Samuelsson hired by Hurricanes to coach AHL's Checkers

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes announced Tuesday that the team has hired Rangers assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson to serve as head coach of the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

Samuelsson, 52, has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and the conference final in 2015.

NYR TODAY TUES 5/31: Prospect Review, Notes, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RANGERS PROSPECTS REVIEW: In the System
Ryan Graves Defenseman Hartford Wolf Pack
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 226 Shoots: Left Born: 5/21/1995

Drafted: NYR / 2013 NHL Entry Draft Round: 4th (110th overall) 2015-2016 Stats, Harford Wolf Pack Games Played 74, Goals 9, Assists 12, Points 21, Penalty Minutes 53, Plus 6
Graves was named to the Atlantic Division team for the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, in his first pro season winning the Hardest Shot contest in Sunday’s the AHL All-Star Skills Competition recording a shot of 103.4 MPH. In his first year out of junior hockey, Graves steadily improved from game to game and drew praise throughout the season from Hartford assistant coach Jeff Beukeboom, who oversees the defense.

NYR PROSPECTS NOTES:

Rangers prospect  Daniel Bernhardt and the London Knights won the 2015-2016 Memorial Cup Championship yesterday defeating Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 in overtime of the championship game of the tournament.In 29 regular season games played The Rangers 4th round 2015 pick Bernhardt collected  goals and 8 assists for 11 points and was a plus 5. During the playoffs Bernhardt tallied 2 goals and an assist and was a plus 4 in 14 games.




NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/31 
Art Coulter D (1935-1942) Sam McAdam LW (1930-1931)

Today in NYR History May 31

1961: Defenseman Doug Harvey, a six-time Norris Trophy winner with the Montreal Canadiens, signs a contract with the New York Rangers to serve as player-coach, replacing Alf Pike. The Canadiens receive forward Lou Fontinato from the Rangers as compensation. Harvey goes on to win his seventh Norris Trophy and help the Rangers qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NYR TODAY MON 5/30: Rumors, Prospect Review, Alumni Birthdays

RANGERS RUMORS RAMBLINGS

Once again the Rangers and Wild are once again rumored to be in trade discussions as it's been reported that Minnesota is interested in Rangers winger Rick Nash. Last week the rumors revolved around the Wild pursuing Rangers center Derek Stepan. With the Rangers rumored to be taking offers on almost any player it should be an interesting Summer in New York City.

The New York Post reports that the Rangers are extremely unlikely to pursue a trade involving the St Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirkthis off season. With one year left on Shattenkirk's contract at $4.25 million it's expected that he will be asking in upwards to $6.5 million per season come next July 1 and the Rangers are not looking to add another long term highly paid D-Man.






RANGERS PROSPECTS REVIEW: In the System
Calle Andersson D Hartford Wolf Pack
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 211 Shoots: Right Born: 5/16/1994
Career Notes: 2014-15: Led Lugano (Swiss) defensemen, and tied for third overall on the team, in playoff assists (3) and tied for team lead in postseason points among defensemen (3, tied for fifth overall on team)…Second-leading regular-season point-scorer (20) among Lugano defensemen and tied for second among team blueliners in goals (6)…2012-13: Led all Swedish Junior defensemen in points, goals and assists (11-16-27 in 22 GP with Farjestads)…2011-12: Tied for Swedish Junior lead among defensemen in playoff goals (2 in 6 GP with Farjestads)…Second-leading regular-season point-scorer (36) among Swedish Junior blueliners, and ranked third among league defensemen in goals (12)…Transactions: Agreed to terms on NHL contract with NY Rangers 6/2/14…Misc.: Son of former New York Ranger, and Binghamton Ranger, Peter Andersson and older brother of Calgary Flames prospect Rasmus Andersson.

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/30 
Vic Ripley LW (1933-1934) Giles Villemure G (1963-64,1967-69,1970-75) David Wilkie D (1993-95,1996-97)

NYR TODAY SUN 5/29: NYR Prospects, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RANGERS PROSPECTS REVIEW: In the System
Adam Tambellini LW Hartford Wolf Pack 

Ht: 6'3" Wt: 191 Shoots: Left Born: 11/1/1994
Career Notes: 2014-15: Tied for WHL lead in playoff goals and finished fourth in league in postseason points (13-13-26 in 16 GP)…WHL Eastern Conference Second-Team All-Star selection…Topped Calgary skaters in points (47-39-86 in 71 GP), goals and +/- (+43)…Finished fourth in WHL in goals and +/-…2013-14: Led Calgary (WHL) team in playoff goals and tied for team points lead (5-4-9 in 6 GP)…Scored fifth-most regular-season goals (17 in 31 GP) on Calgary club…Struck for 1-3-4 in Calgary debut 1/8 @ Saskatoon…2012-13: Won BCHL championship with Surrey, leading league in playoff goals (10 in 17 GP)…Transactions: Agreed to terms on NHL contract with NY Rangers 3/10/15…Misc.: Father Steve Tambellini played 553 NHL games in nine seasons with Islanders, Colorado/New Jersey, Calgary and Vancouver, and was general manager of Edmonton Oilers for five years…Brother Jeff Tambellini has played 242 career NHL games with Los Angeles, Islanders and Vancouver, and 176 AHL games with Manchester, Bridgeport and Manitoba.

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/29 

Bill Carse C (1938-1939) Jason Dawe RW (1999-00,2001-02) Mike Keane RW (1997-1998) Brian Noonan RW (1993-1995,1996-97)

Today in NYR History May 29
2014: Dominic Moore scores the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final to eliminate the Montreal Canadiens, as the Blueshirts advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1994.

2016 World Cup of Hockey rosters finalized

The World Cup of Hockey 2016 Rosters have been finalized.

The Following Rangers Made the Rosters

Team North America: J.T. Miller

Team USA: Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan

Team Europe: Mats Zuccarello

Team Sweden: Henrik Lundqvist

The World Cup of Hockey returns in September 2016 in Toronto. The best-on-best tournament will feature more than 150 of the best players in the world. This celebration of hockey is a joint effort of the NHLPA and the NHL, in cooperation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

NYR TODAY SAT 5/29: Rumors, Alumni Birthday, TDINYRH

Rangers Rumors:

According to numerous sources there is more to the Rick Nash trade rumors than just speculation. With a list of 12 teams that Nash would accept a trade to the Rangers would move Nash if the right circumstances presented themselves. Earning 7.8 million per year and with limited production which the Rangers feel is due to Nash playing hurt it's thought that New York would have to "eat" part of the hefty contract.



NYR Alumni Birthday 5/28 
Clarence "Taffy" Abel D (1926-1929)

Today in NYR History May 28

1974: The Rangers select Dave Maloney 14th overall and Ron Greschner 32nd overall in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft.

NYR TODAY FRI 5/27: Rumors, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RANGERS RUMORS ROUNDUP 5/27: Vesey, Stepan, Girardi, Yandle, Stamkos, Preseason Schedule

The Rangers are expected to be aggressively pursuing Havard's Jimmy Vesey who will be a UFA on August 15th. Vesey was ranked as the 14th overall prospect by the Hockey News Future Watch for 2015-2016 and was expected to join the Predators lineup. The 6'3", 195lb Left Wing tallied 24 goals, 22 assists and was a plus 11 in 33 games for Havard in NCAA play this past season.

Word is that the Minnesota Wild have incquired about Rangers centerman Derek Stepan. The interest in Stepan is said to be "serious" and they could be offering 22 year old defenseman Jonas Brodin and a forward in a package to score Stepan.

Numerous reports are saying that the Rangers will not look to use their buyout on defenseman Dan Girardi and will not ask him to waive his no move clause. Girardi is expected to once again remain as the Rangers number 1 defenseman on the right side this coming season. If bought out, the hit would affect the Rangers cap for the next 8 seasons which with the ever changing ceiling might hurt them worse in the long run.

Defenseman Keith Yandle is ranked as the top UFA come July 1st and is expected to be too expensive for the Rangers salary cap as he will possibly looking for a 7 year $45 million contract.

The Rangers are not expected to pursue free agant center Steven Stamkos this off season as Stamkos will be seeking a contract that the Rangers could not fit under cap restrictions. Stamkos is expected to be looking for a 7 year $70 million contract with incentives.










2016-2017 Preseason Schedule:
Both the Flyers and Islanders have announced their preseason schedules and both will play the Rangers twice.
Rangers will face Philadelphia in Philly on October 3rd and on October 6th at MSG. The Rangers will face the Islanders for the first time in preseason since 2007 on September 27th at MSG and visit Brooklyn on October 4th. All games have been scheduled for 7:00 PM Starts.

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/27 
Jimmy Bartlett LW (1955-56,1958-60) Ike Hildebrand RW (1953-1954) Ray Sheppard RW (1990-1991)

Today in NYR History May 27
1994: Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Matteau!!!
Stephane Matteau, who had won Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals with a double-OT goal, swooped in and beat Scott Niedermeyer to the loose puck. Matteau then carried the puck behind the Devils’ cage and emerged on the other side, where defenseman Slava Fetisov was charging towards him. Matteau proceeded to put a wraparound shot off Brodeur’s stick and over the goal line at 4:24 of the second overtime to set off a wild celebration, both on the ice and in the stands at MSG a 2-1 victory in Game 7 for the Rangers! 4-3 series win for the Rangers sending them to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1979!

VIDEO:
Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Howie Rose's legendary ‘Matteau!’ call

NYR TODAY THURS 5/26: Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/26 
Steven Rice RW (1990-1991) P.J. Stock C (1997-2000) Christian Thomas RW (2012-2013)

Today in NYR History 26

1971: The Rangers trade Peter McDuffe to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a first-round pick in the 1971 NHL Draft, which they used to select Steve Vickers.






2010: The Rangers sign forward Mats Zuccarello to an Entry Level Contract.

2015: The New York Rangers avoid elimination from the Eastern Conference Final with a 7-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 at Amalie Arena. Derick Brassard scores three goals and has two assists for the Rangers, who score five times in the third period to break open a game that they led 2-1 after two periods. Rick Nash and J.T. Miller each have a goal and three assists for New York.

NYR TODAY WED 5/25: Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/25 
Wayne Dillon C (1975-1978) Nick Fotiu LW (1976-79,1980-85) David Shaw D (1987-1991)

Today in NYR History May 25

1994: Mark Messier delivers on his guarantee that the New York Rangers will defeat the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.

"We will win tonight," Messier tells reporters with the Rangers down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. His words are splashed on the front pages of newspapers all around the city.

With the Rangers down 2-0 late in the second period at Brendan Byrne Arena, Messier sets up Alex Kovalev before intermission to cut the deficit to one goal. He ties the game early in the third period, puts New York ahead with 7:48 remaining and caps his performance by shooting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net to give the Rangers a 4-2 victory.

"I felt that [guaranteeing a win] would be a great way to let my players know that I believed we could go in there and win Game 6, because we had beaten them six times during the regular season -- three times in their building," Messier said.

The victory evens the series at three wins apiece with Game 7 at Madison Square Garden two days later, meaning the Rangers don't have much time to celebrate.

"Winning the game was a good feeling, but we didn't have long to relish it," Messier said. "All we had done was send the series back to the Garden, and we knew that Game 7 was no sure thing."




VIDEO LINK: Mark Messier Guarantee

NYR TODAY TUES 5/24: Alumni Birthdays

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/24 
Kent-Erik Andersson RW (1982-1984) Artem Anisimov C (2008-2012) Bruce Gamble G (1958-1959) Johan Holmqvist G (2000-01,2002-03) Pat Verbeek RW (1995-1996)

NYR TODAY MON 5/23: NYR at MWC, Rumors, TDINYRH

Rangers at the World Championships Notes:
Derick Brassard and Team Canada Capture Gold at World Championships, Brady Skjei and Team USA lose Bronze Medal Game

A day after scoring the tying goal for Canada vs Team USA, Brassard and Canada defeated Finland to Win the Gold Medal at the IIHF Men's World Championships in Moscow. Brassard finished the tournament with 11 points (5 goals and 6 assists).

Brady Skjei and Team USA fell to Russia 7-2 in the bronze Medal Game. A rough outing for Skjei who was on the ice for 3 of Russia goals and was a minus 2 in 17:12 of game time. Skjei finished the tournament with 1 goal, 0 assists and was a minus 3 with 10 shots on goal averaging close to 18 minutes per game.




RANGERS RUMORS:

As usual Rick Nash is once again in the forefront of the off season rumors. With a list of 12 teams that he can be dealt to, it's speculated the the Rangers will look to dump Nash and his cap hit of 7.8 million per year. The St Louis Blues have been mentioned as a destination for Nash numerous times due to his past with head coach Ken Hitchcock.

With Nash possibly being moved TSN speculates that the Rangers may join in on the bidding war for Tampa Bay Lightning's pending UFA Steven Stamkos. But unless the Rangers make the cap space by trading Nash or by other means along with numerous teams who will be joining the bidding war for the 26 year old Stamkos it looks like a long shot at best.

Defenseman Dan Girardi has once again been mentioned as a choice for the Rangers as a buyout this summer. Girardi has four-years remaining on his contract, a cap hit of 5.5 million per season and a no-move clause this season (2016-17) which turns into a limited no-trade clause for the final three-years, starting in 2017-18 looks to possibly be the option for a buyout by the Rangers. If the Rangers do use that option the Rangers would be charged with a dead space cap hit of the following: 2016-17: $1.75 million, 2017-18: $2.75 million, 2018-19: $3.75 million, 2019-20: $3.75 million, 2020-21: $1.25 million, 2021-22: $1.25 million, 2022-23: $1.25 million and finally 2023-24: $1.25 million




Today in NYR History May 23

2013: The Rangers live to play another day following Chris Kreider's overtime winner over Boston in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

NYR TODAY SUN 5/22: Rangers at WC Notes, Alumni Birthday, TDINYRH

Rangers at World Championships Notes:
Canada vs USA

Derick Brassard scored the game tying goal in Canada's come from behind win over Team USA yesterday in semi-final action. Canada will now face Finland in the Gold Medal Game today in Russia. Trailing 3-2 and heading to the power play Brassard scored the 3rd of 3 unanswered goals for Canada giving him 5 goals in tournament action. Brassard 5-6-11 has recorded at least one point in eight of the nine games Canada has played, so far.

Rookie D-Man Brady Skjei only recorded a shot on goal in 14 plus ice time minutes for Team USA and will face Russia in the Bronze Medal Game today.








NYR Alumni Birthday 
5/22 Bryan Hextall Jr C (1962-1963)

Today in NYR History May 22

1995: Brian Leetch becomes the first Rangers defenseman to record a playoff hat trick against the Flyers, Leetch scores all three New York Rangers goals in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

NYR TODAY SAT 5/21: Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/21 
Sylvain Blouin LW (1996-1998) Todd White C (2010-2011) Matt Hunwick D (2014-2015)

Today in NYR History May 21

1995: Mark Messier ties his Rangers career-high of three assists in one playoff game during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Flyers.

NYR TODAY FRI 5/20: NYR at World Championships, Alumni Birthdays

Rangers World Championships Notes:

Derick Brassard had a goal in Canada's 6-0 win over Sweden on Thursday. Brassard won 7 faceoffs, lost 6 faceoffs, had two shots on goal and played 13:05 (5:22, 4:20, 3:23).

Nicklas Jensen and Denmark lost to Finland 5-1 in the Quarterfinals of the World Championships and were eliminated. In the eight games of the tournament, Jensen had 5 goals, 2 assists, 6 PIM, a minus two rating, two shootout goals and an average of 16:28 per game.

In 7 games for Norway at the World Championships, Mats Zuccarello had a goal (empty net) and two assists. He was a minus two, had 28 shots on goal and averaged 20:26 per game.

Brady Skjei and Team USA will face Canada in the Semi-Finals on Saturday. In the tournament so far, Skjei has one goal, 2 PIM, 4 shots on goal, an average of 18:33 per game and a total ice time of 74:13.








NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/20 
Dan Blackburn G (2001-2003) Jim Ross D (1951-1952)

NYR TODAY THURS 5/19: NYR Grades: Lundqvist, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RNYRF's GRADING THE RANGERS 2015-2016
HENRIK LUNDQIVIST Goaltender

In what many may categorize as a sub-par season for the "King of New York", Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 10th 30 plus win season with a record of 35-21-7, a GAA of 2.48 and a save % of .921 in 65 games, ranking him 5th in the league for the 2015-2016 Regular Season. Lundqvist faced a league leading 1944 shots against, leading the league with 1788 saves. Lundqvist started out strong at the beginning of the season but suffered through the end of October through December as did his teammates and was pulled from numerous games during the season in favor of backup Antti Raanta. Yes, Henrik Lundqvist wasn't the  Henrik Lundqvist that Rangers Fans were used to during the 2015-2016 campaign but he was still for the most part the backbone of the team, once again standing on his head to make saves but also giving up the "soft goal" on many occasions. The toll of too many games in the past 3 regular and post seasons has certainly had an affect on the 34 year old goaltender along with the diminished play of the defenders in front of him last year but, at the end of the season a sub-par Henrik Lundqvist on the Rangers is still a "star" goaltender on any team in the league. Lundqvist could have been better but so could have his teammates. A usual grade of an A in previous seasons drops to:
GRADE B

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/19 
Ivan Baranka D (2007-2008) Mark Janssens C (1988-1992) Andreas Johansson LW (2001-2002) Murray Murdoch LW (1926-1937) Carey Wilson C (1988-1990)

Today in NYR History May 19

1994: Stephane Matteau scores at 6:13 of the second overtime to give the visiting New York Rangers a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. Matteau beats Martin Brodeur on the Rangers' 50th shot of the game, putting New York ahead 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. It's the first of two overtime goals by Matteau in the series.
https://youtu.be/W9026YUPoLk

NYR TODAY TUES 5/18; NYR Grades: Girardi, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RNYRF's GRADING THE RANGERS 2015-2016
DAN GIRARDI Defenseman

Another Rangers defenseman worn down by too many games played over the past few seasons, Girardi looked over matched many times during the 2015-2016 season. In 74 games Girardi tallied 2 goals, 15 assists, was a plus 18 and averaged 20+ minutes of ice time per game. Undergoing ankle surgery in the off season it seemed as though the lately oft injured Girardi couldn't get back on track and find a consistency to his game. Another D man who was thought to be suffering through injuries all season Girardi fessed up on "breakup" day and let it be known he was diagnosed with a concussion late in the season after a hit by former NY Rangers teammate Brian Boyle. Missing the final 2 games of the regular season, Girardi played in game 1 of the first round playoffs and wasn't able to return again until game 5 collecting an assist in those 2 games while being a minus 2 it was obvious he wasn't in shape to return to the lineup. The usual "Iroman" of the Rangers D is one of the players that should benefit from the extra 2 months rest to heal from the toll of injuries and extended ice time. With 5 years left on a 5.5 million per year contract along with young upcoming defenseman in the Rangers system there are rumors of the Rangers using their buyout on his contract. It should be interesting to see if the career Ranger remains on Broadway come July 1st.
GRADE C-

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/18 
Jari Kurri RW (1995-1996) Manny Malhotra C (1998-2000) Marty McSorley D (1995-1996) Darren VanImpe D (2001-2002) Jay Wells D (1991-1995)

Today in NYR History May 18

1965: The Rangers acquire goaltender Ed Giacomin from Providence (AHL).

1997: Wayne Gretzky gets his 10th and final playoff hat trick by scoring three times in the New York Rangers' 5-4 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final. Gretzky scores twice in less than two minutes in the first period and completes his hat trick midway through the second.