Sep
11
Traverse City Game 1 Wrap Up
September 11, 2011, byI’m a little late with this, but I had to watch the game on DVR this morning. The Rangers prospects dominated the St. Louis Blues prospects, and won 5-2 despite a good effort in net by their top prospect Jake Allen.
Prospects that impressed me:
- Tim Erixon – man this kid can play. Everything he did was so smooth, you can tell he’s a step above his competition here. He’s going to be a great two way defender in the NHL.
- Dylan McIlrath – his skating surprised me a bit. I expected him to be a little slower and a bit more of a lumbering defenseman, but he was right in on every play and didn’t look to be slow on his skates. He has a good shot too, as he showed on the powerplay.
- Carl Hagelin – this kid can fly. He is exactly how I expected him to be after watching this past year while he was at Michigan. He may not be an offensive force in the NHL, but he will turn a few heads.
- Christian Thomas – small players need “escapeability”, and Thomas has that. The little shifty move he put on in the 2nd period to set up Andrew Yogan in front of the net was a nice little move. He has tremendous skill too, but his escapeability is what will hopefully turn him into a star.
- Ryan Bourque – there wasn’t a particular moment that stood out, but he really impressed me. I’ve never been a big “fan” of Bourque –I think he’s bottom six NHL material — but he really showed why the Rangers are so high on him.
- Blake Parlett – this was the biggest surprise of the night. I did not think much of Parlett other than he impressed the organization last year. But he is a very smooth skater who is good with the puck. He ran the powerplay like a natural.
I thought Jason Missiaen could have been stronger in net, but I think it was just some jitters in the early going. Also, maybe I’m hallucinating, but Jyri Niemi looked a little slow out there. Other than those two, no one else really stood out in a negative fashion.
One expects the Hagelins,Erixons,McIlraths and Bourques to be good. I was delighted by the play of Jon Audy-M. This kid is dynamite. Hope he doesn’t get buried because he’s small. McColgen also impressed me. He’s got spunk. I like spunk.
Yup, he impressed too. I forgot about him by accident.
i see all ranger info,did they play by themselves?