NYR Prospect Rankings: 11-15

In the third part of our article series that counts down the top-25 prospects in the New York Rangers’ pipeline, our draft and prospect analysts Rich Coyle, George Obremski, Shawn Taggart and Drew Way give their thoughts and analysis on the prospects that ranked 11-15 in our aggregate site rankings. For the most part, we had a good amount of agreement among our individual ranks for these three players. However, Joey Keane is the one exception with this group, who was behind only Tim Gettinger in terms of the greatest variance among our individual ranks, and was ranked as high as 9^th and as low as 20^th in our individual ranks.

As a reminder, we use Calder trophy eligibility as our definition of whether a player is a prospect or not. All player profile information is courtesy of eliteprospects, unless otherwise noted. If you missed either of our first two articles, you can access them from the following links:

• Eric Ciccolini, 24. Tim Gettinger, 23. Ty Ronning, 22. Sean Day, 21. Olof Lindbom
• Calle Själin, 19. Ville Meskanen, 18. Ryan Lindgren, 17. Lauri Pajuniemi, 16. Jakob Ragnarsson

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: January 24, 2001 (18)
• Nation: Finland
• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 5’ 9’’
• Weight: 176 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2019, 130^th overall pick (round 5)
• 2019-2020 Team: KalPa (Liiga)

Rich – Leevi Aaltonen was one of my favorite picks that the Rangers made in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s an undersized, offensively gifted forward with TONS of speed to burn.

I immediately think Michael Grabner, but with the potential to be better. Aaltonen has a very good shot with a quick and accurate release. I’m not so sure he’ll be the greatest of playmakers, but he certainly won’t be a bad one. He’ll be a deadly counter-attacking threat who is fantastic in transition and keeps teams tracking him when he’s on the ice. He’ll be the perfect guy to catch you sleeping and blow right past you, similar counter-attacking players in soccer. He’s going to need some time to develop in Finland, but the Rangers system is so deep that they have the luxury of being extremely patient with him. I think Aaltonen’s ceiling is that of a third line winger who could give you about 20 goals a season and be a mainstay on the team’s top PK unit.

George – The Rangers might have drafted a steal with their 5th round pick here in Aaltonen. His speed is his best attribute here as Pronman stated right after the pick.

Because of his speed, he’s able to push defenders back when on the rush and he’s also able to force others when in his own end. The undersized winger has the skill to finish with a good shot as well as make good passes while in the offensive zone.

Aaltonen will still need a few years to develop in Finland before he has a chance of making the NHL team. The more I watch him, the more I feel I under-ranked him in my own personal rankings, as I had him 18^th in our system. As I continued to watch him, I see a lot of similarities to former Rangers speedster, Michael Grabner, in that he could be a solid depth forward in our bottom 6 with the ability to play on the PK and push the play during 5 on 5.

Shawn – Drafted in the 5^th round in this year’s draft for the Rangers, they drafted a talented winger who can play both the left and the right side and has done so quite easily without showing any issue playing both sides. He’s undersized and does easily get pushed around in some tight areas but his speed and his vision gets him places.

One thing that I would like to see him do is bulk up a bit so he can stick with the puck, so he isn’t pushed off it so easily. This will allow him to get into the areas he has difficulty in so he can be a better player overall.

Drew – I liked the value of a number of the picks the Rangers made in this past draft, but none more so than when they selected Leevi Aaltonen at 130^th overall. Although I only published my top-62 prospects in the final 2019 draft ranks, on my own personal spreadsheet that I use to compile the rankings I actually had 152 players included, and I had Aaltonen ranked 81^st. Needless to say, the Aaltonen pick represented tremendous value in my eyes with a ton of potential upside.

As everyone has already pointed out, Aatonen’s skating ability is what helps him stand out in this draft class, and I’d argue that if you were to rank all 2019 draft prospects by their skating ability alone, Aaltonen is comfortably in the top-5. He has elite top-end speed and acceleration, and he uses both to be a terror on the rush and a tenacious forechecker. He has a well-rounded offensive skillset and is defensively responsible, which led to him being trusted on both the penalty kill and power play last year for the Finnish U18 squad and KalPa’s U20 team.

He possesses a high-end motor, decent playmaking ability and a sneaky wrist shot, which combined with his speed should allow him to have a long NHL career. While I’ve jokingly referred to him as Carl Hagelin with better hands, it should be noted that Aaltonen doesn’t have the best hands either, and his puck skills are a bit lacking for an undersized player. He isn’t afraid to engage physically in the least, an admirable trait, but he certainly will need to add strength before being ready to sniff an NHL roster.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: July 2, 1999 (20)
• Nation: USA
• Position: Defense
• Height: 6’ 0’’
• Weight: 185 lbs
• Shoots: Right
• Drafted: 2018, 88^th overall pick (round 3)
• 2019-2020 Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

Rich – Joey Keane is a prospect I like, but not to the degree I have seen people pushing him in the NYR community. I think the whole Keanesanity thing, where people were pegging Keane as a potential top-4 defenseman, was taken way too far last season.

Most of us know the book on Keane by now, he was drafted as an overager (D+1) in the 3rd round in 2018. He’s a smooth-skating defender who is competent in all areas of the ice. He’s efficient in what he does and doesn’t take many risks, thus limiting the mistakes he makes. He turned heads at Rangers training camp last season, but the beginning of his season with Barrie in the OHL wasn’t particularly great. That certainly played into why Keane was cut from the US World Junior team despite the Americans being short on dependable right-handed defenseman. After a mid-season trade to the London, Keane looked like the player we were used to seeing.

I think it’s more than fair to say I am lower on Keane than most because he doesn’t possess the same upside as some of the other defenseman in the Rangers prospect pool (I tend to be drawn to players with higher upside). In my opinion, the best case scenario is that Keane becomes a sturdy #4 defenseman. He should be a key cog in Hartford next season. Although I am lower on Keane than most, I think he’s one of the better bets in the entire system to hit his prospective ceiling.

George – Drafted 88^th overall in the 2018 draft, Joey Keane is a smooth skating defenseman who is a prototypical NHL defenseman of today. He has a good combination of skill, skating, and sandpaper; he isn’t afraid of putting his body on the line and is also more than capable of using his skill in the offensive zone. He also is good in his own end, featuring skating ability to get away from an offensive forecheck and he makes good outlet passes. He’s a prospect that doesn’t have that “wow” in his game but does everything at a good enough level to be successful.

He signed an ELC after his last season in the OHL where he produced 39 points in 66 games. Keane is still a few years away from making the NHL roster but he should develop nicely in the AHL, even though the Rangers should have a very good defensive core so ice time might be limited for him.

Shawn – Drafted in the 3^rd round in the 2018 entry draft, this defenseman raised some eyebrows by his strong play for the London Knights and Barrie Colts last year in the OHL. He’s a guy who can handle his own in the team’s defensive end, but is known to take chances and really gives his team confidence when he’s on the ice.

This is going to be an important year, his first year in the pro side of things. With the Rangers having a boat load of defenseman, he is someone who can easily take control of things and if he plays well, could see time as a call-up during the regular season. I feel he has all the tools to be a decent second pairing defenseman in the NHL.

Drew – I was one of what seemed like only a select few that was perfectly happy with the Joey Keane pick the moment it happened. However, despite this, I feel it is now my duty to throw a bit of cold water on his hype, which feels like it has gotten a bit out of hand from many in our great fanbase. From the moment he was invited to the US World Junior Summer showcase shortly after the draft, it seemed like the hype train for Keane ramped up to full force, and this continued as he performed well in the pre-season for the Rangers. His OHL season was a bit tumultuous, but a trade to London really lit a fire under him—and I’m sure playing on a very talented team that includes Connor McMichael, Liam Foudy, Adam Boqvist, Evan Bouchard and an early favorite of mine to win the 2020 Ty Smith Memorial Trophy, Antonio Stranges, didn’t hurt—and the hype train was back in full force.

Now, before I toss the proverbial bucket of cold water on you, let me talk about why I liked him at the time of the draft, and why I still like him. Along the lines of a Matthew Robertson type, Keane is a smooth-skating and mobile defenseman who first and foremost is dependable in his own zone. He has a high IQ and great positional awareness, and perhaps his best skating attribute is how quickly he can skate backwards, which prevents even strong-skating forwards from being able to blow by him. He always seems to play the proper angle, which furthers how difficult he is to get around. His skating lends itself well. He also is fantastic in transition, is borderline elite at zone entries and has a great track record of having significantly positive influences on his team’s shooting and expected goal numbers when he is on the ice, which are in-part captured in the chart below, courtesy of the fantastic work of Mitch Brown.

Now it’s time for the cold water. While Keane has many intriguing skills, he also has a number of holes in his game from what I’ve seen in my viewings. He’s an average-at-best playmaker and has limited puck skills, and I don’t believe his shot is anything worth note either. He is an intelligent player however, which can help make up for his iffy passing skills, so I’ll give credit where credit is due. However, most of his offensive skill lies in his transition ability and fantastic ability to gain clean entry into the offensive zone, but once the team has established possession his abilities are limited.

I’m big on trying to balance upside, floor and most likely outcome of a prospect when I compile my own rankings, and I personally had Keane 15^th in the Rangers pipeline. I think his most likely outcome is a 3^rd pair defenseman, and his ceiling is that of a middle-tier 2^nd pair D, with a floor of a career AHLer that gets the occasional callup as injuries arise. Now, those projections are excellent for a guy that was taken in the 3^rd round, but it seems based on many conversations I’ve had with fans that many seem to think both his ceiling and most likely outcome are higher. Still, don’t let me belief that Keane has become a bit overrated among Ranger fans deter from the fact that I do believe he’ll have a meaningful NHL career, and it could potentially start as early as the end of this season, depending on team performance, injuries and his own development.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: October 18, 2000 (18)
• Nation: USA
• Position: Defense
• Height: 5’ 10’’
• Weight: 176 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2019, 68^th overall pick (round 3)
• 2019-2020 Team: UMass Amherst (NCAA)

Rich – Out of all the picks the Rangers made in the 2019 NHL Draft (with the exception of Kaapo Kakko), Zac Jones was undoubtedly my favorite pick.

I first came to know of Jones thanks to Will Scouch (He did an extensive video breakdown on Jones), who was conducting the hype train all year. Jones is an undersized puck moving defenseman. Who doesn’t love those? He is a decent skater with some great agility. His speed isn’t fantastic, but some of the cuts and weaves he makes are outstanding. He uses his smarts to create offense, and plenty of it (as evidenced by his 52 points in 56 USHL games this past season). There isn’t much lacking in his game, but he could do with improving his straight-line speed and decision-making on breakouts.

Luckily for Jones, he’s going to a great spot for his development in UMass, where he should play a significant role from the get-go. He will have an ample amount of time to hone his craft, as the Rangers are in no rush to get him to the pros with the plethora of left-handed defenseman they have under contract. I think he has the potential to become a good second-pairing defenseman who sees a decent amount of power-play time.

George – Drafted in the 3rd round of this most recent draft, Zac Jones was named rookie of the year in this past season in the USHL. He is an offensive defenseman who has the ability to move the puck well, whether it be by skating or making a pass. He has good hands and his skating ability is very good and he uses it well in the offensive zone. During the USHL season, he was almost a point per game player where he scored 7 goals and had 45 assists in 56 games. He has a good, strong shot that seems to get through and on the net as well as the ability to make a solid first pass out of the zone.

Jones is committed to play at Umass Amherst for this upcoming season and he will need a few years to develop but based off his offensive skill, he could fit in the Rangers top 6 in the future

Shawn – Drafted this year in the 3^rd round, this was easily one of my favorite non-Kaako picks of the draft for the New York Rangers. The American defenseman, who is committed to going to UMass-Amherst is ready to take that team by storm, and possibly slot in on their top pairing.

Jones will more than likely play all four years with UMass, and that isn’t a bad thing at all, probably preferred. Jones could be in line to be one of the top Ranger defensive prospects, along the lines with Miller and Keane. Something tells me the Rangers stole Jones, and that is not a bad thing at all.

Drew – Zac Jones was a fantastic upswing swing to take by the Rangers at the 68^th overall selection. He is a gifted offensive defenseman who as a rookie for Tri-City in the USHL had an involvement percentage (percentage of goals that occurred while he was on the ice that he registered a point on) of nearly 25%, which is a very notable figure for a defenseman, especially a rookie in his league. His mobility with the puck on his stick is his strongest attribute. While he does not possess blazing top-end speed, he has elite acceleration and edgework, and he’s an incredibly shifty and elusive skater, which helps him weave through the opposing defense and avoid many big hits.

Jones is a physical player for an undersized defenseman, is very active on the backcheck and has one of the more active sticks on defense of any prospect in the Rangers system. For someone who is only 5’10, 176 lbs, he wins far more board battles than you’d anticipate, an encouraging sign for the future, especially if he’s able to add more strength as he matures. These traits coupled with his skating allow him to be a great puck retriever in his own zone. Further, his puck-retrieval skills are complemented by his great ability to move the puck out of the defensive zone and up the ice; he’s a fantastic puck rusher, but also isn’t afraid to pass it out of his own zone as well.

However, despite the very rosy picture I just painted, there certainly are multiple reasons why Zac Jones was available at 68^th overall, and why he was projected to go around that area by myself and many others. While he is a great puck rusher, I do think his passing ability is very over-stated by many Rangers fans I’ve seen discussing him as a prospect. According to Will Scouch’s tracking data, he only completed 70% of the passes he attempted; for reference, USNTDP defenseman Domenick Fensore, who was taken 90^th by the Hurricanes, completed 80% of his passes last year, and the 80% range is a common area for players considered to be skilled passers.

Further, for someone as talented as he is with the puck on his stick, he dumps the puck into the offensive zone far too often for my liking. Perhaps this is something that his coach has asked him to do, and I’ll certainly keep an eye on if this continues next year at UMass, but at this point it does lead me to question his decision making at times. Further, along similar lines of questioning his decision making, his gap control is often too loose and he’s prone to be caught chasing the play too much in his own zone, leading him to be out of position. His shot overall I think is fine; he lacks the velocity you’d hope for from a defenseman, but his shot is accurate and he rarely misses the net, and he often will pass up the point shot, get by an opposing defender and take a higher quality shot on net.

Long story short, Zac Jones is a gifted player with many positive attributes, but I also think at this moment he also possesses multiple notable holes in his game as well. However, I think there is definitely reason for optimism that coaching and systems were at least part to blame for some of his issues last year, such as his frequent dump ins and loose gap control, and I’m eager to see if they can improve this year. If they do, watch out, Zac Jones may very quickly rise up these prospect rankings.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: December 2, 1998 (20)
• Nation: Canada
• Position: Center
• Height: 6’ 2’’
• Weight: 209 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2017, 174^th overall pick (round 6)
• 2019-2020 Team: Cornell University (NCAA)

Rich – Morgan Barron has gone from “who the hell is this guy?” when he was drafted in 2017 to becoming one of the better prospects in the Rangers system.

Not many prospect people, even the established ones knew much of Morgan Barron when he was drafted out of the Canadian HS system. In his freshman year at Cornell in 2017-18, there were inconsistencies and growing pains, but that was to be expected with Barron making an extraordinary jump in the quality of competition he was facing. He finished his freshman year with 18 points in 34 games. This past season however, Barron has made a major jump forward and put himself on the map as a legitimate NHL prospect. Barron established himself as the primary driver of Cornell’s offense and had a hand in 31% of his team’s goals (15g-19a-34p in 36GP).

With all that being said, I don’t think it’s out of the question that we could eventually see Morgan Barron being a middle-six forward in the NHL. He still needs at least one more year of driving Cornell’s offense before he’s ready for the pros. Barron hasn’t played a single NHL game yet, but indications are he could be a diamond in the rough.

George – Not the most skilled forward, Morgan Barron is still a solid prospect who took a huge jump in his production for Cornell this past season. In his freshman year, he scored 5 goals and 13 assists only to jump to 15 goals and 19 assists in his sophomore season. The jump in production proves that he has some skills and can take the next step after developing. Already at NHL size at 6’2” and 209 lbs, he is very good at using his size to his advantage.

With his size, Morgan can be a solid depth player who could play meaningful minutes as a bottom 6 forward. While still a few years away, it’s unknown if the Rangers will actually give him a contract after his Junior year of college. If he continues to produce like he did last season, I think he should get his ELC contract and he would still need another year in the AHL before having a chance of making the NHL.

Shawn – I think that this is one of the more underrated draftees the Rangers had in the 2017 entry draft. Drafted in the 6^th round, Barron has taken his game to the next level and has shown that he could be a very special player for the Rangers after he completes his time at Cornell.

Going into his junior season, he’s going to look to continue his strong play in all three areas for the Rangers. As a team who is starving for centers, you could look no further than a player like Barron, eventually making an impact in New York.

Drew – Morgan Barron is a fantastic success story for the Rangers scouting department, taken in the 6^th round of the 2017 draft and is now already in the argument for being a top-10 prospect in a very deep Rangers pipeline. He had a fantastic sophomore campaign for Cornell, accumulating 15 goals and 19 assists in just 36 games. In my personal viewings of Barron, two things stand out every single time I watch. The first is how incredibly strong he is and how difficult he is to remove from the puck, especially for someone that was often playing against players at least a year older than he was. The second was his intelligence; rare are the moments when Barron doesn’t make the right play with the puck, whether that’s a decision to pass, shoot, or maintain possession and skate around to wait for something to develop.

Barron is not the most dynamic player out there, but he does have more skill than I think he gets credit for. He is a plus skater for someone his size. His top-end speed is nothing to write home about, but he has good balance and edgework, allowing him to have a shiftiness to his game that is rare for a big player. He has an accurate and hard shot, and also has good vision and playmaking in the offensive zone. In his own end he has occasional lapses on defense, which is common for a sophomore, but his combination of IQ, skating and strength allows him to be a fairly reliable defender, and I’m confident as he develops further he can turn into a real positive in his own end.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: February 5, 2001 (18)
• Nation: Sweden
• Position: Center
• Height: 5’ 9’’
• Weight: 174 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2019, 58^th overall pick (round 2)
• 2019-2020 Team: Frölunda HC J20 (SuperElit)

Rich – The Rangers got fine value when they drafted Karl Henriksson at 58^th overall. I personally had him in the early 3^rd round, albeit on a tier that stretched from the late 2^nd round into the early 3^rd.

Henriksson is playmaking center who doesn’t have many holes in his game. His skating is very good and although he is small, (5’9, 175lbs) he has good balance and is tough to knock off pucks. Henriksson is a fantastic passer of the puck, particularly at high speeds. He doesn’t really shoot the puck that often, but he does score his fair share of goals. One big question mark with Henriksson was whether his scoring (13g-36a-49p) came as a result of playing with highly touted 2020 NHL Draft prospect Lucas Raymond. As you’ll see in the chart that George included in his analysis of Henriksson, it does not appear that this was the case.

Moving forward with Henriksson, I am hopeful that he will get meaningful minutes in the SHL next season. He is still very raw and might need a few more seasons in Sweden before he is ready to come over to North America. With that being said, I think he’s got a solid chance of becoming a top-six forward for the Rangers. Today’s game is much more predicated on speed and skill, and Karl Henriksson fits that mold perfectly.

George – The Rangers drafted Henriksson with the 2^nd round pick they got from the Ryan McDonagh trade with Tampa. Henriksson is an undersized forward who has a good combination of skating, skill and ability. He’s an extremely smart player who anticipates the movements of both his teammates and opponents. Because he’s good at anticipating his opponents, he’s very good in his own end. His skating is solid but it’s something that can improve with development in the SHL. He’s more of a playmaker than a scorer but he has a solid shot but it does lack some power.

He had 49 points in 45 games with Frolunda of the SuperElit. He plays with 2020 top 5 pick, Lucas Raymond, so there was concern about Raymond carrying his play but that’s not the case.

Even though he’s a bit undersized, he’s strong on the puck and has the potential to be a 2nd line center who can be a solid complete player. He is still a few years away from making the NHL and he will play for Frolunda of the SHL for the next few years.

Shawn – Drafted in the 2^nd round in this year’s draft, Henriksson is a Swedish center who has some soft hands, and is a great playmaker who has continued to improve as he continues his climb through the Frölunda organization. He made the most of his time with the U20 club last year, but was loaned back to the U18 team after the U20 team was eliminated from the playoffs.

We should see most of his time with the U20 club in this upcoming season, and honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the main Frölunda club to play with Joel Lundqvist. He has the ability to be an impact player for Frölunda, gaining valuable experience, and learning on how to be a pro. When ready, he could be that top-6 center we’re dying for.

Drew – I was happy with the Henriksson pick at the time, despite the fact the Rangers passed on my 2019 Ty Smith Memorial Trophy winner Pavel Dorofeyev for a second time, and everything I’ve watched, read and researched since the draft has made me like the pick even more. I had Henriksson ranked 60^th in my final ranks, and if I were to re-do my ranks right now based on some additional insight I’ve gathered on many of the prospects since the draft, I’d probably have him closer to 50. Admittedly, this is considerably higher than many traditional pundits, but

Henriksson was easily among one of the best offensive players in the Swedish SuperElit league last year, and the chart George showed above, courtesy of Evan Oppenheimer, shows that it was a false narrative to suggest that Henriksson’s production—13 goals and 36 assists in 45 games—was not simply a byproduct of playing on a line with 2020 super prospect Lucas Raymond. Henriksson is a quick and agile skater, but most impressive to me is his ability to perform at top speeds with ease. He has soft hands, very good stick handling and great passing skills, and his ability to do all of these at top speeds really allows him to stand out when you watch him play. He does lack top-end speed however, and does get caught by opposing defenders from time to time.

While he is a playmaker first, he also has a good shot, bolstered by a quick release and good accuracy. He also has a keen ability to slip through the defense into a dangerous area of the ice and fire a quick wrister on net. He is a very high-IQ player, has great poise and patience with the puck on his stick, and often will pass up the easy play to allow things to develop and make a better play. Despite being undersized, he is willing to engage physically and shows no hesitancy driving to the net or battling along the boards. He is excellent in transition and is a more than capable defender, possessing an active stick, good instincts and positional awareness and great anticipation.

Despite how much I enjoy Henriksson as a player, there are certainly elements of his game he needs to improve. Despite my praise for his hockey IQ and patience, he does appear to over-think things sometimes and try to do too much, which manifests itself in him either trying to force a play or hanging onto the puck for too long, resulting in a turnover. While his willingness to engage physically is admirable, he easily gets out-muscled by bigger opponents, particularly along the boards, and needs to add considerable leg and core strength to remedy this. While his defensive play is certainly a plus when he’s on, he is fairly inconsistent in terms of his effort on the defensive end, which leads him to end up trying to take shortcuts such as over-committing to a steal attempt, deciding to avoid a board scrum in his own zone or not being as active as he should as the play develops around him in his own zone.

All in all, while Henriksson is undersized and lacks some of the elite attributes common among those taken higher than him in the draft, I believe he has all the tools to potentially develop into a strong, possession-driving center at the NHL level. His diverse skillset should allow him to contribute across any game state, and he can be a positive contributor across all three zones. Further, he is currently in the Frölunda system, which has an excellent reputation for development, and I’m confident he’ll take another step forward in his development this season.

Scouting Grades:

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