NYR Prospect Rankings: 21-25

This is the first in a series of posts where we will count down the top-25 prospects in the Rangers pipeline, as rated by our draft and prospect analysts Rich Coyle, George Obremski, Shawn Taggart and Drew Way. I (Drew) put a lot of thought into whether I wanted to do a series like this for Blueshirts Breakaway, with my main concern being that I didn’t want to come across as if I was just completely ripping off the fantastic annual series that Adam Herman does for Blueshirt Banter. But, at the end of the day, Rich, George and Shawn were on board with providing our own perspectives on the Rangers pipeline, and we’ve had plenty of people asking our opinions on various prospects, so we decided to go ahead with it. So, definitely check out Adam’s work, we can’t recommend it enough, but also enjoy our perspectives in this series as well, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us if you have any questions.

Our process of creating our aggregate top-25 prospect rankings was each analyst individually and independently created their own top-30, and then we combined them all into an Excel spreadsheet and averaged out all of the ranks to get the aggregate list. As of now, the plan is for our last article in this series to be one that shares the individual ranks of each analyst and allows them all to discuss players that they disagreed on the group about. In each ranking article, each of our analysts will give their take on every ranked player, and the top of each player’s section will include a player profile with some key facts and measurables. This first article focuses on the prospects that we collectively ranked from 21-25 among all Rangers prospects.

One note on our methodology: we use Calder trophy eligibility as our definition of whether a player is a prospect or not. For those of you unfamiliar with the eligibility rules, this is what they are listed as on the NHL website. “To be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league. Beginning in 1990-91, a player must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible.” So, by this definition, Lias Andersson for example is not a prospect, and will not be included in our ranks. All player profile information is courtesy of eliteprospects, unless otherwise noted.

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: January 14, 2002 (18)
• Nation: Canada
• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 6’ 0’’
• Weight: 170 lbs
• Shoots: Right
• Drafted: 2019, 205^th overall pick (round 7)
• 2019-2020 Team: University of Michigan (NCAA)

Rich – Ciccolini is someone whom I was not familiar with when the Rangers drafted him in the 7th round of this past draft. The OJHL isn’t a league that is known for producing many top prospects, but it’ll usually have a player or two drafted every year. Ciccolini was the league’s lone draft pick in 2019.

Ciccolini is a gifted offensive player who has quickly become one of my favorite prospects in the system. He’s got some tools that I really, really like. A very good skater, Ciccolini has a great top speed and he gets to it very quickly. His playmaking ability is very good — he’s great at reading what he sees and making plays based off of it. The most lethal weapon in his arsenal is most definitely his shot. Ciccolini shoots the puck hard and accurately, but the most enticing aspect of his shot is his lightning quick release. In terms of his two-way game, Ciccolini is a hard worker who holds his own defensively.

Ciccolini led his team in points by a very wide margin. He had a point on 41% of the goals his team scored this season. That indicates that he was “the guy” for his team. In retrospect, the Minnesota Wild drafted Jack McBain from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens (the same team Ciccolini played for) in the 3rd round of the 2018 Draft. Ciccolini garnered the more impressive statistical profile during his draft year while playing on a team that wasn’t as good as the team McBain was on during his. Ultimately, I am of the belief that Ciccolini is the better player and the Rangers got him in the 7th round.

My only real concern with Ciccolini is the strength of competition he faced. I would have really liked to see him do what he did this season in a stronger league. In fact, we likely aren’t even here talking about Ciccolini if he has a good World Jr. A Challenge. I don’t doubt that he could’ve been a top-100 pick if he impresses at that tournament. I don’t believe he’s going to be a top-6 forward, but I think he’s got some solid upside as a scoring winger in the NHL. He’s going to play for Michigan in the NCAA — a great spot for all parties involved. The Rangers can afford to be patient with Ciccolini and Ciccolini has an ample amount of time to develop and improve his game. Don’t be surprised if Ciccolini skyrockets up the prospect rankings by this time next year.

George – Voted as the Ontario Junior Hockey Leagues (OJHL) top prospect at the end of the season, Eric Ciccolini is a highly skilled forward that can play both center or wing. At 6 feet exactly, he has good size and is quite quick. He also has a good release and a strong shot. Even being a highly offensively gifted player, Ciccolini is very good in his own end. He displays good gap control and gets into the passing and shooting lanes quickly which often leads to turnovers. He is also a very offensively gifted player with a lot of upside for someone who was drafted so low.

Ciccolini has committed to the University of Michigan this fall and he will probably need all 4 years to develop fully, but I think he has a chance to rise in the rankings in the years to come and could eventually be a solid depth player for the Rangers if he hits pro.

Shawn – With their final pick in this year’s draft, the Rangers drafted this youngster, who’s headed to the University of Michigan to continue his strong offensive play.

From what I found in the video I’ve seen, Ciccolini isn’t afraid to drive to the net, and drive hard to it. He isn’t afraid to shoot, and does have some decent vision, where he sees the ice pretty wide. During his season last year, he had 62 points and seemed to progress as the season went on offensively.

Defensively, like most younger guys, is a work in progress the nice thing about him is the willingness to try in the defensive end. With him going to Michigan next year, I expect him to have a strong season there, where he’ll be asked to do a lot in his freshman year. I expect a lot of people to mention his name once the NCAA season starts.

Drew – Ciccolini is a dynamic and skilled winger with good size and a well-rounded game. In fact, I’d strongly argue that if played in any of the CHL leagues last year instead of the OJHL, despite the fact his numbers would’ve likely been lower—he had 27 goals and 35 assists in just 48 games—he still would’ve gone at least a round or two earlier. NHL central scouting’s report on Ciccolini states he has, “high-end skill set … good offensive hockey sense … has puck-on-a-string control … can see the ice at top speed … dynamic offensive threat … speed and quickness are difference-makers.” Now, how can you not love a 7^th round pick with that sort of description? Obviously he has areas of his game he needs to work on, he was a very late pick after all, but the upside with this kid is clear and obvious, and this was a real home run swing on talent by the Rangers in round 7 and I anticipate him to rise up these ranks in the next few years as I continue to publish Rangers prospect rankings.

For each skater in our Rangers prospect rankings, I will provide my personal hockey attribute scouting grades on each player. While it is traditional to do these on a numeric scale (such as 20-80, which has been popularized in baseball), I’m going to go with standard school-style letter grades, as I find non-baseball fans sometimes struggle to contextualize the 20-80 scale.

Scouting Grades:

• Skating – B+
• Playmaking – B
• Puck Skills – A-
• Shot – B+
• Hockey Sense/IQ – B
• Physicality – C+

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: April 14, 1998 (21)
• Nation: USA
• Position: Left Wing
• Height: 6’ 6’’
• Weight: 220 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2016, 141^st overall pick (round 5)
• 2019-2020 Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

Rich – Gettinger is someone who I’ve been relatively high on since the day we drafted him.

The big winger had a decent start for Hartford this season, and even got called up to the Rangers to replace Cody McLeod when he broke his hand during a fight in November. The situation Gettinger walked into upon his promotion was less than ideal. He ended up playing 4 games with the Rangers and averaged around 7:30 of ice-time per night. His most frequent linemates were Lias Andersson, Steven Fogarty, and Vinni Lettieri. He didn’t record anything in terms of production, and was merely a checking forward in his short stint on Broadway. That is to be expected when you get stuck with another prospect still trying to find his footing in the league and two AHLers. All-in-all, we didn’t learn much from his time with the Rangers this season. Gettinger returned to the dumpster fire in Hartford, and had a good season all things considered. He finished with 27 points (14g, 13a) and was involved in 13% of Hartford’s offense last season. I would say that is pretty good for a first-year pro on a bottom-5 AHL team.

Moving forward, I think Gettinger is a dark horse to make the Rangers out of camp, but I expect him to start the season in Hartford. Hartford should be a much better environment for prospects to play in next season. I don’t see a ton of upside with Gettinger, but he can be a cheap physical presence in the bottom-6 while also being decent at hockey (yes, I’m throwing shade at Tanner Glass and Cody McLeod).

George – I’m not very high on Gettinger, mainly because of his skating ability. At 6’6”, he’s a decent skater and doesn’t really play a physical type of game that would usually come with someone at his size. He won’t shy away from a hit but he isn’t one to lead in physicality if needed. He does have a good shot and is known as a goal scorer. He does go to the dirty areas in front of the net and given his size, it’s a bit tough to move him away from there.

This past season was his 1st in the pros and he ended up with a solid stat line of 14 goals and 13 assists in 64 games with Hartford and he also had a 4-game stint in the NHL. Still young, at 21, he can be a bottom-6 forward for the Rangers in the NHL but with the addition of some other prospects in the past few years, it seems unlikely that he’ll be on the Rangers any time soon.

Shawn – Here’s someone who got time with the big club last year. While only 4 games, and mainly on the fourth line for the Rangers, he still got some time. So, we do have some sort of insight about what he’ll be. A nice middle to bottom six forward if he ever gets to that point for the Rangers.

He had some minor success in Hartford this past year, and will look to build on that and grow a bit for the Wolfpack, who would probably benefit from the continued development from Gettinger. I do think it’s possible that we may see him get called up again, as injuries do happen in the NHL, and I’d be interested in seeing his growth.

Watching his game, he is a nice power forward, who does have the potential to be a solid addition for the Rangers. He just needs to continue to build his game out and continue to show progression in being a complete player for the Rangers.

Drew – Drafted before the rebuild began, Gettinger is a prospect many Ranger fans have known and been tracking for quite some time, and I think this has led to him becoming a bit overrated. Sure, he’s in my top-25, and in fact I personally have him rated 21^st among Rangers prospects, but I still can’t help shake the feeling that when people talk about him as much higher than that—and there are many who do—it seems like they are clinging to the way he was viewed in the pipeline when it was much more barren that it is now.

That said, I do think Gettinger is certainly a worthwhile prospect and I do believe there is a future for him in the bottom-6 of the Rangers. He’s a big, versatile winger that has a strong net front presence. He has a jack-of-all but master-of-none type skillset where he can do a lot of things, but nothing stands out as elite, which ultimately will limit his upside. All that said, if you told me that a couple years from now he’s a 6’ 6’’ version of Jesper Fast, I’d be 100% on-board, especially when you consider he was a 5^th round pick. The one area of his game I really would like to see improve is his physicality; while I do think people overrate “grit” and “sandpaper,” I do think Gettinger struggles to utilize his 6’ 6’’ and strong 220 pound frame to his advantage, and if he can improve on that, he could be a force in the bottom-6 of any team.

Scouting Grades:

• Skating – B-
• Playmaking – B
• Puck Skills – B-
• Shot – B
• Hockey Sense/IQ – B
• Physicality – B-

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: October 20, 1997 (21)
• Nation: Canada
• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 5’ 9’’
• Weight: 172 lbs
• Shoots: Right
• Drafted: 2016, 201^st overall pick (round 7)
• 2019-2020 Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

Rich – After scoring 61 goals in the WHL two seasons ago, Ty Ronning put himself on the map as a legitimate NHL prospect. He came into his first full pro season with some expectations. Unfortunately, instead of taking a step forward, he took a sidestep at best.

The blame for Ronning not taking a step forward partially falls on Ronning, but also on the staff in the Rangers minor league affiliates. In the beginning of the season, Keith McCambridge, the now-fired Hartford coach, did not put Ronning in a position to succeed. Ronning was given bottom-6 minutes whilst the likes of Shawn O’Donnell, Dawson Leedahl, and Ryan Gropp played up in the lineup. There was even a slew of games in which Ronning was a healthy scratch. Ronning was eventually sent to the ECHL, where he produced at a fairly good rate (12g, 10a in 25GP). It was nothing to make your mouth water, but it kept him relevant as an NHL prospect. He returned to Hartford in late February but was plagued by the same issues that he struggled with earlier in the season — either getting stuck in the bottom-6 or being healthy scratched altogether. As a result, Ronning only put up 3 goals and an assist in the final 15 games of the season.

Looking ahead, Ronning needs to get off to a good start next season in Hartford and establish a spot in the middle-6 for himself. As was stated with Tim Gettinger, Hartford should be a much better environment for prospects to play in next season. They were a complete dumpster fire last season, and that played a large part in Ronning being mediocre at best. Nonetheless, I still think Ty Ronning has the potential to be an effective bottom-6 scoring forward in the NHL.

George – Scoring 60 goals is nothing to pass over but as a 19-year-old in a league filled with guys younger than him, it’s something to consider. Either way, the undersized winger dominated his final year with the Vancouver Giants and had trouble in his 1st season of pro hockey with Hartford. He was sent down to the ECHL after having a lot of hype because of his 60-goal season the year before. At 5’9” he doesn’t shy away from the dirty areas in front of the net, but given his size he gets knocked down very easily as shown by this clip against guys younger than him.

With size not being as important as it used to be, Ronning could eventually make the NHL. He will still need another year to determine if he has a chance at the NHL level but given his skill, he could eventually end up being on the Rangers roster, or that of another NHL club, in a depth role.

Shawn – Some things will never change for a forward in the WHL. He’ll have a big season in his final year in the WHL, possibly an overage year, and will fizzle out during his first true test in the pros.

With Ronning that happened. With him being lost in the shuffle, he quickly got sent down to Maine, where he registered 25 points in 22 games. He got another chance in Hartford near the end of the year, but the tougher competition got to him in his first pro season, and he fizzled out yet again during his return to Hartford.

Primarily being on the Wolfpack’s fourth line, he got minimal minutes, and didn’t get enough time in the offensive zone. It didn’t matter though, as he struggled to hit the net, and really be an impact on a team that desperately needed someone to step up their game. With his second pro season upcoming, he has nowhere to go but up, but it seems like it could be too little too late for Ronning, as the Wolfpack made a lot of depth signings to help bolster their offensive ranks.

Drew – After his massive 2017-2018 campaign where Ronning put up 61 goals and 23 assists in 70 games in his overage season for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, he truly disappointed last year, and I feel the shine is largely off Ronning. Personally, I had Ronning at 25, 4 slots behind Gettinger, and I’d strongly argue Gettinger is the better prospect , largely due to Gettinger’s significantly higher probability of becoming an NHL regular. That said, there still are things to like about Ronning’s game and potential.

Ronning has that Mats Zuccarello gene that endears him to fans, in that he never quits on a play and seemingly gets involved in everything, whether it be a breakout or a scuffle, and despite being only 5’ 9’’ and 170 pounds sopping wet, he is certainly not afraid to stick up for himself or his teammates. He is a fast and agile skater, and his high degree of elusiveness helps him avoid big hits in open ice. He possess a quick release and an accurate shot while also generating decent power, particularly for a player of his size. He is skilled with the puck on his stick, but occasionally over-relies on this skill and tries to do too much. All in all, Ronning is still a skilled an intriguing prospect, but if he doesn’t produce at a level more indicative of his talent level this year in the AHL, he might become nothing more than an afterthought in the Rangers’ prospect pipeline. For the record, I’m confident he’ll have a better season, as injuries and truly egregious coaching decisions I feel were at least half to blame for his disappointing season last year.

Scouting Grades:

• Skating – A-
• Playmaking – C+
• Puck Skills – B
• Shot – B+
• Hockey Sense/IQ – B-
• Physicality – B

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: January 9, 1998 (21)
• Nation: Canada
• Position: Defense
• Height: 6’ 2’’
• Weight: 227 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2016, 81^st overall pick (round 3)
• 2019-2020 Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

Rich – We all know the story behind Sean Day. Granted exceptional status in 2013, that allowed him to play on the OHL as a 15-year old. He had all the makings of being an elite defensive prospect, but his lack of hockey sense really showed up during his first few years in the OHL. Once touted as a potential first round selection, Day slid all the way to the Rangers in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Here we are now. Day has just completed his first full pro season, and it was a mixed bag. He was not very good in the beginning of the season for Hartford. I was told that he had trouble keeping up with the pace of the game, he looked out of place, and his decision making was quite sloppy. Couple this with the fact that there was also a logjam of left-handed defenseman in Hartford, and Day found himself getting sent down to Maine in the ECHL. Day was getting top-4 minutes and actually produced quite well. He had 4 goals and 11 assists in 19 games while playing for Maine. He eventually got called back up to Hartford and it wasn’t until the last 20-25 games that we saw Day show signs of the player we know he can be. Day finished the season with 14 points in 46 games, but 12 of those 14 points came in the last 23 games of the season.

Where does Day go from here? Well, there’s going to be a logjam of defenseman in Hartford again next year. Day will be competing with the likes of Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek, Yegor Rykov, and even possibly Tarmo Reunanen for spots on the left side of Hartford’s defense. Day needs to solidify his position in Hartford and look like the player he did towards the end of the season if he wants to increase his stock within the Rangers organization. I think if all goes to plan, the best case scenario for Day is that he’ll be a #4 defenseman in the NHL, if he makes it that far. I’d say the safe bet for Day is a bottom-pairing guy who could fill in on the power-play from time to time.

George – A prospect like John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, and Connor McDavid in that he was given exceptional status by the OHL and was allowed to join that league a year earlier. Other than that, he ended up nothing like those 3. He struggled in the OHL after being drafted 4th overall by Mississauga Steelheads. It was later revealed that his struggles were at least in part due to his brother’s arrest after killing a woman in a vehicle collision while driving drunk. After this came out, his game turned around and the 2017-18 season turned out to be his best season in the OHL (granted, as an overeager). He split time in the AHL and the ECHL this past season because of his play and the boatload of defensemen the New York Rangers have in the organization.

Day is a smooth skater with very good speed and edgework for someone who’s 6’2”. He has a good shot but needs to use it more and he makes simple passes that won’t really create much offensively.

Being picked at a time in which the Rangers were in “win now mode,” he was a solid pick at 81st overall, but he’s since has fallen greatly on depth chart due to the rebuild. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever make the NHL and could end up being an AHL career player.

Shawn – This is a guy, who with the logjam on the defensive side for the Rangers will probably continue to get lost in the shuffle. Day, while he did show promise his second half of his first pro season, split time between Hartford and Maine and really didn’t find his confidence and footing until he got back from his time in the ECHL, and got regular time in Hartford.

What will we see from Day? Possibly more of that progression that made him a risky pick when the Rangers drafted him. He will take the path of Ryan Graves in my opinion, where we wonder why he isn’t getting a shot for the Rangers over some other defensive call-ups from Hartford but will find success for another NHL franchise. There simply is no room for him to be a successful NHLer with the New York Rangers.

Drew – Day is one of the players I struggled the most to place in my rankings, and I personally ended up with him at 23. For a little while early last year and late the prior season, I had come close to completely writing Day off, but his strong finish in Hartford last year made me realize that I was perhaps being a bit premature, and ultimately there is still enough raw talent there to leave me hopeful he can eventually be something. However, while I do feel Day will crack the NHL, due to the Rangers’ depth at defense within their pipeline, I’d bet his debut eventually comes with another team.

When Day is at the top of his game, he jumps off the ice and is clearly noticeable to all viewers. His skating is borderline elite for a defenseman of his size, and he can lead a breakout and rush with the best of his peers. Once established in the offensive zone, Day distributes the puck quickly and smartly, and he also possess a decent shot from the point, one that is good enough to keep the defense honest and keep those ever-important passing lanes open. However, when he is not playing with confidence, everything about his game tends to disintegrate, particularly his decision-making, which can look downright disastrous at times. Let’s hope for his sake he can ride the momentum of a strong finish to last year and continue playing with confidence and his development towards becoming an NHL player.

Scouting Grades:

• Skating – A
• Playmaking – B+
• Puck Skills – B
• Shot – B
• Hockey Sense/IQ – C
• Physicality – B-

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: July 23, 2000 (19)
• Nation: Sweden
• Position: Goalie
• Height: 6’ 2’’
• Weight: 183 lbs
• Catches: Left
• Drafted: 2018, 39^th overall pick (round 2)
• 2019-2020 Team: Mora IK (Allsvenskan)

Rich – When the Rangers drafted Olof Lindbom at 39th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, I was far from a happy camper. I really don’t analyze goalies and I didn’t know much about Lindbom, but there were some really enticing forward options out there. After doing my research, it is my understanding that Lindbom is a pretty good goalie prospect, but he could’ve been had in the later rounds of the draft.

There really isn’t that much to talk about with regards to Lindbom last season. He only played 8 games for Djurgårdens in the SuperElit due to injury. In those 8 games, he had a save percentage of 90%. It’s a small sample size and I wouldn’t make any conclusions based on it.

Heading into the 2019-20 season, it has already been confirmed that Lindbom will be playing for Mora in the Allsvenskan. They were recently relegated from the SHL, and it appears Lindbom will challenge for the starting spot in between the pipes. I’d look out for Lindbom to be apart of the Swedish World Junior team, possibly even getting the nod as the starter if he gets off to a good start this season.

George – Probably the most controversial pick in the 2018 draft, the New York Rangers selected him 39th overall in the 2018 draft. With 1st round talent still available, this pick drew a bit of anger from many fans, but he could eventually become a valuable piece for the Rangers down the road. While his numbers were not the best out of his draft year and the very limited sample size the year after he was drafted, he’s still a solid goalie mechanically. As reported by Rick Carpiniello right after the draft, Benoit Allaire was thrilled with the pick.

Lindbom has very good positioning and plays a similar style to Henrik in that he’s usually deep in the net. He also is good at reading the play through screens and has good rebound and recovery for a bigger goalie. As a younger goalie, he will need 4-5 years to fully develop but he could be a solid backup with Shesty being 27 by the time Lindbom actually makes it. It also never hurts to have multiple goalies in the system.

Shawn – The head scratcher of the 2018 draft for the New York Rangers, as he was drafted in the second round, where most had him picked later in the draft. The Rangers obviously saw something with Lindblom, as his progression to become a quality goaltender continued his trend upward.

Injury really damped his season from what it seems like but when he did get time to play, he looked vastly improved and more confident in his play.

Will he be able to leap over some of the other goaltending prospects that the Rangers have? If I had to guess, Huska and Wall are the most likely to lose potential NHL playing time to Lindbom, who seems like he will get a chance to prove himself once he comes over to the US. He wants to stick around in Sweden for another year, to really hone his game, and to potentially play a full season healthy as his team’s starter. He wants to push forward, the play we saw from him in that brief time we saw him last year, was the type of play we should expect.

Drew – Hey, did we mention that Linbom was a controversial pick!? Feelings about the pick aside, I do feel Linbom is a worthwhile goalie prospect, and in my personal opinion he’s the 2^nd best in the Rangers system thanks to the horrible season Huska had last year. Admittedly, I’m not goalie expert, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. He lost almost all of last year due to injury (concussion), which is an unfortunate setback, but this coming season he is expected to compete for the starting job for Mora IK in the Swedish league Allsvenskan, which while not the SHL, certainly produces high level talent, such as recent high draft picks Elias Pettersson and Philip Broberg. Lindbom is a smart and fundamentally sound goalie who plays a style reminiscent of the King himself, staying deep in his net and relying on his puck tracking and reaction time as opposed to his athleticism.