Rangers Second Round Draft Preview

The New York Rangers traded their own 2nd round draft pick (50th overall) to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Nik Antropov deal. The Blueshirts received a compensatory second round draft pick due to the death of Alexei Cherepanov. Since Cherepanov was the 17th selection in the first round, the Rangers receive the 17th selection in the 2ns round (47th overall). The Rangers would be best advised to continue to restock their forward corps and try to find some scoring value in the second round.

Jimmy Bubnick – RW – (6-2/194)
CS: # 55NA —– THN: # 68 —– McK: # 85
ISS: # 86 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 51 (Michael Ryder or Trent Hunter)
ISS: “Bubnick has great offensive vision and natural scoring ability. His skating ability is not pretty, but he does get to where he needs to be. His big question is his grit and willingness to pay the price at times. Did battle the inconsistency bug. With adding a physical dimension, he will create more room and put up better numbers.
McK: “Bubnick was one of the most highly-touted prospects coming out of bantam after playing on a line with Brayden Schenn and carter Ashton. His time in Kamloops has been frustrating due to very inconsistent play. He has a goal scorer’s instincts and will attack the net with his stick ready for a pass.
RLR: “Has the body and strength to be effective physically down low, but changed to a more finesse style this season. Has a very quick release and accurate touch. Needs to put together the finesse skills from this season with the grinding style from last season.
2008/2009 – Kamloops (WHL) – 72-25-32-57-41

Anton Burdasov– RW – (6-3/202)
CS: # 20E —– THN: # 56 —– McK: # 118
ISS: # 48 (Erik Cole) —– RLR: # 70 (Ryan Malone)
ISS: “Good hands and vision with the puck. Powerful and quick skater. Burdasov is very strong on [the] puck and once he gets his feet moving he scares opposing defenders with his great blend of speed and intensity with the puck. The biggest knock on Burdasov is that he follows the team, if the team is playing bad, so does Burdasov and if the team is playing well so is Burdasov.
McK: No scouting report available.
RLR: “Bit of an enigma with all the physical tools to become a good one, but we expected more. Big winger has great size and is a smooth skater with fine physical tools. Good puck skills and controls the puck well down low with long reach. Shows fine touch around net, where he can bury his chances. Initiates contact, finishes checks, and competes for loose pucks along the boards. However, he’s inconsistent and effort level can be spotty.
2008/2009 – Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (Russia) – Statistics not available.

Alex Chiasson – RW – (6-4/187)
CS: # 34NA —– THN: # 76 —– McK: 47
ISS: # 85 (Not Available) —– RLR: # 67 (Jochen Hecht)
ISS: “Chiasson has all of the tools to become a productive prototypical power forward. He will accumulate points through hard work, crashing the net and paying the price. A very good skater for his size who can finish with flash or grit.
McK: Chiasson embodies all the attributes of a prototypical power forward. A feared checker with strength to run through his opposition, Chiasson often took the frustration of a losing season out on opposing defencemen. He uses his speed on the forecheck and is becoming a nightmare for defencemen as he finishes his checks with considerable force. Chiasson is committed to Boston University [and has] the most upside of any USHL prospect forward in the 2009 Draft.”
RLR: “Huge winger with fine offensive tools. Still shows some inconsistency in his game, but has improved in a lot of departments since his prep season last year. “Has good knack around the net and will outmuscle defenders for space around the crease. Good puckhandler with exceptionally long reach – uses his body to shield the puck. Not the quickest skater in terms of lateral movement and change of direction, but effort and straight line power are there.
2008/2009 Des Moines (USHL) – 56-17-33-50-101

Jerry D’Amigo – RW – (5-11/196)
CS: # 67NA —– THN: # Not Rated in Top 100 —– McK: # 84
ISS: # 40 (T.J. Oshie) —– RLR: # 36 (Alex Burrows)
ISS: “he has great speed and great offensive anticipation and wins most races for pucks. With his scoring touch, he will be a top-two-line player with his skill. His outstanding play in the International scene coupled with the fact he kept elevating his game throughout the year has secured his ranking here at ISS. He makes good smart, quick plays, takes contact well and drives the net without hesitation. Has great leadership traits that should translate very well at the next level.
McK: “A multi-purpose forward that can do many things well. He enjoys playing in traffic and can make uncanny plays with limited space. He is the type of player who will make his living in the dirty area [and] plays a similar game to Ryan Smyth.
RLR: “Lacks top end speed, but shows good burst in short areas. Works very intelligently down low on the PP where he stations himself beside the net and makes some power moves out front showing strength and balance. Not a pure finisher, but he generates offense with effort and desire.”
2008/2009 – USA U-18 (NTDP) – 44-19-24-43-53. Will play at RPI next season.

Kenny Ryan – RW – (6-0/204)
CS: # 56NA —– THN: # 66 —– McK: 29
ISS: # 59 (Brooks Laich) —– RLR: # 47 (Andrew Ladd)
ISS: “Honest two-way player who is not going to hurt you when he is on the ice. An agile two-way skater, Ryan is another U.S. forward who must keeps his feet moving all the time. Plays [to] his size and physical style very well. Ryan is a very good skater with good anticipation to break to open ice. He plays very hard and intense and makes good decisions with the puck. Has verballed to Boston College.
McK: “Ryan may not be the flashiest player but is a gifted natural goal scorer with a sniper’s instinct. His skating is average but complemented well by his non-stop motor. Ryan will need to add strength to be more effective physically but it’s already encouraging how much he engages in traffic.
RLR: “Strong on the puck and tough to separate from it. Has a hard, heavy shot but must work on getting it on net more consistently. Likes to initiate contact and will lay on the body. Average hockey sense, gets by on his natural tools rather than taking a cerebral approach. Does have the tools to be a top power winger, but only flashes them occasionally.
2008/2009 – USA U-18 (NTDP) – 53-21-20-41-44

While the first round selection was a difficult one, the second round selection is an empty net goal. Alex Chiasson has the tools to be a second round steal – much like Brandon Dubinsky was. Ranking the rest of the potential second round picks is not as easy.

Jimmy Bubnick and Anton Burdasov represent high-risk/high-reward players. Normally I don’t mind taking that type of player in the second round, but this time I would suggest going with the safer picks.

My alternate second round choices, in order, are: Jerry D’Amigo, Kenny Ryan, Burdasov, and Bubnick.

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