Broadway Blueshirts: New York Rangers' Young Guns

Over the last decade, the New York Rangers' young players have been given a lot of time to develop. The big club has filled its holes with big free agent signings, with few young players able to crack the lineup.

That was until recently. The majority of this team is now made up of homegrown players, such as Henrik Lundqvist, Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes, Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha, Marc Staal, and Dan Girardi. These guys have become the core of this team and will lead it into the future with high hopes.

But the biggest excitement surrounding the Rangers organization aren't these players—but rather, a bunch of names who will soon be joining their ranks.

The biggest name that comes to mind is Alexei Cherepanov, a top-five talent who fell all the way down to the Rangers in the 2007 draft. He will be playing with Avangard Omsk (yes, where Jagr went) for one more year, where he will get a little more seasoning—and hopefully some helpful insight from Jagr.

The Rangers tried to bring him over to North America for this coming year, but Russia is very defensive when NHL teams try to bring players over—especially when they are already under contract. Glen Sather and Avangard GM Anatoly Bardin met earlier this year, and it was thought that a sort of trade of Jagr for Cherepanov might happen—but it never did.

But Cherepanov staying in Russia ensures he will get top-line minutes, and he will be much happier being in his hometown. He had 15 goals and 12 assists this past year for 27 points in 46 games. He also had three points in four playoff games.

In his rookie year he broke Pavel Bure's goal scoring record with 18 goals—which is a big deal in Russia. Look for this kid to come over to North America next year and really start to make waves.

My personal favorite Ranger prospect is another Russian, who has already come over to North America and is playing for the Wolfpack in Hartford. Artem Anisimov had a good rookie year, scoring 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points in 74 games.

He is almost NHL-ready, with the only knock on him being his size. He may be 6'3, but he is only 187 pounds, which is a bit light for the NHL.

However, he will certainly be heading into training camp looking to make a splash. He is a very good skater and playmaker, with some decent defensive abilities. He can also score goals.

For some reason, I have a feeling he is really going to turn some heads and be a force in the NHL some day. Can anyone say Pavel Datsyuk? I can. 

The other Russian Ranger is Evgeny Grachev. The Rangers picked him up in the this year's NHL draft. He has a big body at 6'3 and 211 pounds, and is a decent skater for his size. He uses his body very well and is strong on the puck.

The best thing is that he will be playing in the OHL this year for the Brampton Batallion. There, he will learn alot about what it takes to get into the NHL, and he will definitely improve. The fact that he is coming to North America also says a lot about his desire to develop and play in the NHL someday.

He, along with Anisimov, Cherepanov, and the newly-acquired Nikolai Zherdev will form a very formidable group of Russians to lead the Rangers in the future.

On defense, the farm system isn't as deep as it was, with Marc Staal coming up to the NHL this past year—but that is not to say things are bad.

At the top of the list is Bobby Sanguinetti. He finished out his OHL years this past year playing in Brampton, where he shined. In 61 games, Sanguinetti scored 29 goals and had 41 assists for 70 points—good for second in points in the OHL. His 29 goals led the OHL among defensemen.

Bobby Sangs will probably spend a year in Hartford this year, since the Rangers have filled out their defense corps. But this year will be very beneficial, as Sangs will get some top time in Hartford where he can learn what it takes to be a professional—and maybe, just maybe, earn a call up or two this year if any defensemen go down to injury (*knock on wood*). 

The other defenseman that has the Rangers excited is Michael Del Zotto, their first-round pick this year. Playing for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL this past year, Del Zotto put up a solid 16 goals and 47 assists for third in points.

He beat out players like Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian, and Alex Pietrangelo—who were all picked before him.

Del Zotto mostly fell in the draft because he didn't improve on his rookie year, but he was ranked as one of the best defenseman in the draft. Hopefully, he can prove a lot of people wrong and really show something this year, wherever he plays. I am guessing the Rangers will want him to stay in Oshawa to improve on his already great year.

Goaltending isn't an issue. Enough said.

That is the future of the New York Rangers—even though it seems the future is now. It is an exciting time for Ranger fans looking at this young crop of players. Hopefully, with Henrik Lundqvist in net, these guys will help bring Lord Stanley back to Manhattan.