The Rangers bolstered their farm system, even beyond the pick of Kappo Kakko, with their selections Saturday. The general consensus appears to be that Gord Clark and his scouts had an excellent day 2 with their selections. New York didn't make any deals, opting to remain in their draft slots, but were able to get value, skill and upside with several of their picks.
Rangers 2019 Draft Class:
GM Jeff Gorton's thoughts:
If there is one criticism, it was the lack of trading up to pick in the second round after seeing who was available after round one. Arthur Kaliyev, Nils Hoglander, Patrik Puistola, Raphael Lavoie, Bobby Brink, Alex Vlasic, Nicholas Robertson and Robert Mastrosimone all remained on the board. This is why I was hoping that New York dealt one of their two later picks in the Adam Fox deal rather than their own. Puistola and Pavel Dorofeyev slipped mightily in the draft, landing with Carolina and Vegas in round three.
I loved the
Matthew Robertson pick, as he would seem to pair well in the future with someone like Fox. He needs to become more physical, but he has the size and the physical attributes, including a hard shot that he needs to more often, to be a shut down-type d-man with offensive upside. Robertson is an excellent skater and can go coast to coast, though his value dropped a bit as season wore on before picking back up as the end of the year.
As posted in the blog and from the Hockey News,
Karl Henriksson has tons of offensive talent in an undersized player. Henriksson, who led the Swedish SuperElit junior league with 36 assists, created havoc, both with and without the puck, and showed he can be more than a great playmaker, showcasing his strong defensive play at the under-18 tournament.
Zac Jones was another upside pick. McKeen's Hockey wrote: Small, but fast and skilled, Jones fits the modern mold of the puck moving defenseman to a ‘T’. Coming from the non-traditional hockey market of Virginia, he has among the better sets of puck skills among draft eligible defensemen this year.
Leevi Aaltonen was another undersized player with skill, as the Rangers seemed, positively, to make that a priority. He needs to get stronger, but has excellent acceleration on the ice with high-end speed. Aaltonen is an excellent passer and play-maker, who can create multiple high-danger chances for his teammates.
Eric Ciccolini, ranked 118th by Future Considerations, is another offensive minded player who's extremely fast on his skates and uses that speed to create chances for himself and his teammates. High compete and battle levels and willing to play physical when needed.
Overall, a very solid draft for New York. Didn't swing for the fences and for the most went for best player available. To me, a A or A-, though would have loved to see them move up to the top of the second to grab one of the available players or taken a flyer on Puistola or Dorofeyev. The blue line is now really robust and skill fortunately has been the focus over pure character this season.
Below are Corey Pronman's and Chris Peters' summary and grade as well as Steve Kournianos including New York in his winners.
Corey Pronman, The Athletic, grades the Rangers' draft:
(https://theathletic.com/1041814/2019/06/22/pronman-2019-nhl-draft-grades-for-all-31-teams/)
2018 farm system ranking: No. 11
2018 draft grade: B
2019 Draft Grade: A
The Rangers got a huge piece in Kaapo Kakko, a projected star in the NHL. On Day 2 I thought they helped their system. It wasn’t the exact order I would have taken players in, but I think both Matthew Robertson and Zachary Jones are NHL defensemen. I also think Karl Henriksson and Leevi Aaltonen are very much on the NHL radar. If they get three players from this draft, including Kakko, that would be a great draft, and I think that’s realistic.
Kaapo Kakko, LW (No. 2 overall): Kakko had a fantastic season in Finland, playing significant minutes in the country’s top league and showing flashes of dominance versus men in Liiga and at the World Championships. Kakko has a ton of skill in his game. He’s got the high-end hands to make plays through defenders and the cute dangles that will make highlight reels. Kakko can make the real tough passes and makes a lot of great decisions, but his creativity is what impressed me most. He improvises very well, with the high offensive IQ to know how to create offense versus men. Kakko has good size, and he’s not afraid to lean on guys. He’s not a crash and bang type, but he protects pucks very well, he takes pucks hard to the net and he already showed that he can power his way past pro defensemen as a 17-year-old. His speed is just average for me. He’s not slow, but his skating is not the selling point of his game. Despite average speed, he gets inside to the net so well because of how fearless and strong he is. Kakko could be an impact forward in the NHL, whether at the wing and possibly even at center, and should transition quickly into that role.
TPS manager Antero Niittymaki on Kakko: “His stick handling and overall skill level is one of the best I’ve ever seen at his age. We put him on the top line early in the year, and even though he was this young, skinny guy, you could see right away he’s strong with the puck in the corners. He’s really balanced on his skates. It’s tough to knock him off the puck. Since the world juniors, he was dominant in regards to (his physical play). He can hang onto the puck as long as he wants. He’s NHL ready.”
Team Fit: In Kakko, the Rangers get the most important part of their rebuild: the top piece, the star forward they can build around. Kakko projects to step into the Rangers’ lineup right away and score in the league, and down the line become an impact player in the NHL. He’s dabbled at center and scouts feel he could feel that 1C role if the Rangers try, but even on the wing he could be incredibly valuable. There is still more work to do in their rebuild, but this is a massive step forward for the Rangers.
Matthew Robertson, D (No. 49): Robertson is a big defenseman with a very intriguing skill set. He had a good season with Edmonton, playing all situations on a good team. He would be an above-average skater for a smaller player, which gives Robertson a lot of value in how he can break up plays. He’s also not afraid to use his speed to jump into attacks and can make a difference with his skating. Robertson has offensive ability but it was inconsistent. He’d flash good puck skills and then another shift look nervous with the puck. He’d flash good vision and then have tunnel vision or try to do too much on another shift. He’s got a first-round toolkit and I could see him developing into a very solid two-way, second-pair defenseman. But I could also easily see him not be consistent enough offensively to get out of a third-pair role.
Edmonton Oil Kings coach Brad Lauer on Robertson: “For a big guy he moves around the ice very well. He has a good first pass. He loves to jump up into the offensive attack. He defends fairly well, too, with a good stick.”
Karl Henriksson, C (No. 58): Henriksson had a great season in the J20 league, as one of the best playmakers at that level. At the junior and international levels, he was often playing with super prospect Lucas Raymond, who could overshadow him, but Henriksson did show talent in his own right, including being a top player at the U18s. Henriksson makes a ton of plays off the flank and finds his teammates well. He’s small at just under 5-foot-9, but he’s solid defensively and shows no fear getting to the net area. The question with Henriksson is, at his size, if he has enough speed in his game. He’s a fine/good skater and shows some separation ability, but he doesn’t have game-breaking speed or skill.
Zachary Jones, D (No. 68): Jones was one of the best defensemen in the USHL this season. He’s not the biggest or fastest defenseman, but he’s great with the puck on his stick. Jones has a high skill level, great offensive instincts, and is not afraid to try and make a play. He often joins the rush, pinches off the blueline and can thread difficult passes. His awareness with the puck is fantastic. He finds seams consistently, his point shots find teammates sticks, and I’ve even seen an assist where he banked a point shot off the boards and around the net intentionally. Some scouts hate his skating, claiming he’s knock-kneed. I don’t think he’s overly quick, but I’m not all the way there and think he has average speed. With that said, for a small defender, there is a legit concern if he will be quick enough to be a competent defender in the pros. At the USHL level, he was able to defend more than fine due to his great sense. I’d bet on him due to his offensive upside and hockey sense.
NHL scout on Jones: “He’s got high-end skill and he’s super smart. He can control a game. His skating is just OK, but I’d bet on a guy with his brain figuring out how to make himself an NHLer.”
Hunter Skinner, D (No. 112): Skinner skates well for a big defender but there’s not much pop there in terms of what he does with the puck.
Leevi Aaltonen, LW (No. 130): Aaltonen has been a top player in his age group for years, often playing ahead of his age level. He stagnated a bit of late but remains a very talented and intriguing prospect. What makes him so valuable are his feet and pace. He’s so elusive inside the offensive zone because of his explosive first step. He buzzes around the ice with the puck with a high compete level and is always looking to attack. Aaltonen is dangerous on the power play because of how he creates 2-on-1’s with his skating, but also because he’s a very good playmaker and finisher. He finds seams well and has a hard wrist shot that he can pick corners with. For a smaller forward who is an offensive player, his 1-on-1 play is underwhelming. He rarely makes plays through defenders and lacks individual skill.
Adam Edstrom, F (No. 161)
Eric Ciccolini, F (No. 205): High-end skater and brings a ton of energy to shifts, but his skill and vision are mediocre
Chris Peters, ESPN, draft grade for the Rangers:
(https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/27024622/2019-nhl-draft-grades-best-picks-value-steals-more-all-31-teams)
New York Rangers: A
Favorite pick: Kaapo Kakko
The Rangers selected a franchise winger with Kakko, so that's a pretty easy way to land yourself a high grade. The team also nabbed prospects off my top 100 rankings with each of its next three picks -- Matthew Robertson, Karl Henriksson and Zachary Jones -- and got some nice value in the fifth round with the speedy Leevi Aaltonen. Robertson's footwork is superb and he defends at a pretty high level, and Henriksson is particularly creative. Additionally, Eric Ciccolini is an intriguing seventh-rounder. The Rangers can let him develop in college for a few years before having to make a decision on him.
Overall, they loaded up on picks, keeping a good prospect system well stocked with a budding star at the very top. The Rangers are in a really good spot as they look to leave the rebuilding phase and start competing again.
Steve Kournianos, Draft Winners and Losers for the Sporting News
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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