NYR Prospect Rankings: 1-5

This is it! we’ve finally made it to the final article of our NYR Prospect Rankings series, our top-5 ranked prospects in the Rangers’ pipeline. As always, our draft and prospect analysts Rich Coyle, George Obremski, Shawn Taggart and Drew Way give their thoughts and analysis on the prospects covered in this article. Amazingly enough, all four of us had the exact same group of players in our top-5, just in different orders.

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 three articles, you can access them from the following links:

• 25. Eric Ciccolini, 24. Tim Gettinger, 23. Ty Ronning, 22. Sean Day, 21. Olof Lindbom
• 20. Calle Själin, 19. Ville Meskanen, 18. Ryan Lindgren, 17. Lauri Pajuniemi, 16. Jakob Ragnarsson
• 15. Leevi Aaltonen, 14. Joey Keane, 13. Zac Jones, 12. Morgan Barron, 11. Karl Henriksson
• 10. Tarmo Reunanen, 9. Libor Hájek, 8. Matthew Robertson, 7. Yegor Rykov, 6. Nils Lundkvist

Also, for your convenience, we have posted our full top-25 rankings at the end of this article, which includes the aggregate ranks as well as the individual rankings of each analyst. Enjoy!

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: January 21, 2000 (19)
• Nation: USA
• Position: Defense
• Height: 6’ 5’’
• Weight: 210 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2018, 22^nd overall pick (round 1)
• 2019-2020 Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

Rich – The Rangers traded up from 26 to 22 in the 2018 NHL Draft to get Miller. It’s still early, but it looks like that pick has the potential to be a home-run.

Miller had a sensational freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. Early on, he established himself as one of the best players on the team. He progressed rapidly — a lot faster than any of us could’ve expected. Even though he is still learning the position and has had some noticeable mishaps, he was defensively sound more often than not. Offensively, he was one of the premier threats for the Badgers. His point totals relative to expectations were fantastic — and he would’ve produced even more if it weren’t for a nasty knee injury he suffered in the latter half of the season. He led Wisconsin in points-per-game (or PPG) and he had a point on 28% of Wisconsin’s goal.

This summer at the Rangers Development Camp, we learned that Miller grew to 6’5 210lbs.

The upside with Miller is limitless. A defenseman of that size who can skate the way that he does is rare. The Rangers might have a special player on their hands with Miller. He should have a monster season in 2019-20 with all the shiny new toys around him at Wisconsin.

George – The second of our three first-round picks, K’andre Miller is a 6’5” smooth-skating defenseman who has an extremely high ceiling. Given his size, he was one of the better skaters in the 2018 draft and has the offensive ability to be a force. He played for Wisconsin this past season and he has 22 points in 26 games. Given his skating ability, he is able to join the rush easily and has the combination to be a great offensive defenseman. His offensive ability is top notch and he played forward for most of his youth hockey career before switching to defense a few years before the draft. He has good hands and makes strong first passes which helps create offensive chances for his team. In the offensive zone, he has the vision and playmaking ability to create scoring chances and has a strong release to get the puck on the net. His is strong in his own end and can play a physical game if needed.

He will return to Wisconsin for another season and could end up being one of the best defensemen in the NCAA this season with Adam Fox and Cal Makar no longer in the college ranks. I believe he was ready this past season and could have signed his ELC but given our prospect depth on the defensive end in the AHL, it is probably the best move for him to spend another season at Wisconsin and possibly sign his ELC next summer.

Shawn – I am really excited about the continued development from Miller, as he improved greatly during his first college season at Wisconsin.

What is amazing about Miller is how comfortable he is his position at such a short time. It’s quite a feat seeing him being able to easily skate his way through tough situations as well as taking the ability to really see the ice to make the stretch pass or to easily skate up the ice to develop the play.

While there is work to be done on his defensive game, and to see how he reacts to playing in game action since the leg injury that iced his freshman season for the Badgers, it’ll be good to see how much he trusts himself skating in those situations and being able to play in those situations as well. I’m excited to continue to watch him grow. Ranger fans have the right to be excited about him.

Drew – Ranking K’Andre Miller against Adam Fox, who we have one spot higher, is a good exercise in how you value floor, ceiling and most realistic outcome in prospect evaluation. Personally, I try to rate all three equally, which led me personally to have Fox ranked 4^th and Miller ranked 5^th as well. K’Andre Miller is undoubtedly the higher upside prospect, and I’d say it is in the realm of possibilities that he develops into a number one defenseman in the NHL, a claim I cannot make about Fox. However, at this very moment, without any further development, I believe Fox already has the ability to be a borderline 2^nd pair defenseman that can run point on an NHL powerplay, while K’Andre Miller is not an NHL player. Fox is a full two years older than Miller, so this isn’t a knock on Miller in the least, it’s simply a matter of fact, and it’s this fact that leads me to have Fox ranked as the slightly, slightly better prospect. His floor is significantly higher, and I’d also say his most realistic outcome is probably slightly higher as well, while his ceiling is lower. At the end of the day, if I’m placing the Rangers prospects into tiers, I’d have Fox and Miller on the same tier, and while I favor Fox by the slimmest of margins, I wouldn’t argue with anyone who prefers Miller.

Enough about Fox and Miller, let’s get to what makes Miller so special: he’s one of the best pure athletes I’ve seen in hockey across ANY position in a while. In our last article I called Rykov an, “absolute unit,” and that sentiment applies even more so to K’Andre Miller. At 6’ 5’’ and already over 200 pounds of almost pure muscle, the kid almost literally is a man among boys when he’s playing for the US U20 team, and even when he’s playing against mostly older players in the NCAA. While Miller has impressively already learned to harness his athleticism within the confines of the game, his game is not purely predicated on his athletic ability.

He’s a powerful skater whom I’ve compared to Kreider before in terms of his skating ability. He’s an intelligent player in all areas of the ice, which is particularly impressive considering he grew up primarily playing forward and has been playing defense for far fewer years than the vast majority of his peers. Most impressively, he’s able to use his hockey sense, size, skating and physical strength together in the defensive zone to allow him to be a lockdown defenseman, despite being relatively new to the position. In terms of his offensive skillset, he has a hard an accurate shot, is an adept playmaker and seemingly always makes the right decision with the puck. The one area that stands out needing the most improvement in his game are his puck skills, and if he can work on his hands and ability to handle in traffic, he could even further boost his offensive game.

Miller gets a lot of accolades due to the impressive offensive numbers he put up his freshman year at Wisconsin, finishing 2^nd in the Big Ten conference in points-per-game among defenseman, behind only consensus top-10 prospect Quinn Hughes. However, I think when all is said and done, his defensive ability might be what he becomes most known for, which would be incredibly impressive considering his offensive potential. After the 2018 draft, I noted in our draft recap article that, “while he is still raw and needs to continue to refine his game, K’Andre Miller was a strong pick at 22, and is a fantastic home run swing for a team like that Rangers whose biggest hole is simply top-flight talent.” Well folks, I’m here to tell you that a little more than a year later, Miller has absolutely continued to refine his game, looks far more polished than I anticipated he’d look this early, and if he picks up where he left off last year prior to his injury, he will assuredly skyrocket up the league-wide prospect rankings of all prospect analysts.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: February 17, 1998 (21)
• Nation: USA
• Position: Defense
• Height: 5’ 11’’
• Weight: 181 lbs
• Shoots: Right
• Drafted: 2016, 66^th overall pick by the Calgary Flames (round 3)
• Projected 2019-2020 Team: New York Rangers (NHL)

Rich – Adam Fox had little to gain by going back to Harvard for his senior year. Instead of waiting it out and signing him as a free agent in a year, the Rangers traded what will likely end up being two 2nd round picks to Carolina to obtain Adam Fox. That price seems high, but I am OK with the Rangers giving that up for Fox. It is unlikely they would have found a better player with either of those picks in the draft.

The offensively inclined Fox has built quite the resume over the course of 3 seasons in the NCAA with the Harvard Crimson. He eclipsed a point-per-game in 2 of his 3 seasons in the college circuit, with the exception being his sophomore season in which he posted a .96 points-per-game. This past season was his best yet — Fox posted a line of 9g-39a-48p in 33 games played. Even though he is a defenseman, it is more than safe to say Fox was the primary driver of Harvard’s offense. He was involved in 45% of his teams goals. That is absolutely bonkers.

There’s no doubt that Fox will be an integral piece of the Rangers defensive core for many years to come. I think Fox has one of the highest floors among the Rangers defensive prospects, and could produce a solid amount in his rookie year. As I mentioned in previous piece in this series, I would love to see a Matthew Robertson-Adam Fox defensive pairing down the line.

George – Originally drafted by Calgary in the 3^rd round of the 2016 draft, Adam Fox is a highly skilled offensive defenseman who played the past three seasons at Harvard. He is a terrific playmaker who has excellent vision and makes near perfect passes. He is a solid skater who has excellent edgework and the ability to weave in tight spaces. He has a strong, quick release that is very accurate and can get on the net. He has the hockey sense get into the prime areas and the hands to carry the puck into those areas. In the three seasons at Harvard, he was a point per game player and had 48 points in 33 games his Junior season.

The Rangers traded for Fox and signed him to an ELC earlier this summer and with the Kevin Shattenkirk buyout, Fox should slide into the Rangers top-4 and be the 2^nd pair RHD behind newly acquired Jacob Trouba. His offensive ability should give him the chance to be a power play quarterback, probably on the 2^nd unit. He has top-pairing potential with a solid floor and can be an important part of the Rangers blueline for years to come.

Shawn – Fox is a guy who I was wanting for a long time. I really felt we could have traded for him in Calgary originally. Now after we got him for the Hurricanes, I am excited to see what he can bring to the table.

What I think he does well, is not only what he does on the ice, and what he does in his own zone, yet what he does in the offensive zone as well. Someone who sees the ice well, who can open up the ice a bit and make the stretch pass to get his team up the ice. It’s something that gets me excited to watch. Everything I’ve seen from him, I’ve liked.

One thing to note, if needed, he’ll be able to get some valuable time in Hartford. Though, I honestly feel with the buyout of Shattenkirk, it’s nothing more than a lock for Fox to be on the Rangers opening night roster. It’s up to him to see how far and how long he can take it.

Drew – If you could combine K’Andre Miller’s size and athleticism with Adam Fox’s pure skill and playmaking abilities, you’d have a prospect that could be considered a generational defensive talent—and I don’t throw that term around lightly. That’s how gifted a playmaker and how smart of a player I believe Adam Fox is. I’m honestly not being hyperbolic when I say Adam Fox is one of the single best defensive prospects I’ve ever seen in terms of his pure vision, hockey sense and playmaking ability. I’ve been asked who a player comp is for him, and honestly the best I can come up with is Steve Nash, the retired NBA point guard. Steve Nash wasn’t the flashiest or most athletic point guard, but he was a pure assassin with the ball in his hands, and was unmatched in terms of his ability to use his vision, intelligence and finesse passing ability to make plays that I as the viewer never even saw as an option prior to him making the play. That’s about how I feel watching Adam Fox go to work with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone.

As I mentioned in my section on K’Andre Miller, I believe Fox already has the ability to be a borderline 2^nd pair defenseman that can run point on an NHL powerplay from the moment he steps foot onto NHL ice this season. In terms of his upside, while I agree that he doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the Rangers system, that doesn’t mean he’s a low-ceiling player. His raw skillset is far from dynamic—he’s a good enough skater but nothing to brag about, his shot is fine and he certainly needs to add core strength—so I understand the concern about his potential from some. However, I firmly believe he is a player who can rely on his instincts, hockey IQ and playmaking ability to become a nightmare of a defenseman to play against, and someone that needs to be accounted for at all times by the opposition.

This has all been true for Fox to this point in his career at both the NCAA and with the USNTP, and I do believe it will translate to the NHL. By now I’m sure many of you have seen one of the many charts that have been floating around Twitter and in other articles about Fox that show the top point-producing seasons by NCAA defenders over the last 10+ seasons (if you haven’t, I strongly recommend you check out Shayna Goldman’s excellent piece for The Athletic).

To make a long story short, all three of his collegiate seasons were remarkably impressive. In his Freshman season he became the highest producing U19 collegiate defenseman in over 20 years with 1.14 points-per-game. This past season, his Junior year, Fox amassed an incredible 9 goals and 39 assists (48 points) in only 33 games. That production equates to 1.45 points-per-game, which was comfortably the highest ppg production of any NCAA defenseman over the past 20 years. In fact, that 1.45 ppg not only led all NCAA defenseman, but it led all NCAA skaters this past season, with Senior Ryan Kuffner from Princeton coming in second with 1.42 ppg.

In terms of his defensive ability, most of the concerns I’ve seen bandied about are largely exaggerated. Anyone that says Fox is a “bad” defender is incorrect based on my viewings of Fox, which have been plentiful. Is his defensive game as polished as his offensive game? Certainly not, and if it were he’d be a no-brainer, consensus top-5 NHL prospect. Does his defensive game need work? Absolutely, as does the defensive games of most 21-year-old defenseman. However, just because he has room for improvement in his own zone, does not make him a bad defender. In fact, in my viewings, I’d argue he’s better than average in his own zone.

He has excellent positional awareness and rarely gets caught out of position. He consistently exhibits good gap control and great instincts, and frequently is able to effectively read the play to cut off an opposing chance or steal the puck. Further, he has an extremely high motor, and never gives up on a play. He needs to get stronger and I’d like to see his backwards skating improve a bit, but I have no concerns about his ability to be at least an average defender at the NHL level, which coupled with his elite offensive ability should help him become a very valuable piece for the Rangers for a long time.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: December 30, 1995 (23)
• Nation: Russia
• Position: Goalie
• Height: 6’ 1’’
• Weight: 183 lbs
• Catches: Left
• Drafted: 2014, 118^th overall pick (round 4)
• Projected 2019-2020 Team: Hartford Wolfpack (AHL)

Rich – I don’t consider myself a goalie expert by any sort of means, but it doesn’t take one to know Igor Shestyorkin is an ELITE goalie prospect.

From a purely statistical profile, Igor Shestyorkin looks fantastic. Shestyorkin has put forth an unprecedented amount of consistency over the past few seasons. In the past 3 seasons playing for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, Shestyorkin has not posted a save percentage lower than 93%. SKA is one of the, if not the best teams in the league, but that should not take away from the success Shestyorkin has had. If you date back even further, particularly to 2013-14, Shestyorkin has only posted a save percentage of less than 91.2% once, and that was when he was still playing for Spartak Moskva in 2013-14. Shestyorkin bas been nothing short of spectacular on all of the platforms he’s been on. Whether it was the MHL, VHL, KHL or even international play — Shestyorkin has dominated it all.

Almost everyone in the NYR community has Shestyorkin pegged as the heir apparent to Lundqvist, and I don’t see anything that leads me to believe the contrary. I think people way overblow the need for European skaters to adjust to the North American game, but I think it’s a valid point for goalies. He might need some time in Hartford before making the jump up to the big club. Nonetheless, he can be an elite goalie for the Rangers for years to come.

George – As King Henrik continues to get older, it was time to think of the future without him. The Rangers did so with drafting Shestyorkin with their 4th round pick in 2014. After being drafted, he has spent the last five seasons playing for SKA St. Petersburg, arguably the best KHL team and because of this, concerns came up about his numbers. He took over the starting job in the 2016-2017 season and since then, he has compiled 71 wins in 98 games and posted a SV% above .930 in each of the three seasons. As a project when drafted, he’s turned into one of the best goalie prospects outside of the NHL. He is an agile goalie that has very good post to post movement and has the ability to challenge shooters quickly.

Now that he’s signed his ELC this past May, he will be fighting Georgiev for the backup position this fall. This could be one of the most interesting aspects of camp this September as I believe Shestyorkin is able to handle being the backup and Georgiev has proved that last season. Long term, Shestyorkin will be the starting goalie of the future for the Rangers and will be apart of our new future core.

Shawn – The heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist enters the top three with a lot of eyes on him. While what he did in SKA was nothing more than amazing, it’s now all about how he adapts here. How he reacts and handles the smaller ice. Right now, the backup job is Georgiev’s to lose. It’s only a matter of time however until Georgiev moves off of the Rangers and Shestyorkin jumps in.

What I like about Shestyorkin is he was able to handle the workload, he was able to really take advantage of the play around him, to steal goals and keep SKA in games, even when they really wouldn’t have had the chance if he wasn’t in goal that game.

What do I see from Shestyorkin? Him starting in Hartford to get accustomed to the new ice wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for him. He’ll be able to take the bumps and bruises along the way for his first pro season. I do think that he’ll force his hand if necessary, if he gets too good for the AHL, something that I feel could happen based on how he’s played.

Drew – I’m no goalie expert, and believe me, if anyone tells you that analyzing goalie prospects is the same as analyzing skater prospects, they don’t have a clue what they are talking about. To be completely transparent, I’m a massive advocate of admitting what you don’t know, and then finding resources to help you fill in the gaps. This is exactly what I do with my goalie prospect analysis. I just simply don’t understand the intricate nuances of the position enough to sit here and go on about what my personal eye test truly says about Shestyorkin, so instead I’ll link you to this fantastic article by Greg Balloch of InGoal Magazine, in which he compares the styles of two highly touted Russian goalie prospects, Igor Shestyorkin and Islanders prospect Ilya Sorokin.

The article breaks down each player in four critical areas—depth/positional awareness, post integration/edgework, screen-outs/zone play and holding edges—and he offers a fifth “other factors” section for items that can’t be categorized into the above buckets. Again, I highly suggest you all read the full article, but one sentence that summarizes the article at the end is, “Overall, Shestyorkin looks to be the safer bet based on his mature positional play and incredible post-integration.”

At the end of the day, Shestyorkin was difficult for me to rank, and I could understand placing him anywhere between 3-6 in the Rangers pipeline. I personally agree with our ranking at 3, because I think his combination of NHL-readiness—he’d likely make the team this year if it wasn’t for how strong Georgiev was last year—maturity, positional play and upside lends itself to him rightfully being considered one of the best, if not the best, goalie prospects in the NHL. His numbers are incredible—albeit on a fantastic team—and all of the experts smarter than me feel his tape also lives up to the hype. Georgiev might be the flavor of the month, but I’m confident thay Shestyorkin is the heir apparent to the King.

Rich – I didn’t have a reaction when the Rangers drafted Vitali Kravtsov at 9th overall in 2018. I really wanted Oliver Wahlstrom, but Kravtsov wasn’t an off the board pick. 14 months later, I am absolutely stoked that they did what they did.

I watched Vitali Kravtsov and Traktor Chelyabinsk on 8 different occasions this past season. Traktor was absolutely putrid. They might have been the worst hockey team I have ever watched in my life (I’m serious). Despite the non-ideal circumstances, Kravtsov was very good. At first glance, you might have expected more out of Kravtsov production wise. He posted a line of 8g-13a-21p in 50 games last season. He would have had even more if he had a decent teammate or two around him. Kravtsov was involved in 26% of the total 102 goals Traktor scored during the 2018-19 season.

Luckily for Kravtsov, the supporting cast he will have this season is night-and-day compared to what he had last season. I think Kravtsov will be a fixture in the middle-six of the Rangers lineup this year. In the long run, he should be a top-line winger for the Rangers capable of 65+ points per year.

George – Highly skilled forward, the Rangers shocked many by drafting him 9^th overall ahead of Bouchard, Wahlstrom, and Dobson. I had him projected to go 15^th overall in the Blueshirts Breakaway 2018 mock draft and thankfully we drafted him with our pick. He was solid in his draft eligible year with 7 points in 35 games but was very good in the playoffs where he had 11 points in 16 games. In his D+1 year, he dominated the KHL as an 18/19 year old and was an important part of Traktor’s offense. He has a very quick release, hard shot that can be deceptive and beat goalies. His numbers were better than some of the best Russian players in the NHL today.

The only knock I would have on Kravtsov is that his defensive play needs some work but that is usually the case with all prospects his age.

Signing his ELC on the same day with Shestyorkin and Rykov, Kravtsov should slot into the top 9 and could end up being a top 6 player on the RW. I think he could knock Buchnevich out of the top 6 in a few years. As I stated with Kakko below, Quinn will make our top prospects earn their playing time. Given who he could play with, Kravtsove very well may find himself in the running for the Calder Trophy, possibly with his own teammate.

Shawn – While everyone was at first skeptical of the pick, mainly because who was around during the time when the Rangers drafted Kravstov, things quickly turned in the Rangers favor when they drafted the young Russian who easily proved that he was all that many saw in him and then some.

He dominated in his first true season in the KHL, really looked good playing against stronger competition. Took over during the World Juniors, for an otherwise disappointing Russian squad, and then continued his domination in the KHL.

One thing to note: the kid likes to shoot and shoot often, something that I think he’ll share with Kaapo Kakko, who seemingly loves to shoot as well. Kravstov shows a lot of promise and someone who could be in Calder consideration this upcoming season.

Drew – By this point, I’m not sure there’s that much left to say about Kravtsov that hasn’t been said already. He’s widely considered one of the better wing prospects in the NHL, and in my opinion he’s on a tier of his own as the 2^nd best prospect in the Rangers pipeline, which has now been rated by three prominent sources—NHL Network, EliteProspects and the Sporting News—as the #1 prospect pool in the entire NHL. Kravtsov is the rare prospect that I think possesses both a high floor and a high ceiling.

Kravtsov is a phenomenal skater regardless of his size, but when you consider he’s 6’ 4’’ it’s truly something to see him race down the ice and dance around defenders the way he does. He’s the best puck handler in the Rangers pipeline for my money, and along with Kaapo Kakko are the only Rangers prospects I gave an A grade to for puck skills. The way he’s able to put the puck on a string and make opposing defender look downright silly never gets old to me. In addition to these phenomenal puck skills, he’s also a very gifted passer and has stellar ice vision. This combination of skills leads to Kravtsov being by far the best playmaking forward in the Rangers’ pipeline.

He’s not only a playmaker however; Kravtsov is more than capable of creating for himself and burying the puck home. Yes, Kravtsov absolutely is a playmaker first and foremost, but he possesses a very good shot, which incorporates a quick release with good power and deadly accuracy. In fact, perhaps by biggest complaint about Kravtsov in my viewings of him is that he does not shoot enough; I’d love to see him unleash that shot of his more often. Kravtsov is also not afraid to engage physically, and once he adds a bit more strength he could develop into a very intimidating presence, should he choose to be.

Beyond his physical gifts, he’s a pretty smart player, although I do think he has a bit of work to do in terms of some of the decisions he makes in terms of taking the shot or passing up the rock. However, this could easily be due to the relatively poor teams I’ve seen him playing on recently, and this is also something that the NYR coaching staff should be able to easily adjust. All in all, I firmly believe Vitali Kravtsov is a special prospect that, barring injury, has the floor of a 2^nd line wing and the upside to be a perennial all-star.

Scouting Grades:

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

Player Profile:

• Date of Birth: February 13, 2001 (18)
• Nation: Finland
• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 6’ 2’’
• Weight: 190 lbs
• Shoots: Left
• Drafted: 2019, 2^nd overall pick (round 1)
• Projected 2019-2020 Team: New York Rangers (NHL)

Rich – When the Rangers moved up from 6 to 2 after the Draft Lottery, that changed everything. Kaapo Kakko is just the type of elite-forward prospect that the Rangers have been lacking in the rebuild thus far.

Well let’s start with the fact that there are exactly ZERO flaws with Kakko. He’s a scoring winger who can tickle the twine AND set up his teammates. He dominated the competition in Liiga this last season as an 18-year old. He posted a line of 22g-16a-38p in 45 games played this season. That equates to Kakko being involved in 31% of the goals that TPS scored last season. Those are astonishing numbers for a 18-year old playing his draft season in a professional league against men. Kakko even scored more goals than Patrik Laine and Aleksander Barkov did in their draft years in Liiga. I think it’s fair to say he’s in elite company.

Kakko is the best Rangers forward prospect since…I don’t even know. I wasn’t around for anything pre-2005, so there isn’t really anyone Kakko can be compared to. He’s going to be a superstar in the NHL. I don’t think it’s out of the question to think he could post 50+ points this season. He is The Prince That Was Promised.

Praise be.

George – Probably the best prospect the Rangers have drafted in years, Kakko is the full package. He does everything well and has no weaknesses at this time. At the start of this past season, he was the #2 prospect in this years draft and he dominated Liiga as an 17/18 year old. As the season went on, he solidified his spot as the #2 prospect with some putting him over Jack Hughes and having him as the #1 prospect. He uses his size and strength to keep opponents off the puck and plays a strong game down low. He has a quick release and has good skating ability to break free of opposing defenders. He ended the season 22 goals, breaking Barkov’s goal record for draft eligible prospects and dominated in the international play where he scored the game winning goal against Team USA in the World Junior Championship and scored 6 goals in the World Championship this past spring including this highlight reel goal against team Canada.

Kakko will slot into the top 9 on our right side right from the get go. I believe he should be our top RW at the start of the season but with how David Quinn coaches, he will have to deserve that spot. Given his skill, size, and ability, Kakko should be a consideration for the Calder Trophy this year and will be a franchise player for the Rangers for years to come.

Praise be.

Shawn – The second overall pick of this year’s NHL draft. Our lord and savior. Need I say more?

Probably should.

Kakko did a lot of good this year and played a lot of hockey. Dominated his pro league, looked great in the World Juniors, and then took the Worlds stage, and dominated that. He really was one of the better players in that tournament, even better than the guy that went first overall (don’t worry, he’s going to be good too).

What do I like about Kakko? For one, he doesn’t mind playing in the rough areas. He doesn’t mind playing hard and getting to the dirty areas and chipping in goals. Yet, he has a shot and doesn’t mind using that shot.

While I think that there’s going to be a slight lull in his game, due to the amount of miles on his body this year, he’s someone that Ranger fans are going to be excited about, because the future is bright with this kid. Really someone everyone in the league should have their eye on next year.

Praise be.

Drew – You know that saying, “he’s a jack of all trades, master of none.” Well, when my friends and family that aren’t as insane as myself, and most of you reading this, about Rangers prospects have asked me about Kakko, I’ve often responded with, “he’s a jack of all trades, master of many.” Corny, I know, but also true. Sam Stern—who is a must follow for those interested in hockey prospects—and I have been at the forefront of the Kakko bandwagon for well over a year the reason is simple: this kid is an incredible prospect, who excels at many of the most crucial elements of the game, and does not contain any true holes in his game. Sure, there are areas he could improve, like all players, but there isn’t a single thing I can point to and honestly say it’s a true hole in his game.

There has been an incredible amount written about Kakko before the draft and since. I’m not going to waste much more of your time, and I think George, Rich and Shawn above all did a fantastic job encapsulating how great of a player Kakko is, and why we should all be thrilled he’ll be a Ranger next year. I also encourage you check out this profile by Alex Nunn and Adam Herman for Blueshirt Banter, which I think does a great job providing the traditional scouting and statistical angles that highlight how great of a prospect Kakko is.

I’ll leave you all with this: take a look at my scouting grades below. Kakko’s lowest grade is a B+ for skating, which still makes him a borderline great skater. The kid at this very moment, at the age of 18, already possesses the maturity and skill to be a good NHL player, and the sky is truly the limit for him. I usually preach patience and ask fans to not put unrealistic expectations on kids, and that does hold true for Kakko. But don’t let that get in the way of you being truly ecstatic that this kid is a Ranger, because if he can have a healthy career, he can be truly special, and I can’t wait to watch it all go down.

Praise be.

Scouting Grades:

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