Dylan McIlrath, according to the website Hockey’s Future, “is a nasty, in your face NHL defenseman, who won’t back down and can clear the crease for his netminder. Not afraid to fight or just intimidate, McIlrath has a good shot and his puck distribution has been improving, but he needs to improve his skating and defensive positioning.” I had to quote that because I absolutely love that analysis. McIlrath plays an intimidating style that I like but with his skating and defensive positioning a question mark, which is extremely important when being a defenseman, McIlrath only makes No. 5 on this list.
Jesper Fast is said to have great hockey sense, forecheck capability and some offensive upside. Playing most of his career in Sweden, but now with the Rangers' AHL team, the Connecticut Whale, Fast should be seeing some playing time with the Rangers at some point this upcoming season and is definitely a must-watch prospect.
Oscar Lindberg has not played in the NHL or with the Rangers as of now, but I think will very soon. He has played in Sweden for his entire career, is only 21 years old and is said to be true center in every sense of the word, makes great plays, steps up in big, pressure situations and has great awareness and a high hockey IQ. Another big plus, which I think is one of the most important features when looking at a player, is his work ethic and Lindberg’s is said to be great. From what I am hearing about Lindberg, I think this young man could be the real deal but we shall see soon enough.
J.T. Miller has also shown in his limited time with the Rangers that he has a really good shot and can handle the puck like an experienced veteran. He is also a good face off man, which the Rangers have seriously lacked over the past few seasons, and is a good two-way player. All of this shows why Miller should be in the NHL for a very long time. But while the website Hockey’s Future ranks him with the best probability of success in the NHL, I still have not seen enough of Miller to give him that distinctive honor on this list, which is why for now he will stay at No. 2.
Chris Kreider is what you would call a “power” forward. In the past two postseasons with the Rangers, he has shown he has a nose for the net and a goal scorers’ shot to go with it. The only question mark so far with Kreider is in inconsistency, as he failed to take his playoff success from two years ago into his first regular season with the team. With a new coaching staff at the helm for the Rangers in 2013-14, and another year of experience for Kreider, we will see if he can put together a great and consistent regular season with the Blueshirts like we all think he is capable of.
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