Rangers Make Deal for Second to Last Pick, Select Riley Hughes

The Rangers traded their 7th Round pick in the 2019 Entry Draft for Carolina Hurricanes' #216 pick in Round 7 of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and with the 216th pick Rangers have selected forward Riley Hughes from Sioux City of the United States Hockey League.

Date of Birth Jun 27, 2000
Age 17
Place of Birth Westwood, MA, USA
Nation USA
Youth Team -
Position RW
Height 6'1" / 185 cm
Weight 174 lbs / 79 kg
Shoots R

Ranked 113th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings (4/16/18)...  Played in 2 games for Sioux Falls in 2017-18...  Recorded 30 points (21G, 15A) in 36 games with St. Sebastian's School in 2017-18.

Rangers Draft Day Ends, Select Defenseman Simon Kjellberg at 163

With the #163 Selection the Rangers End their NHL Draft selecting Simon Kjellberg

Date of Birth Feb 17, 2000
Age 18
Place of Birth Nashville, TN, USA
Nation Sweden
Youth Team Falu IF
Position D
Height 6'3" / 190 cm
Weight 190 lbs / 86 kg
Shoots L

Son of former NHLer (and Nashville Predator) Patric Kjellberg.

Rangers Select Forward Lauri Pajuniemi at 132

With the 132nd pick The Rangers selected forward Lauri Pajuniemi from TPS from Liiga.

Lauri Pajuniemi
Date of Birth Sep 12, 1999
Age 18
Place of Birth Tampere, FIN
Nation Finland
Youth Team TPS
Position RW
Height 6'0" / 182 cm
Weight 183 lbs / 83 kg
Shoots R

Pajuniemi skated in 32 games with TPS in Liiga in 2017-18, registering two goals and five assists for seven points.

Pajuniemi ranked ninth among players younger than 19 years old in Liiga in points during this past season.

He tallied four points (three goals, one assist) in nine playoff contests in Liiga, and he ranked fourth on TPS in goals in the playoffs.

Pajuniemi registered 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 14 regular season games with TPS’ junior team in Nuorten SM-liiga in 2017-18.

Pajuniemi played on the second line and first power play unit for TPS U20. He likes to have the puck on his stick and has good puck control in tight spaces. He can hang onto the puck and create offense. He moved the puck well in the second period, making simple, short passes that were tape-to-tape. He played at a fairly high pace and showed an ability to handle the puck at varying speeds. Had good edge work, agility and quickness.

The winger could add more consistency and make quicker decisions certain times. He made one play in the first period in which he lost puck control dangerously in the defensive zone. He read the game fairly well defensively, but it’s another area for some improvement.

Rangers Select Defenseman Nico Gross at 101

With the 101st pick the Rangers have selected defenseman Nico Gross from Oshawa from the Ontario Hockey League.

Date of Birth Jan 26, 2000
Age 18
Place of Birth Pontresina, SUI
Nation Switzerland
Youth Team EHC St. Moritz
Position D
Height 6'1" / 186 cm
Weight 185 lbs / 84 kg
Shoots L

Gross is an excellent skater with very good lateral movement and a superb backwards skater. His good acceleration allows him to evade the forecheck and skate out of danger. Along with his skating abilities, his hockey smarts allow him to jump into the play and join the offence. He is however, a little weak on his skates and that can change when he adds some strength.

Gross is very good with the puck on his stick. He handles it well and protects the puck very well. With his vision, he finds open lanes and can make crisp, clean passes to his teammates. He has shown an ability to quarterback the powerplay. He’s grown as a player who was prone to making bad pinches to one who picks his spots better.

Defensively, Gross is difficult to beat one-on-one. His skating allows him to keep forwards to the outside. He keeps his gaps tight and uses his stick effectively. He holds the blue line like a seasoned veteran. It’s hard to judge his penalty killing abilities on a Generals’ team where the PK wasn’t that great. But he seems to understand his responsibilities when a man down (Dominic Tiano, OHL Writers).

Gross was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team in 2017-18.

Gross skated in 33 games with EV Zug Academy of the National League B (NLB), Switzerland’s second-highest pro league, in 2016-17, registering nine assists. He was the only player younger than 18 years old who played in NLB during the 2016-17 season.

Gross represented Switzerland at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championship, and the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament this past year. He was captain at U18 Championship, and he recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in six games.

He was one of only two players younger than 17 years old who participated in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship (along with Rasmus Dahlin).

Rangers Draft Defenseman Joey Keane to End Third Round

With the 88th pick Rangers have selected defenseman Joey Keane from Barrie from the Ontario Hockey League.

Date of Birth Jul 02, 1999
Age 18
Place of Birth Chicago, IL, USA
Nation USA
USHL Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints
Current Team: Barrie Colts (OHL)
Youth Team: Chicago Mission
Position D
Height 6'0" / 183 cm
Weight 185 lbs / 84 kg
Shoots R

2015 U.S. Under-17 Select Five Nations Tournament (8/12/15)...  Recorded 11 points (2G, 9A) in 55 games with Dubuque in 2015-16...  Helped Dubuque to 2016 Clark Cup Final...  Ranked 111th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings (4/16/18)

Keane was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team, as he ranked third in the OHL – and led all defensemen in the league – in plus/minus rating, and tied for 13th among defensemen in points.

Keane, who served as an alternate captain for Barrie in his second season in the league this past season, established career-highs in goals, assists and points.

He registered seven assists in the 2018 OHL Playoffs, and he led all Barrie defensemen in assists and points during the postseason.

Rangers Draft Defenseman Jacob Ragnarsson at 70

With the 70th pick Rangers have selected defenseman Jacob Ragnarsson from Almtuna IS of Allsvenskan.

Date of Birth Sep 23, 1999
Age 18
Place of Birth Mountain View, CA, USA
Nation Sweden / USA
Youth Team SK Iron
Position D
Height 5'11" / 180 cm
Weight 170 lbs / 77 kg
Shoots L

2015-2016
J18 Elit (East) Best Plus/Minus (+23)
J18 Elit (East) Most Assists by Defenseman (18)
J18 Elit (East) Most Points by Defenseman (25)
2016-2017 J18 Allsvenskan (South) Most Goals by Defenseman (4)

Ragnarsson led all defensemen younger than 19 in Allsvenskan in goals, assists and points last season.

Ragnarsson was born in Mountain View, California, but was raised in Sweden. Ragnarsson’s father, Marcus Ragnarsson, played parts of 9 NHL seasons (1995-96 – 2003-04) with the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers.

His father, Marcus, was teammates with Henrik Lundqvist with Sweden at the 2004 World Cup.

RANGERS DRAFT GOALTENDER OLOF LINDBOM AT 39

Olof Lindbom was called up to the Swedish national team for the two World Championship warm-up games against Slovakia in April. While he didn‘t get to play, it was a big vote of confidence by Richard Grönborg to include such a young goaltender.

Lindbom led his U18 team, Djurgården, to the championship title and was voted playoff MVP for the tournament. On top of that Lindbom, was voted the 2018 U18 WJC Best Goaltender when Sweden got bronze in the Under-18 World Championship. The accolades will have NHL GMs wondering about the Swede’s talent and where he can be in a few years’ time.

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Date of birth: July 23, 2000
Catches: Left
Position: Goalie
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 185 lbs.
Youth Team: Ekerö IK
Team: Djurgården IF

Lindbom shows a solid positioning that got him through the U18 level without a lot of stress. He has technically solid RVH post-integration technique, as expected for a Swedish prospect. He appears pretty solid working behind screens, likely because his anticipation is very good, and he moves quite cleanly and precisely into his spots. He absorbs most rebounds and his puck control is solid, and while his reflexes are good they are not elite. Lindbom moves fluidly and well for his big size.

Rangers End First Round Picking Nils Lundkvist at 28

With the 28th pick Rangers have selected defenseman Nils Lundkvist from Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League.

Lundkvist was third among SHL players younger than 18 in goals and points, and he tied for third in assists. He was one of just 10 defensemen younger than 18 to play at least one SHL game.

The 17-year-old was named the Best Defenseman of the SuperElit after he posted three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 26 games for Lulea’s junior team.

Lundkvist had two assists for Sweden at the 2018 World U18s, and he previously represented the country at the U18 Five Nations Tournament.

Lundkvist was No. 14 on NHL Central Scouting’s rankings of International skaters. He moved up 27 slots from the midterm rankings, the highest increase for any player among the top 30.

Rangers Trade Up in Draft, Pick K'Andre Miller at Number 22

The Rangers traded picks #'s 26 and 48 to Ottawa for #22. 48 was the pick the Rangers acquired from New Jersey for Michael Grabner.

With the 22nd selection, the Rangers chose defenseman K'Andre Miller.

Miller ranked third among U.S. National U18 defensemen in goals and points. 

He registered four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 22 games with Team USA in the USHL, while leading all defensemen in points per game at 0.73.

The 18-year-old was part of the silver medal U.S. squad at the World U18 Championship, where he had a goal and two assists in seven games.

Miller, who became a defenseman just two seasons ago, was ranked No. 23 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters after being ranked No. 31 at the midterms. He’s committed to the Uni. Of Wisconsin for 2018-19.

Rangers Select Vitali Kravtsov at Number 9

With the 9th overall selection, the New York Rangers selected winger Russian winger Vitali Kravtsov.

From the Rangers release:

Kravtsov, 18, received the Alexei Cherepanov Award as the Kontinental Hockey League's Rookie of the Year in 2017-18.

In 16 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk during the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs, Kravtsov registered six goals and five assists for 11 points. Kravtsov's 11 points were the most a KHL junior player (younger than 20 years old) has registered in one playoff year in the league's history, eclipsing the previous record of nine held by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Valeri Nichushkin.

In addition, Kravtsov's six goals in the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs were tied for the second-most a KHL junior player has recorded in one playoff year in the league's history.

The 6-3, 184-pounder was selected as the KHL's Rookie of the Month in both March and April of 2018, and he was also named the KHL's Best Rookie in each of the first three rounds of the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs.
Kravtsov led all KHL players younger than 19 years old in assists and points, and he was also tied for first among KHL players younger than 19 years old in goals during the playoffs this past year. In addition, Kravtsov tied for seventh among all players in the KHL in goals in the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs, and he was also tied for second among all players in the league in game-winning goals (three) in the playoffs.

He registered at least one point in seven of his first nine playoff games in 2018, posting four multi-point games over the span, and he registered the game-winning goal in overtime in his first playoff game of the year on Mar. 4 against Neftekhimik.

David Quinn said on NBCSN that Kravtsov, has "a lot of hockey sense and skill, people rave about his character. He is someone we have talked an awful lot about over the last month and we are ecstatic to get him."

2018 NHL Entry Draft Starts Today, Rangers Picks and Comments

NHL DRAFT DAY 2018

Here is the Rangers list of draft picks that they have for the 7 rounds in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft that starts Today at 7:00 pm ET, it will air on TV on NBC Sports & Sportsnet in Canada.

The Rangers have a total of 10 picks in this year's draft, three in Round 1, two in Round 2, two in Round 3 and one pick in each of Rounds 4 thru 6. New York does not have a pick in Round seven.

Round 1

#9 Pick Overall NY Rangers

#26 Pick Overall NY Rangers (from BOS)

#28 Pick Overall NY Rangers (from TBL)


Round 2

#39 Pick Overall NY Rangers

#48 Pick Overall NY Rangers (from NJD)


Round 3

#70 Pick Overall NY Rangers

#88 Pick Overall NY Rangers (from BOS)


Round 4

#101 Pick Overall NY Rangers


Round 5

#132 Pick Overall NY Rangers



Round 6

#163 Pick Overall NY Rangers



Round 7

No Picks For Rangers In This Round

Rangers GM Jeff Gorton met with the media in Dallas at the draft and said that the Rangers intend to use their three first-round picks but added that they are also in play.

Gorton's full comments: Via NY Rangers:

On the 3 first round picks, "we intend to use them but they are in play. As of right now we will use them but if something comes up that will change."

On how important this is, "it's very important, 3 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds. We have a lot of opportunity to make our team better for the future, build pieces that we need. It's a vital time for us."

How excited are you, "You think it's a couple of months away but it goes fast. Our scouting staff has done a great job of going through the process and we are excited about what is going to happen."

"for the draft we think about the future, so be it if someone ends up on our team, that would be great but we are looking to find the best players for a long period of time. In particular about tomorrow, we are thinking about the future, not next season."

On skepticism about the rebuild, "we are going to investigate everything, that is what the job is, that is what we want to do. If there is an opportunity to get a player and the price isn't too high, we will look at it. For anybody that would be skeptical of a rebuild, all you have to do is look at the last few months and the trade deadline and some of the things we have done. I think it's pretty obvious we are trying to accumulate young players and assets and trying to get better and give these players opportunity."

Is there a lot of conversation, "there is, always at the draft. We have three picks and that is drawing interest, we have been in a situation where we didn't have a first round pick and weren't as popular but this time we have three picks and there are a lot of different scenarios we are looking at."
"If you said today, are you going to use them right now, yes, we don't have a trade in place, nothing is there that we are doing but on the floor, as the draft evolves and players are going and we like somebody, maybe we move up, maybe we move down, those are all in play and there are a lot of conversation right now."

Would you only go after a younger player, "it depends on your definition of younger player. We are not looking for a bunch of older players for where we are at. I think I have been clear that we can't have all 18-19-20 year old players. We need to have the necessary players on our team that can help these guys learn the game and help us do everything we can to win every night. I think that is pretty clear where we are at."

On the draft, "I do think it's deep, I think our scouts have said that since day one. Our pick at 9, we are really comfortable with what is there, and then later in the first round, we think there will be good players there. In the second and third round there is opportunity for us to find players."
On the coaching staff, "no, we are here talking about that right now. Hopefully soon but nothing close or imminent."

Did anyone not get a qualifying offer, "the only player that didn't get one was Tambellini."