini also has been juggled all over the place with the Wolfpack this year, he started the year at center and now he’s been placed on the wing. With players such as Boo Nieves and Ryan Gropp that are likely to come over next season, and play in Hartford, it will be better telling for if Tambellini is better suited for the wing or center. Tambellini certainly has the size to lockdown the center position and I’m sure Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault would prefer he plays the center position when he’s NHL ready.

Tambellini is well rounded in all three zones on the ice, so it’s really just about figuring out what position he’s better suited for and adjusting to the pros. Tambellini is more of a goal scorer and a shoot first type player, it’s part of the reason he’s been moved to the wing. Shoot first centers are rare to come by, if Tambellini is able to make it as a center he’d have the mindset of New York Islanders center John Taveres in a sense of his shot first mentality. Yet again this doesn’t mean that Tambellini isn’t a great passer, he’s well rounded pretty much every where.

Tambellini will probably take a similar route as current Rangers forward Oscar Lindberg in the AHL. Where Tambellini will need two full years at the minimum to adjust before he’s NHL ready. It would be a major success for Tambellini if he can find a way to meet or break 40 points this season. Tambellini currently has 17 points in 45 games, opposed to Lindberg’s 44 points in 75 games in his first season with the Wolfpack. Lindberg then took the jump in his next season and had 56 points in 75 games and was pretty much deemed NHL ready. That’s the hope for Tambellini, but he’s going to need atleast another year and a half.

2. Brady Skjei

21 years old, Defensemen, 1st round pick 28th overall.

For being relatively weak on the defensive side of of the prospect pool, the Rangers found a gem with their most recent first round pick in 2012. Skjei, who is currently in Hartford has nothing left to prove their and is ready for the NHL. Skjei made his NHL debut this season and played two games. While he didn’t record a point and didn’t have the best possession numbers, his attributes and his figure is fit for a spot in the NHL.

The reason Skjei isn’t playing in the NHL currently is due to the Rangers blue line being overcrowded. Skjei might not have to wait much longer to become a full time NHL player and it could come as soon as now and between the trade deadline. Between Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Keith Yandle, it can be expected that one of the three will not be Rangers between now and the deadline. Yandle is the most likely due to his cap friendly contract and he would make out to be a bargin for a rental. If the Rangers only get a future return for Yandle, Girardi, or Staal, than Skjei will be called up and will probably finish the rest of the season in the NHL. If not then Skjei will have to wait until training camp in September.

Something the Rangers have been missing in recent years is young, cheap NHL ready talent. Brady Skjei would be fantastic to have for the next two and a half years at his entry level contract in the NHL. Skjei has a similar play style to Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh. Skjei is bigger at his 6″3 frame, but he skates very well for his size, moves the puck and gap controls like an NHL defensemen. Skjei uses his size well and also has underrated physical part of his game.

1.Pavel Buchnevich

20 years old, Winger, 3rd round pick 75th overall.

While this spot could have easily gone to Brady Skjei, Pavel Buchnevich is the top prospect in the Rangers prospect pool. The last time the Rangers had a prospect with this amount of hype, it goes back to Alexei Cherepanov, who unfortunately died in a KHL game in the 2008-2009 season. It’s taken a nick of time, but Buchnevich is the long awaited high end electrifying Russian talented prospect the Rangers have had since Cherepanov. Though Buchnevich opted to stay for another year in the KHL, there’s no reason to believe why he won’t come to North America next season.

Now there was never a question of Buchnevich’s talent, but there is always a risk with drafting a Russian born player in the first three rounds. There is of course no guarantee that they will ever come overseas and take less money playing in the NHL for a brief time. So Russian players often have to chose between playing close to home with a better chance at making more money in the short term, or coming over to the dream of playing in the NHL and having to prove themselves to earn money. It appears this is no longer a risk for the Rangers with Buchnevich.

It was disappointing when Buchnevich opted to stay in the KHL for another season, and there was some doubt if he would ever come overseas. It’s completely understandable however, as he has stressed in many interviews that he has no interest at spending time in the AHL. Now it’s unknown if he would be willing to spend a short amount of time meaning a couple of games, but he’s made it clear that he wouldn’t want to spend an entire season in the AHL.

Buchnevich also felt he would have a tough time making the Rangers roster before training camp this season, due to how deep their is and has been. But after being traded from his hometown team, the Severstal Cherepovets to SKA in exchange for future cash considerations, it’s made it more likely that he will sign with the Rangers after his season.

SKA has moved Buchnevich all over the place from the 1st line from the 4th line, and they have taken away much of his ice time. This could be due to the rumors of him wanting to leave and refusing to discuss an extension next season. SKA being a financially rich team is believed that they will to do everything in their power to hold on to Buchnevich, but even then it may not be enough.

For playing in the second best league and under the age of 20, last season at just 19 years old he was third in all time scoring in KHL history just behind Washington Capitals current NHL allstar, Evgeny Kuznetsov. This also includes Buchnevich having more points than guys like Vladimir Taresenko and Artemi Panarin, playing on a last place team. In terms of Buchnevich’s offensive skill set, he pretty can do it all. Need a tape on tape pass to complete an oddman rush? Need a dynamic play to deke out a defensemen? Need a trigger man on your powerplay? Well Buchnevich has the elite dynamic skill set to make it happen in addition to his speed as well and he’s only going to get better. Even though Buchnevich isn’t a pure sniper like I once thought, he would be the sniper the Rangers have been seeking since Marian Gaborik.

Assuming he signs with the Rangers after his KHL season, he should be able to make the roster right out of training camp and make an immediate impact on one of the Rangers top 9 lines. The sky is the limit for Buchnevich’s potential.