Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Traverse City Tourney, Rangers Lineup & My 10 Questions Heading Into It

September 12, 2014, 11:16 AM ET [207 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Traverse City Tournament begins today and once again, the Rangers will be a participant. The tourney is great exposure for some of the team's prospect, enabling them to face-off against others in a similar state and possibly build a case for a training camp invite or roster spot down the road. Unfortunately, it will not be telecast on MSG, so we all will be relying on twitter feeds to get our hockey fix and update.

The Rangers will be competing in the “Ted Lindsay Division”, and face-off against Dallas, Buffalo, and Carolina in round-robin play. Following the Blueshirts’ first game today at 7pm against the Stars, the team will play the Sabres’ prospects on Saturday, September 13 at 7pm, and the Hurricanes’ prospects on Monday, September 15 at 6:30PM. The Rangers’ placement following the round-robin games will determine who they will play in the placement game, which is on September 16.

The roster is as follows:

Goalies:

Brandon Halverson, Mackenzie Skapski

Defensemen:

Mat Bodie, Troy Donnay, Ryan Mantha, Sam Noreau, Dallas Valentine, Daniel Walcott, Petr Zamorksy

Forwards:

Nathan Burns, Anthony Duclair, Ryan Haggerty, Kevin Hayes, Keegan Iverson, Michael Kantor, Nickolas Latta, Paxton Leroux, Chris McCarthy, Bryan Moore, Richard Nejezchleb, Logan Nelson, Josh Nicholls, Michael St. Croix, Adam Tambellini.

Initial Line Combinations:
Nejezchleb-Hayes-Haggerty
Duclair-Tambellini-Nicholls

Hayes playing center initially, wonder if they move him back and forth between center and wing.

There are lots of recognizable names on the list, including several draft picks and college free agent signings from the past two seasons. We saw a few players at the recent World Junior Championships Evaluation Camp, so this will just be the next step in their development. Winning would be nice, but witnessing growth in players from year to year or a breakout performance is more important.

For me, these are the 10 questions for which I am looking to get answers:

- can Halverson carry his fine play from the WJC camp forward?
- will Mat Bodie translate his puck-moving skills from college to this level?
- since Walcott is a bit older than some of his fellow draftees, will that maturity show itself on the ice?
- does Anthony Duclair have a monster showing and force the Rangers' hand for this season?
- how much pressure is Kevin Hayes under after not signing with Chicago and landing with the Rangers?
- does Ryan Haggerty have any rust after not playing following the end of his college season?
- will Keenan Iverson's physical play carry forward to the next level?
- is Nejezchleb's style of play conducive to this type of tournament?
- can Michael St. Croix regain his prospect status after last season's decline?
Join the Discussion: » 207 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Jan Levine
» Rangers find way to notch 3-2 shootout win over Avalanche
» Rangers face Avalanche as Ryan Lindgren returns to the lineup
» Rangers clinch playoff berth with barn burner 6-5 OT win over the Flyers
» Rangers face Flyers with chance to clinch playoff berth
» Rangers rally twice to defeat Panthers 4-3 in a shootout