New York Rangers 2020 Draft

Believe it or not, it’s been just more than one week since the 2020 EHE Entry Draft.  

The already stocked Rangers’ organization is richer this morning after a few-day marathon virtual draft. Going into Saturday night’s first round, the Blueshirts had 10 draft picks. 

This morning, after more than 4 hours of being “on the floor” during the draft, New York has eleven new prospects who, as a group, greatly strengthen the organization that are already filled with promising prospects.

In case you forgot, here are the 11 players drafted by the Blueshirts last week:

Second round – #35 overall (from Los Angeles) – Matias Maccelli, LW – Ilves, Liiga
Fourth round – #99 overall (from Minnesota) - Artyom Zub, D - SKA St. Petersburg, KHL
Fourth round – #100 overall (from Vancouver) - Anton Johannesson, D - HV71, Sweden
Fourth round – #101 overall (from New Jersey) - Spencer Stastney, D - Univ. of Notre Dame, NCAA
Fourth round – #106 overall (from Pittsburgh) - Joni Jurmo, D - JYP, Liiga
Fourth round – #118 overall (from San Jose) - Kim Nousiainen, D - KalPa, Liiga
Fourth round – #124 overall (from Dallas) - Samuel Knazko, D - TPS, Finland
Fifth round – #125 overall (from Montreal) - Owen Lindmark, C - Univ. of Wisconsin, NCAA
Fifth round – #131 overall (from Vancouver) - Linus Oberg, RW - Orebro HK, SHL
Fifth round – #132 overall (from New Jersey) - Victor Berglund, D - Lulea HF, SHL
Fifth round – #148 overall (from Arizona) - Alex Cotton, D - Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL

As always Rangers provided a couple of the more interesting moments in the form of trades and interesting selections.  

Overall, the Rangers came out of the draft with a pretty solid haul. There were a few picks that we got what we wanted and also some that slipped out of our hands so without anymore delay let's dive in the action:

FIRST ROUND

TRADE:

The Rangers acquired the No. 31 overall pick and No. 35 overall pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for No. 13 overall pick.

We had a choice to select Jack Quinn or acquire two picks that we could use a little later on. Although Jack Quinn is a pretty solid prospect we were just not as high on him or anyone in this range so the deal was made. Leading up to the pick there were many different discussions and scenarios where this pick could go, even a private call from the commisioner and the general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, Kevin Lacy but unfortunately nothing came of it.

TRADE:

The Rangers acquired the No. 99 overall pick and TB 2021 1st Round Pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for No. 31 overall pick and CBJ 2021 5th Round Pick.

Yet again, we had few targets here, including the player Tampa selected but the value of the offer was very good and we wanted to take it. Worst case scenario is that we moved up a round from 4th to 5th a year, and if Tampa Bay wins the cup next year and their 1st Round pick turns out to be #31 we just moved back a year with the 1st rounder. 

SECOND ROUND

SELECTION:

No. 35 overall (from Anaheim): Matias Maccelli, LW
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 15th overall forward

Maccelli has gotten off to a great start to his season, which is being spent in his homeland of Finland.

During his draft year, Maccelli plied his trade with the Duburque Fighting Saints of the USHL, finishing the season as the third-highest points producer with 31 goals and 72 total points in 62 regular season games. Interestingly, he was not selected in 2019.

Maccelli is not just a sniper. He likes the puck and has playmaking capabilities as well. He is a small guy, but really hard to play against due to his quickness. He is off to flying start with 12 points in 12 games this year.

TRADE:

The Rangers acquired the No. 71 overall pick, D prospect Libor Hajek and Cash Considerations ($2.5mil) from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for No. 39 overall pick.

Trade that made sense for Rangers in acquiring a later pick, some extra cash (2.5mil) and a prospect that is real life Rangers prospect in Libor Hajek.

He's a guy that skates well, and when he's on his game, he gets the team out of their end, he closes the gap, defends well.

THIRD ROUND

TRADE:

The Rangers acquired the No. 100 overall pick and No. 101 overall pick from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for No. 71 overall pick.

This one hurts, if I am being honest. Rangers were poised to pick Nick Abruzzese - even had his name typed out for a selection, just one pick away and we were fairly confident. Boom! With the 70th overall pick in this year's EHE draft, Carolina Hurricanes are pleased to select, from Harvard University - Nicholas Abruzzese. "Agh" moment for the Rangers who quickly, in response, accepted an offer from Vancouver Canucks to deal pick No. 71 for two later picks.

FOURTH ROUND

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #99 overall (from Minnesota) - Artyom Zub, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 16th overall defenseman

Zub is considered a modern-day defenceman. He is great at controlling a power play and being the main play-caller on the ice. Zub is also not afraid to get physical when called upon. Using his 200-pound frame, Zub uses his size to his advantage to clear the front of his net from any dangers and to win puck battles in the corner.

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #100 overall (from Vancouver) - Anton Johannesson, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 22nd overall defenseman

Injured over much of the last two years, Swedish defenceman Anton Johannesson might be flying under the radar when it comes to 2020 Draft prospects. Playing in the HV71 system, Johannesson put up three goals and three assists for six points in five games in the J18 league. Clearly dominating at that level, he moved up to the Sweden’s top Under-20 league, the SuperElit where he scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 20 games. He also had two points in four games at the Junior Club World Cup. Johannesson played big minutes of the HV71 J20 top pair with fellow 2020 NHL Draft prospect Emil Andrae. He also played two games for Sweden’s U18 national team, appearing at the Five Nations Tournament.

This little D is really intriguing at 5ft9 and 154lbs, he looks like he's 15 years old. Extremely gifted, he's a natural. Very long term project but he could be worth the wait. Better pts per game than Erik Karlsson and Adam Boqvist in SuperElit J20.

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #101 overall (from New Jersey) - Spencer Stastney, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 20th overall defenseman

Stastney spent the 2019-2020 season skating as a sophmore for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In 36 games, he finished first in points for defenseman with 20 on the team, playing nightly on Notre Dame’s second pair.

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #106 overall (from Pittsburgh) - Joni Jurmo, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 13th overall defenseman

Jurmo’s projectable 6-foot-4 frame and smooth-skating lend itself to covering large swaths of ice and carrying the puck from one zone to the next sometimes effortlessly. His speed makes him one of the best puck-rushers in the Finnish U20 league. He accelerates well when he’s already in motion and is a deceptive skater in the neutral zone with crossovers and changes of pace.

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #118 overall (from San Jose) - Kim Nousiainen, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 17th overall defenseman

Having selected Nousiainen in 2020, some may suggest that the New York Rangers made a risky choice considering the youngster’s size, or lack thereof. Standing at a diminutive 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, critics may be quick to dismiss Nousiainen in this regard. Of course, while Boston's Victor Hedman and Tampa's Alex Pietrangelo are current proof that bigger blueliners are successful in the EHE, defensemen under six feet are far from afterthoughts.
From Calgary's Cale Makar to Detroit's Quinn Hughes, smaller defensemen are fitting in very well themselves in today’s hockey world. So, while a towering, intimidating presence on the back-end is certainly beneficial, the same can be said for a blueliner’s ability to move the puck, one of the many skills possessed by Nousiainen.

SELECTION:

Fourth round – #124 overall (from Dallas) - Samuel Knazko, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 18th overall defenseman

Knazko is a great skater with offensive upside - good hands, solid vision and a nice, hard shot. He's super young and you know what that means - yes, his defensive game needs work. And that's why he was picked in round four, not round one or two. Best case scenario, Knazko can become a reliable top-four defender who runs the PP.

FIFTH ROUND

SELECTION:

Fifth round – #125 overall (from Montreal) - Owen Lindmark, C
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 37th overall forward

The hard-working two-way center had a solid season as a freshman with the University of Wisconsin. Lindmark needs more development time in Madison before he turns pro. Perhaps in the coming years, he can hone the offensive side of his game to make himself a more well-rounded prospect.

SELECTION:

Fifth round – #131 overall (from Vancouver) - Linus Oberg, RW
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 39th overall forward

Linus Öberg is a player who thrives when things get physical and who won’t back down from getting his body into puck battles in the corners. He has an above-average shot and a knack for finding open space near the net for tap-ins and rebounds. He is not a player who will wow you with his technique or his skating ability, but he will give you a full-throttle effort every night combined with a scoring touch.

SELECTION:

Fifth round – #132 overall (from New Jersey) - Victor Berglund, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: 23rd overall defenseman

The right-shot defenseman stands at 6’0, 180 pounds, and 21 years of age. The Rangers drafted Victor out of the HockeyAllsvenskan, which is Sweden’s second-tier hockey league. He has played on the same team since 2016-17 through the pandemic suspended season.  Each year, he has improved and surpassed his previous years’ stats. Including this year before the pandemic, Victor had played a career total of 151 games, while tallying 43 points.  The 43-point total is low, but he’s a defenseman who is still figuring out his game.  Almost half of his points have come this year while sporting a plus-18 rating, and he sits third in the HockeyAllsvenskan league among defenseman in goals. This year, he has broken into SHL, Swedish elite league and in 10 games already has 8 points with Lulea HF team.

SELECTION:

Fifth round – #148 overall (from Arizona) - Alex Cotton, D
NYR PRE-DRAFT RANK: Not ranked

Undrafted last year, defenceman Alex Cotton had an absolutely monster season and has been noticed as a draft re-entry. The Langley, British Columbia native led all WHL defencemen in points and was named to the league’s Second All-Star time. He put up 20 goals and 47 points for 67 points in 63 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It was a real breakthrough after struggling in his first two seasons in the league. Cotton has offensive skills and the hockey IQ that many teams are looking for in a puck-moving defenceman. However, he will need time to work on his skating and his defensive game.