December New York Rangers prospect power rankings

Welcome back to my New York Rangers Prospect Power Rankings for December. These rankings are based on the play of Rangers prospects from the beginning of the month to January 5th. Just like the previous month, no goalies are included in this ranking; it is solely for skaters in the organization who are under the age of 23 and have played less than a full season in the NHL.

It was a pretty light month for most Rangers prospects due to winter break for the NCAA and CHL. I did extend the time frame for tracking games to include the conclusion of World Juniors, so a couple of players have that added to their December rankings as well. There weren’t a lot of positives in December, but hopefully an update on these players gives us all something to look forward to, so let’s jump right in.

1. Gabe Perreault, Boston College/Team USA (10 GP: 4G, 9A) [+1]

Moving back into first place in the rankings is none other than Gabe Perreault. He only played 3 games with Boston College before winter break started, where he collected one goal, but then he was off to help Team USA in their quest to get back-to-back gold medals, which was successful in the end.

Through the 7 games in the tournament, Perreault scored 3 goals and tallied 7 assists to total 10 points. This had him tied for second place with a handful of other players. Not only did he end the tournament with great offensive numbers, but his line was one of the best overall for Team USA — especially in the gold medal game. There is no denying his talent, let’s just hope he continues to play as dynamically as he has been. 

2. Brett Berard, Hartford Wolf Pack/New York Rangers (13 GP: 2G, 3A) [-1]

The month of December was a rough one for the New York Rangers, so it wasn’t surprising to see a slight dip in Berard’s play, but it was also nothing to worry about. He moved around the lineup a bit this month, whether it was Laviolette switching up the lines to spark something or due to injury. This meant he didn’t have as much consistency as you would like to see a young player get.

Berard was moved to RW on the Cuylle-Chytil line after Kaapo Kakko’s trade in mid-December, and every game they’ve played, they’ve looked better and more confident. Berard has been a much needed bright spot in a month full of uncertainty, negativity and losing for the Blueshirts.

3. Adam Sykora, Hartford Wolf Pack (13 GP: 4G, 4A) [+3]

One of the biggest stories surrounding the Wolf Pack this season has been the continued solid play of Adam Sýkora. He has not only been one of the team’s best players, but he has also been one of the most consistent. He has been playing big minutes in the top six and has gotten significant power play and penalty kill time, too.

As is often the case in the AHL, he has had a jumbled cast of linemates throughout, but his recent play with Jaroslav Chmelař has been some of his best — their chemistry off the ice leads them to familiarity on the ice, and it has paid off for their line in recent games. The fact that he is close to matching his point total from last year in half the games played, and that he’s doing so at only 20 years old, is a very promising sign for the speedy winger and his future within the organization.

4. Victor Mancini, Hartford Wolf Pack/New York Rangers  (13 GP: 6A) [+2]

Mancini spent another month split between the Rangers and the Wolf Pack, with some injuries and trades giving him a few games up in the NHL before being sent back to the AHL. While he wasn’t bad in his return to the Rangers, he wasn’t his usual self in terms of compete level and play, so he struggled a bit in those 5 games.

Mancini fared far better in the 8 games he has played in Hartford, where he has put up five assists and been the quarterback of the newly refreshed first powerplay unit, which was on life support in his absence. As is the issue with a lot of the Wolf Pack guys, the lack of consistent linemates has seen him have a slow start to some games, but that’s not likely going to change anytime soon. Hopefully he is able to adjust more quickly as he gets more experience; it is his first professional hockey season after all.

5. Brennan Othmann, Hartford Wolf Pack (5 GP: 1G, 2A) [NR]

Despite missing just over two months with an upper body injury, Brennan Othmann returned to the Wolf Pack lineup on December 27th and has looked like he hasn’t missed any time at all. He hasn’t backed down from the physical play that he has been known for, which is a great sign, as it is such a big part of what makes his play so entertaining.

Othmann started the season playing strong both offensively and defensively, a great sign for a young player who struggled to find his defensive game last season, and it seems like the injury he suffered in October hasn’t changed that. He is playing more responsibly with and without the puck; if he continues the strong play at both ends of the ice I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get called up to the Rangers at some point in the near future.

6. Dylan Roobroeck, Hartford Wolf Pack (13 GP: 2G, 5A) [NR]

One of my favorite prospects to watch recently has been Dylan Roobroeck. Not only has he adjusted to the AHL quicker than I expected him to, but he is showing new levels to his play. I would argue that the last three games he played have been his best since he made his professional debut; he looks not only more comfortable but he looks confident as well.

Roobroeck has been playing more often with veteran Anton Blidh, who is a great mentor for Roobroeck, whose ceiling is most likely a bottom six two-way center who plays with a bit of bite. He has the skill down, but Blidh can help him add the extra intensity that will round out his game to what would make him the most effective.

7. Jaroslav Chmelar, Hartford Wolf Pack (13 GP: 2G, 5A) [NR]

Jaroslav Chmelař is one of the most raw prospects currently in Hartford. He has started to find his offensive game recently, but he has really struggled defensively. Some nights he looks better than others, but more often than not he gets caught too far back in the offensive zone without the puck. I don’t fully blame him for his struggles; he has been up and down the lineup throughout the season and he has even had some great games recently.

Chemlar seems to play his best hockey with Roobroeck, which is interesting to see since they are both rookies. Chmelař has also had to deal with multiple instances of being forced to fight after clean hits, which takes him out of games unnecessarily and not by his own choice either.

8. Brody Lamb, University of Minnesota (6 GP: 3G) [-5]

Brody Lamb has had a wonderful season for the Gophers, and while it may seem like a negative thing that he has fallen a few spots, it’s really just due to lack of games played. He is still a force to be reckoned with on the power play, he didn’t miss a beat even with winter break interrupting the season for a couple weeks. I would like to see more 5v5 production from him, but outside of being on the power play, he tends to get mostly bottom six minutes, so offense might not be the focus of those lines on a nightly basis.

Lamb has improved his defensive game from last season, which is great to see as it was one of my worries about what role he might fit into in the future if he wasn’t able to show some improvement in that aspect of his game. As the season progresses, he is one of the players I will really keep my eye on.

9. Drew Fortescue, Boston College/Team USA (10 GP: 2A) [+1]

Drew Fortescue has become one of my favorite Rangers prospects this season. He is such a steady presence on defense and he can be trusted in big moments. We saw that at the World Juniors, where he spent the tournament on the first defensive pair and played significant time on the penalty kill for Team USA.

Before heading to Ottawa for the WJC, Fortescue had a strong three games for the Eagles where he put up 2 assists to double his point total for the season. He might not be a flashy player, but it’s clear that coaches trust him to play an important role on very good teams, for example, in the gold medal game for Team USA, he logged a whopping 25:40 on ice. The only player that had more TOI than him on the team was his defensive partner, Zeev Buium. I think he will have a very bright future if he continues to develop as he has so far.

10. Noah Laba, Colorado College (6 GP: 1G, 2A) [-6]

I struggled to decide who would take the 10th spot in the Power Rankings this month, but I decided on Noah Laba. Like fellow NCAA prospect Brody Lamb, he hasn’t played as many games as the other prospects on the list, but he is still playing well despite his team’s struggles at the moment.

Colorado College has lost 5 of their last 6 games, and over that timespan, Laba has managed to only have a -1. I try not to mention +/- too much in my analysis on players because I don’t think it offers too much insight, but when a team is struggling like his is currently, it’s a good sign that he has still played pretty well in those losses. Laba has had a tough season injury-wise, so hopefully the winter break gave him the rest he needed to be able to play at the same level that he did last season. 

Honorable Mentions

Since I only rank the top ten players, there are some honorable mentions that I believe were close to making the list this month, but fell just a little short. For December, those players are Bryce McConnell-Barker and Ryder Korczak. Both were on the verge of taking the 10th spot from Laba, but ultimately they didn’t quite make it.

McConnell-Barker has played really well this month, especially defensively, which is great since he has primarily played as the fourth line left wing, despite it not being his natural position. In his last 13 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points, which matches the 5 points he put up in his first 15 games of the season.

The biggest positive sign for McConnell-Barker is that while he struggled in the defensive zone quite a bit in the beginning of the season, he has been able to adjust better and looks far more comfortable in his current role. I still hope he gets moved up the lineup at some point soon, but where he’s playing now is not a real concern for me.

Korczak is a strange case because while I think he has been playing well, the coaching staff has healthy scratched him multiple times this season. When he does go back in the lineup, he gets randomly slotted into a role that he doesn’t seem comfortable in. Seems like this is a theme throughout the organization.

Korczak has one goal and 3 assists in his last 12 games, which is still pretty good, but over the last month or so, his defensive game has taken a hit. I’m unsure if it’s a loss of confidence due to the scratches or if he has a lingering injury that isn’t serious enough for them to keep him out of the lineup. Whatever it may be, I hope that the next month is better for him and a lot of other Rangers prospects, so my rankings can get even more competitive.