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Rangers announce 2019 Traverse City roster |
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Hockey is close to being back, kind of sort of. While it's not pre-season or regular season games, there is hockey starting September 6, as the Traverse City tournament kicks off. The Rangers participating in the tourney practice Thursday in advance of their first game against the Blue Jackets. While it will likely once again not be shown on MSG, the tournament will be most probably be streamed live online via Fox Sports Go.
Official Rangers press release tweet:
Roster alphabetically:
When you look at the progression of the roster from 2-3 years to now, you clearly notice the uplift in talent. Last year had some strong names on the roster list but this year goes way beyond even that. With Kakko, Kravtsov, Shesterkin, Fox, Rykov along with the others mentioned below, you can see why the Rangers had the #1 ranked prospect pool by several different experts.
Forwards: Jake Elmer, Karl Henriksson, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and Patrick Newell
(Kakko and Kravtsov are the headliners, with each getting their feet wet to a certain extent on North America ice in the tournament as a lead-in to training camp the following week. Looking forward to seeing Elmer, who could surprise some people in the tourney, especially if he ends up playing the off-wing to either Kakko or Kravtsov. Elmer played with Dylan Cozens, taken seventh overall by Buffalo, at Lethbridge in the WHL the past two seasons. Was he a product of playing with Cozens or can he succeed on his own? Newell was a Hobby Baker candidate at St. Cloud University last year, posting 21 goals and 26 assists in 39 games. He could center Kakko or Kravtsov with Henriksson, known for his elite vision and passing ability, serving as the pivot for the other. Interesting that Henriksson is coming over from Europe to play in this tournament, as it’s a sign that he wants to make a good first impression and force his way further onto the team’s radar. Anthony Salintiri is another forward to keep an eye on)
Defense: Adam Fox, Nico Gross, Joey Keane, Tarmo Reunanen, Matthew Robertson, Yegor Rykov and Hunter Skinner
(Fox is the biggest name in this list. After coming over from Carolina this off-season, he is projected to be in the team’s opening day lineup. A good tourney certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances. Gross, drafted in 2018, needs to raise his status in the organization given all the blueliners added at the same time and in this year’s draft and a strong tourney certainly would help. Keane came close to making the US World Juniors team last year, I am looking forward to seeing the strides he made defensively and if he still has that strong offensive component to his game. Reunanen is the one to watch in the group, as he has moved up the prospect ranks much faster than expected, playing well for Lukko in Lilga. A strong tournament on US ice would take his status an additional step forward. Robertson fell a bit in this past year’s draft. He projects as a possible second-pair blueliner, who can combine offense with solid position play. Rykov, who came to the Rangers in the Michael Grabner deal, played for HK Sochi last season. He projects as a solid, defensive blueliner. Skinner was the one pick panned by many in this year’s list of selections. Hopefully, he comes in with a big of a chip on his shoulder, looking to change the narrative and view that exists of him. Kade Landry is another one to possibly watch).
Goalies: Adam Huska and Igor Shesterkin
(Huska may have been the bell of the ball as a goalie prospect for the team at one point, but he has been surpassed by others. A seventh round pick in 2015, Huska started for U Conn the past three seasons and saw a handful of games at Hartford last year. He is still viewed as an asset within the organization, but will need to excel to maintain that status. We all know Shesterkin, as he is projects to be Henrik Lundqvist’s replacement after the 2020-21 season. He will battle Alexandar Georgiev to serve as Hank’s back up this season or open the season as Hartford’s #1 netminder. A fourth round draft choice of the Rangers in 2014, Igor Shesterkin spent the past five seasons skating with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. He appeared in 28 games in 2018-19 and posted a 24-4-0 record to go along with a miniscule 1.11 GAA and a .953 save percentage, both career bests).
The Rangers are in the Ted Lindsay division with Columbus, Dallas and Minnesota, which is a slight change from prior, as Columbus replaces Detroit in the Rangers’ division, and the tournament runs from Friday 9/6 to Tuesday 9/10:
Friday Sept. 7 | Columbus, 3:30 PM ET
Saturday Sept. 8 | Dallas, 7:00 PM
Monday Sept. 9 | Minnesota, 2:30 PM
Tuesday Sept. 10 | Placement Game, Gordie Howe Division, Time TBD
New York’s roster for the tournament features 24 prospects (14 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders), including Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and Vitali Kravtsov, the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In addition, prospects Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, and Yegor Rykov will represent the Rangers at the Traverse City Tournament for the first time. Ten prospects on the Rangers’ roster for the 2019 Traverse City Tournament were selected by the team in the NHL Entry Draft, and the roster includes four of the Blueshirts’ selections from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft: Kakko, Matthew Robertson, Karl Henriksson, and Hunter Skinner. Nico Gross and Joey Keane, who were both selected by the Rangers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, will represent the Blueshirts in the Traverse City Tournament for the second consecutive year. New York has consistently had a player who appeared in the tourney play for the Rangers during the regular season. In 2018-19, five players (Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren) who represented the team in Traverse City saw time with New York during the year.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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