Possible round 4 and 5 draft targets for the New York Rangers

Continuing in my posts previewing the 2016 NHL draft, today I’m looking at possible fourth and fifth round picks for the Rangers. In case you missed it, here are my previews for the third round.

Matthew Phillips – Phillips is a very interesting prospect because the talent is clearly there but there are concerns about his ability to make the jump to the pros due to his 5’7″, 171 lbs frame. While there have been some more undersized players in the NHL recently, the vast majority are not that small. Phillips may fall into the category of too skilled to pass up, though.

If you just look at the stats, you can’t help but be impressed that a draft eligible player had 76 points in 72 games, especially one that is supposed to slide to the mid or late rounds. When you consider the skill level, sometimes you just need to take a shot, right? He was rewarded for his hard work and point production this season by being named the Rookie of the Year in the WHL.

Phillips will obviously have issues in board battles against larger grown men when the time comes, but his game style does bode well for his future. It is not like he is unaware to the fact that he is small, Phillips plays a fast and aggressive game. He is a fast skater and honestly just seems like a really nice risk to take if available.

Jakob Stukel – Stukel is a risky pick, but the 6’0″, 185lbs left winger absolutely broke out this season. While one of the older players in the draft at 19, Stukel burst out with 56 points in 57 games for the Calgary Hitmen, following a trade from the Vancouver Giants (had 4 points in 12 games). The increased ice time clearly served him well –as did getting out of a terrible situation in Vancouver– and part of it is because of his absolutely blazing speed. That blazing speed is what his entire game revolves around, and if the team will be looking for a Hagelin like player Stukel is that.

Personally, I think he is one of the best skaters in the draft and likely the fastest. He catches defensemen by surprise entering the zone and gets to scoring chance areas extremely fast, giving him some time to make the most of his location on the ice. In theory, I don’t want the Rangers to draft Stukel, given that the prospect pool needs as much pure talent as they can find. That said, I wouldn’t necessarily be enraged. Stukel seems like a quality depth draft choice, and something the Rangers have have done before when they drafted Richard Nejezchleb.

Eetu Tuulola- Cant have a Rangers’ target post without including a possible powerforward. In terms of the forwards I am talking about, Tuulola is without a doubt one of my top prospects hopefully available in the fourth round. The 6’3″, 227 lbs right handed forward is the exact kind of forward I see the Rangers targeting here, and one that I think many blue collar fans would be excited about.

Eetu is mean, competitive, and all in all a tough talented forward. He gets to the net, creates havoc, throws hits, and pretty much anything else he has to to get a scoring chance for his team. He needs to be better defensively, but that should come with age. Tuulola is a massive pest on the ice, and because I stink at making GIFs I am #blessed that Greg Balloch has some.

His big and heavy game is definitely attractive to teams, but when they see his shot I am sure they get even more excited. With all of this said Eetu does have some concerns that make him likely available this late. He is a nice skater but by no means fast. He also doesn’t have quick hands, but it doesn’t seem like that is his game. I hate to make NHL comparables, but if Eetu works on his skating he can become a Milan Lucic type player at his absolute peak potential, but he likely becomes someone similar to Dwight King. A big mean powerforward, a pest and someone you see as a big member of a cycling 3rd line.

Cliff Pu – Pu is a member of the London Knights (that means draft him they have an amazing organization). Pu is a powerforward who absolutely loves to create a dilemma for the other team. He gets to the net any chance he can by using his great skating while also being a nice chance creator. He won’t be the face of a team’s offense, but I really like him as a valuable mid-six option. He is responsible defensively and just works his butt off at both ends of the rink. Plus, the kid can absolutely fly.

The thing with Pu is that he hasn’t had a lot of ice time because he is on a stacked team. He by no means has produced like a possible first liner, but he has outproduced his ice time. With London losing a few really talented players to their NHL teams, perhaps investing in Pu right now seems like a great idea for a quality forward.

Victor Mete – Mete is a new aged defenseman. The smallish 5’10”, 165 lbs defenseman is an absolutely incredible puck mover and skater for the London Knights (once again just draft the entire team). Mete’s skating makes him an absolutely valuable defenseman for whoever decides to overlook size to draft him (stay away Detroit please let me have one).

Mete’s skating allows his team to enter the zone and create multiple scoring chances, likely a huge factor in how London was able to absolutely roll over everyone and anyone. On defense, he suppresses shots because his skating and active stick shuts teams down from entering the zone. Hannah Stuart wrote a wonderful post on him earlier in the month here.

Cole Candella – If you are against Mete’s size, Candella may be a nice option. Candella plays on a pretty bad team in Hamilton, but that is what makes this two-way defenseman only more appealing. This is a young man who took up a leadership role on his team. He is by no means as offensively gifted as Mete but man does he skate like an animal. Just like Mete, he uses his skating to absolutely shut down the opposition because he can keep up with almost any rush.

He is also an extremely intelligent player, so that with his skating just makes me so excited. He is a huge help on offense as well with a solid transition game. He does have a hard shot and although his stats aren’t beautiful. I think that as his team improves, Candella will be a monster in the OHL, and a fun prospect to have in your pocket, like Ryan Graves.