Saturday, December 22, 2007

Down on the Farm: Juniors Update

Leslie Treff at Hockeyfutures.com gives an update on some of the Rangers top junior prospects, including Bob Sanguinetti...

Ryan Hillier, LW - Junior Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) - In his fourth year with the Halifax Mooseheads, Ryan Hillier has become a scoring machine. Currently second on the team in points, Hillier has been successfully playing in all situations.

Tomas Zaborsky, LW - Junior Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL) - the winger is third on the team in scoring and has been given greater responsibilities. Assistant coach Steve Cooke attributes the change in ice time and success to the fact that, "Zaborsky has worked hard on his strength and conditioning, and the improvement is noticeable. The result is that he is winning puck battles, and is quicker and stronger at the net."... Expect him to join the Hartford Wolf Pack this spring and be in his first Rangers training camp next fall.

David Skokan, C - Junior Team: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) - Skokan has done well offensively thus far this season, however, he was drafted for his two-way skills, and he is struggling defensively. He has one of the worst plus/minus ratings on the team.

Danny Hobbs, RW - Junior Team: Ohio Jr Blue Jackets (USHL) - In his second season with the Junior Blue Jackets, Hobbs has put up respectable, but not exceptional numbers. Continued work on his two-way game and increased strength will be required for him to play the professional game.

Bob Sanguinetti, D - Junior Team: Brampton Battalion (OHL) - From the moment he arrived in Brampton after Rangers’ training camp this past fall, Sanguinetti was a more confident, knowledgeable player. He began to put up big numbers almost immediately, and in mid-November, the blueliner was named OHL Player of the Week. Although he is expected to play with the Wolf Pack next season, Sanguinetti has an outside chance at an NHL defensive roster spot next fall. Currently, Sanguinetti is a member of the team that will represent the United States in the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships

Antoine LaFleur, G - Junior Team: PEI Rocket (QMJHL) - The Rangers were impressed with LaFleur’s regular season 2006-07 statistics (27-19; 2.97; .909). LaFleur did not play as well in the playoffs, and has continued his lackluster play to begin this season. LaFleur is currently sharing the netminding duties with rookie Marc-Antoine Gelinas.

...looks to me that Hillier, Zaborsky and Sanguinetti are the guys we're most likely to see on the Rangers out of this group.

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