As time passes, and we avidly follow our favorite sports teams, many players come and go. While we may recall them during their time with the team, some slip through the crevices of our memory, only to resurface through a nostalgic memory or an old piece of media, causing us to reconnect their faces and names with the iconic Rangers uniform.
Among the hallowed names like Messier, Leetch, Giacomin, Lundqvist, and others, there are those more unknown Rangers, such as Eric Reitz, Matt Gilroy, Ales Kotalik, Chris Higgins, and others who may have faded from our recollection. As we traverse the regular season, we’ll delve into a few of these “Forgotten Rangers.”
In this edition, we look at a defenseman who was supposed to be good and a two-way forward who didn’t score much.
Viktor Stalberg, Forward, Team Sweden
Time with Rangers: 75 games for New York in 2015-16
I have a particular interest in depth players, and Stalberg stood out as one of my favorites during the somewhat forgettable 2015-16 season (fun fact: Jayson Megna briefly played as a first-line winger that season). The seasoned winger joined New York on a one-season deal and quickly found success after making the opening night roster. Despite scoring only 9 goals, Stalberg played a crucial role in many key plays that contributed to the team’s performance throughout the season.
However, just as swiftly as he arrived, Stalberg departed. Opting to leave New York after the Rangers decided to move in a different direction, he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and was later traded to the Ottawa Senators. Stalberg became a formidable opponent for the Rangers, playing a part in Ottawa’s victory over the Rangers in the second-round playoff series in 2017.
After that season, Stalberg chose to exit the NHL and joined the Swiss club EV Zug in the National League for a two-season stint. He made an immediate impact, tallying 22 goals and 50 points in 48 games during the 2017–18 season. Finishing fourth in overall league points, Stalberg not only secured a spot on the NL Media All-Star Team but was also named the NL Media’s Best Forward.
In the subsequent 2018–19 season, Stalberg played in just 10 games before receiving and accepting a contract offer to leave Zug and join the KHL’s Avangard Omsk on October 30, 2018. On April 26, 2019, Stalberg returned to Switzerland, signing a two-year contract through the 2020/21 season with HC Fribourg-Gottéron.
Bobby Sanguinetti, Defenseman
Time with Rangers: 5 games with New York Rangers, 3 seasons with Hartford Wolf Pack
Sanguinetti entered the Rangers organization with high expectations, having been selected in the first round, 21st overall, one ahead of Claude Giroux. The team envisioned him as a top prospect, and after excelling as an All-Star in the AHL for Hartford, he was given a five-game stint with the Rangers during the 2009-10 season. However, despite maintaining an even plus/minus rating, he didn’t record any points.
Following this brief NHL appearance, Sanguinetti’s journey took a turn. The Rangers traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in the subsequent offseason. After navigating through various systems in the minors and having a couple of stints in Carolina, he took a one-year free-agent deal with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2014.
The following year, on July 2, 2015, Sanguinetti transitioned to the Buffalo Sabres, signing a one-year, two-way contract. Despite making 40 appearances for Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, during the 2015–16 season and putting up respectable numbers, he didn’t see any NHL action.
Sanguinetti then explored opportunities in Switzerland, joining Kloten of the National League A (NLA) on July 6, 2016. Despite facing some challenges with concussion-like symptoms, he managed to contribute with 29 points, including 9 goals, in 44 games that season.
Moving forward, on May 24, 2017, Sanguinetti signed a one-year contract with Lugano, which included an option for a second year but lacked an NHL-out clause. In the 2017-18 season, he emerged as a scoring leader among Lugano defensemen, recording 11 goals and 29 points in 46 games.
Despite remaining unsigned into the mid-point of the 2018–19 season, Sanguinetti made a return to his former club, the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, on January 1, 2019. He played a crucial role in the playoffs, contributing 6 points in 10 games, helping the Checkers secure their inaugural Calder Cup. As a free agent once again, Sanguinetti decided to head back overseas, securing a one-year contract with the German club EHC München of the DEL on September 8, 2019.
Personally, I thought Sanguinetti would pan out as a Ranger, but that just shows how in tune I am with how scouting players is supposed to work. Yikes.
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