With this year and possibly even next year serving as rebuilding seasons for the Rangers, just how big of a role will each of this players serve moving forward?
Players in this series will be listed 25-1, but will be broken up into clear tiers to distinguish the different groupings and levels represented in the organization.
In Part 5, we’re breaking down a trio of prospects who fall just short of the organization’s top tier talent. That’s not to say these prospects aren’t capable of making the jump, just that they haven’t crossed that invisible barrier yet.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#10 – D K’Andre Miller[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2927″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 4 goals, 12 assists in 22 games for USNTDP Juniors (USHL); 9 goals, 20 assists in 58 games for U.S. U-18 National Team (USDP)
It is hard not to be excited by the seemingly limitless potential K’Andre Miller possesses.
The funny thing about the Rangers draft – and the reason why we should all take a step back from in-the-moment reactions on draft day – is each of the first two picks the Rangers made on draft were slightly disappointing the second they happened. Nearly everyone fell head over heels for Oliver Wahlstrom, which made taking Vitali Kravtsov feel underwhelming.
Same thing goes for Miller, who the Rangers traded up to get before the Ducks could add him, and who the Rangers elected to take over Dominik Bokk. At the time, Rangers fans I knew shrugged their shoulders.
Now? Ho boy.[/text_output]
Still, scouts have raved about his two-way ability, praising his speed and transition game that makes him a force offensively, while also using his long reach to disrupt neutral zone passes. The way scouts have gushed about his game makes you think of exceptionally talented defenseman who are so good at turning defense into offense that they can flip the ice with one flick of the wrist. It’s extremely lofty expectations to say an 18-year-old who only recently took to defense could one day be a top-pairing defenseman, but that’s exactly the type of talent Miller possesses.
At the same time, while his boom potential is what gets him into my top 10, it’d be irresponsible to simply ignore the possibility of a bust.
His defensive game still remains fairly raw, which is what helps create so many potentially positive outcomes for his game. But that raw game also opens up the possibility that Miller can’t fully adapt to a blue line role. Still, Miller’s body type and raw speed makes him such an ideal model for what NHL defensemen are becoming in this new era of hockey. If he receives the right coaching, both at the NCAA level (he’ll play at Wisconsin, the same program that produced the likes of Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Suter, Jake Gardiner and Justin Schultz) and within the Rangers organization.
It’s hard to be any more excited about Miller’s potential. He’s as exciting a defensive prospect the Rangers have had since McDonagh. His development long-term could potentially have a bigger impact on the Rangers rebuild than the nine players I have listed ahead of him.
I’ll let NHL prospect writer Steve Kournianos, who was extremely high on Miller going into the draft, summarize Miller for you:[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”2929″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#9 – D Libor Hajek[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2930″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 8 goals, 17 assists in 33 games for Saskatoon Blades (WHL); 4 goals, 10 assists in 25 games for Regina Pats (WHL)
When news broke that the Rangers were sending Ryan McDonagh south to Tampa, speculation immediately began to swirl about who Jeff Gorton may have been able to pry away from the Lightning. The pipe dream of acquiring someone like Mikhail Sergachev or Cal Foote was sparked anew, but that’s not what happened.
The moment the trade happened, there seemed to be a small depression about the quality of prospects the Rangers received. That narrative, however, has changed drastically in the last few months.
Rangers fans may have been unfamiliar with Libor Hajek leading up to the trade deadline, but are very familiar with his set of skills now. Immediately after the trade call was completed with the Lightning, the front office specifically mentioned Hajek as being the key to the entire trade, and the type of talent acquisition that made them more comfortable including a talented winger like J.T. Miller into the deal.
Hajek excelled last year in juniors, including a starring role on Regina’s blue line after a mid-season trade sent him to the Memorial Cup contender. Like many defensive prospects who make up the Rangers future, Hajek is a versatile, two-way defender who flashes plus-speed and an advanced understanding of how to move the puck forward without sacrificing physicality in the defensive end. He may never develop into the type of power play specialist someone like Tony DeAngelo is, but he is adept at helping create scoring chances for his forwards.
Hajek also opened eyes this year with his international play, posting 15 points in 15 games in various competitions. He’s on the record saying his goal come training camp is to force the Rangers hand and win a spot on the opening night roster, which would be fantastic. At the same time, it’s important to remember that him starting in Hartford is not at all an indication of what type of player he may develop into. Hajek would benefit from playing top pair minutes in the minors before getting his feet wet in New York, so whatever happens in training camp is by no means a step backwards for him.
Now, here comes the caveat.
A lot can change in terms of the steps Hajek takes in his transition to professional hockey, so I’m not trying to make any sweeping guarantees. To me, though, I think it would be unfair to view Hajek as a potential top pairing player in the NHL, much in the same way someone like Brady Skjei might not be a top pairing defender.
That’s not to say Hajek isn’t a great prospect or anything like that. I feel like some forget just how important it is to have quality, strong second pairing defenders. We’ve seen all too often what happens when a team doesn’t have either adequate defensive depth or quality players getting minutes throughout the line-up. In order for a team to be truly successful, your top four on defense need to be above average.
Hajek, to me at least, will be no worse than that. He’s the kind of prospect where his ceiling may not be as high as others, but his floor is significantly higher.
Take, for example, the player I have placed just behind Hajek – K’Andre Miller. Miller’s potential feels limitless. He can develop into a top pairing defender if everything breaks right, but he also has a volatile bust potential that I don’t think exists with Hajek. There are more certainties surrounding Hajek’s game right now.
And Hajek absolutely could take a giant step forward this year and emerge as a top pairing-caliber player. I personally think it’s irresponsible to put those expectations on him out of the gate, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
Libor Hajek’s presence in the Rangers system is a tremendous improvement to the quality of defender depth the team now boasts. He’s going to play serious minutes in Hartford, and I’d be stunned if we didn’t see him in a Rangers uniform before this year is over. He’s going to be a good NHL player. Maybe not a star, but he’s absolutely part of this team’s long-term solution to their defensive question.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#8 – C Brett Howden[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2938″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 24 goals, 51 assists in 49 games for Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
At times, it feels like Brett Howden gets lost in the shuffle when people are talking about the Rangers young center prospects.
Almost all the focus has been put on the futures of Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson, with reason. Both are incredibly talented and on the cusp of potentially making a huge difference on the parent club roster.
But that has almost eclipsed the presence of Howden, who deserves to be part of that ongoing conversation regarding what the Rangers will look like down the middle for years to come.
If it was fair to say Ty Ronning made the WHL his bitch last year, it’s completely fair to say Howden has had ownership of opposing teams during his last 2+ years in the WHL. Howden has put up 62 goals and 156 points in 107 games with Moose Jaw in his final two seasons with the team. In this year’s playoffs, Howden stayed hot, posting seven goals and 15 points in 14 games. The 2016 first round pick also served as captain of the gold medal-winning Canada World Juniors team, putting up three goals and seven points during the seven-game run.
Plain and simple, he scores, and scores often. He may not be as creative as Chytil in terms of what he can do when in the offensive zone, but he drives the possession and creates opportunities for himself and his linemates.
While we are going to focus heavily during training camp on how Andersson and Chytil fit into the Rangers opening night line-up, Howden’s presence shouldn’t and won’t be ignored. If both Andersson and Chytil make the Rangers line-up to start the season, it’ll be Howden assigned to Hartford’s top line, and it’ll be just as important for management to make sure Howden has the tools to excel in the AHL as it is for the international teens.
That’s why it’s been so important for the Rangers to not just build up their depth on the wings, but maintain it. Howden is going to have the opportunity to play with at least one of Michael Lindqvist/Ville Meskanen, proven international scoring wings, and likely one of Ty Ronning/Tim Gettinger, goal hawks who cut their teeth with Howden in Juniors last year. That kind of young firepower has been absent from Hartford for the last couple of years, and now the Rangers will finally enjoy seeing some of their more highly-touted prospects getting the chance to develop alongside one another.
Defensively, Howden’s game is solid. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s going to be a shutdown defensive center, but he projects to be solid enough in the defensive zone where David Quinn shouldn’t feel naked if he were to give him D-zone starts.
A popular question I’ve seen thrown around when bringing up Howden: can the Rangers play all these guys at center long-term?
For starters, there’s no such thing as too much center depth. Having too many quality NHL centers is a phenomenal problem to have, because they’ll always have trade value.
Second, expecting all three of Andersson, Chytil and Howden to remain at center long-term feels irresponsible. One of them will eventually settle on a wing in all likelihood, similar to how shortstop prospects eventually settle on other positions when there’s either a need for it or a more talented, established player has already claimed a spot.
If Howden sticks at center, he will find success in the middle six, and any team would happily skate him there. Projecting anyone to be a top line center is extremely difficult, and I enjoy that those expectations haven’t been thrown around willy nilly.
Don’t let Howden get lost in the shuffle. His upcoming season in Hartford, to me, is as important as whatever we see from Lias Andersson this year. The only difference is one is likely to learn in New York, while the other learns in the AHL.
Note from Drew Way: I’ve been banging the drum that Brett Howden is a better prospect than many Rangers fans give him credit for, for a while now. Ranger fans seem enamored with Libor Hajek when discussing the McDonagh & Miller trade, likely due to the report that came out that the Rangers pushed hard to get Hajek included, but I’ll die on the hill that Howden was the best piece the Rangers got in that deal.
He has many power forward elements to his game, and still has plenty of room on his 6′ 3” frame to add more muscle. However, in my opinion, what makes him stand out is his playmaking ability, which coupled with his strong net-front play can lend itself to helping him develop into a legitimate second-line center. I understand why some project him to be a third-liner, as his shot does leave some to be desired, but personally, I couldn’t disagree more with the individuals out there that make claims that his “ceiling” is that of a third-line center.
Also, for what it’s worth, Howden is the 44th ranked prospect in the NHL according to Manny Perry’s new prospect evaluation model, which considers projected production and probability of making the NHL to assign total values to prospects. While I personally wouldn’t put him in my top-50 NHL prospects, his underlying abilities and prior production absolutely leaves a case to be made for it. [/text_output]
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?