Alexis Lafreniere

Two New York Rangers tabbed as breakout players for 2020-21

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Sportsnet recently listed their top 15 breakout players for the upcoming season and two New York Rangers are at the top of that list. The two Blueshirts that they have tabbed are goalie Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox.

It does not really come as a surprise that Shesterkin made the list. On the site Betonline.ag, Shesterkin is the second betting favorite for the Calder trophy behind teammate and first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere. Even with 12 games under his belt, Shesterkin will still be classified as a rookie heading into 2020-21.

The 12 starts gave a glimpse of his potential as Shesterkin notched a highly-impressive 10-2-0 record with an even more impressive 2.52 Goals Against Average and .932 Save Percentage, in addition to an outstnding Quality Start Percentage of .750% and a 3.4 Point Shares.

With Alexandar Georgiev as his backup, Shesterkin is expected to get most of the starts in net for the Blueshirts in a shortened season, especially given his young age and his sheer talent and ability between the pipes.

Sportsnet names Fox as someone who has “put up gaudy stats from the back-end basically everywhere he’s been, including 42 in 70 games as a rookie”.

The Rangers defense may some big question marks but Fox is not among them. He took a bit of a backseat in the rookie talk last season due to the play and coverage of Cole Makar and Quinn Hughes. Based on last year, most expect Fox to see more ice-time this season, instead of being only fourth in ice-time compared to last season.

The Long Island native was originally drafted by Calgary, who eventually trade his rights to Carolina. The Hurricanes then sent Fox to the Rangers in 2019 for two conditional draft picks. It was a move that seems to be well worth the price.

Among the stats that impressed many was that Fox was second on the team in blocked shots (92) and he led the team in takeaways (57). We also know that he has the capacity to be a good table-setter for his scoring teammates as he finished with the record for the most assists in a single season (2015-16) and the most assists in a career (2014-16) while a member of the U.S. National Development Team.

Keeping our fingers crossed that these two will have the chance this season to show why they have been included on this list.

 

 

 

Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere fake trading card investigated by Quebec Police

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Alexis Lafrenière

New York Rangers first-round draft pick Alexis Lafreniere is making news in an unusual way. Quebec police are investigating reports of fake trading cards of the Blueshirt prospect that are showing up on websites.

Sportsnet is reporting that organizers of the Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament are warning against fake Alexis Lafreniere cards.

The Quebec police have indicated that the fraudulent cards have been seen on eBay selling for $100. Tournament officials periodically look surf through websites to make sure cards with their official logo to make sure they are authentic.  Officials found the Lafreniere cards from 2013 with the official tournement logo on them.

These cards are never were made nor exists.

“The Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament has never produced an Alexis Lafreniere card,” tournament general manager Patrick Dom said in a statement as was reported by the .”

Lafreniere was the first overall pick in this year’s NHL draft by the Blueshirts. He led Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic and played junior hockey for the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Tournament officials and the Quebec police want fans to be aware of these fake cards as the popularity of Lafreneiere will continue to grow this season once he makes his professional NHL debut with the Rangers sometime in mid to late January.

New York Rangers may begin season mid-January (Report)

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New York Rangers fans may finally get to see the team play a meaningful hockey game since the summer via a report by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.

Despite a financial impasse between the NHL and NHLPA, Brooks wrote on Sunday morning that the January 1 start date is pretty much off the table but a mid-January start date is being looked at.

“The league has moved off its Jan. 1 start date and is now targeting Jan. 15 for a schedule of up to 56 games.”

Should the NHL want to start on Jan. 15, discussions this upcoming week would need to be substantial and include the escrow/deferment payment debate that is one of the reasons the league is not going with its original plan.

Most states have different quarantine requirements with the coronavirus spiking all across the country. Players have would be required to return to their home cities and at the very least self-isolate for 10 days while also taking Covid- 19 tests.

A second situation reported by Brooks would have the season start playing 48 games with a Feb. 1 start date.

The Rangers players who are overseas currently will probably be called back to New York by the last week of December in order for them to attend training camp which at this time has yet to be scheduled.

Chaos

Added to the chaos of beginning the 2020-2021 season, is the question of where the games will be played. It’s already obvious a realignment will need to be conducted since all of the teams based out of Canada would need to be in one division and play only that country.

Hub cities or hub divisions, limited travel, what to do when a player or a team has an outbreak of the virus, along with rescheduling of games at times will all need to be agreed upon prior to any announcements of a start date for the NHL.

The good news that comes out of the road map of questions with little answers is at least all parties involved are talking about playing games.

With that bit of good news, Rangers fans may soon be able to circle the calendar to indicate the first time they get to see Alexis Lafreniere don his #13 for the first time.

 

How the New York Rangers angered a nation

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It may not be a full-blown international incident, but the New York Rangers have agitated many in the hockey-loving country of Canada when they decided that they would not loan Alexis Lafreniere to Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championships.

Hockey Canada announced Thursday that the Rangers would not allow their first overall pick in the most recent draft to participate in the tournament. While many understand the rationale, many Team Canada fans were not very pleased with the decision.

There were many others that also voiced their displeasure through social media and sports talk radio. Here is a sampling:

-Then Canadian teams should keep back all US players. Watch the backlash then.

-No reason he shouldn’t be released to play, just trying to make him look like a special player which he is not.

-Honestly think this is a mistake by the Rangers. I see their point and not wanting him to get hurt. However playing in WJC is better than sitting waiting for the NHL season to start.

-I think the Rangers believe they are relatively close to contending, LOL.

-I’ve loathed the Rangers since the 1971 quarter-finals. Here’s yet another reason to despise them.

-Unless Lafreniere told the Rangers he didn’t want to play (hardly likely) this a terrible PR move by the Rangers. A lump of coal to the Rangers brass this Xmas.

and maybe the best one of all………..

-We should stop sending Labatt’s and Molson to NYC.

To be fair there was a fair amount of support for their Rangers decision, as those commenting remembered that Lafreniere got hurt in last year’s tournament, missing a few games. They also mentioned the fact that the New Jersey Devils would not release Jack Hughes to Team USA.

Then there were those in the media who wondered if the Rangers were doing the right thing, based on hockey experience.

Matt Larkin of SI.com wrote this about the situation: “So why not let Lafreniere tune up against elite players his own age in high-stakes hockey, just to get the muscles responding to game action in advance of camp? Injury risk is the most obvious reason, sure. The Rangers believe they can be contenders this season and want their star rookie healthy. Its also possible he’d have to quarantine after leaving the WJC bubble and miss some of camp depending on the start date. Perhaps the Rangers are optimistic about a mid-January season start and camps opening in a few weeks. But Lafreniere hasn’t played an organized hockey game since March 8, 2020. Is there not a case to be made he’d be better off sharpening his game skills before attending his first NHL camp?”

The reality is that the Rangers have a plan for proceeding with their young talent, as reported by Darren Dreger of TSN.

“The Rangers made the decision that they will not be releasing Alexis Lafrenière. The Rangers want him to continue to train in the New York area as we reported on Tuesday. He’s been doing that, staying with family members since the beginning of November. They want him entirely focused on his first NHL camp.”

Part of the that plan does not include traveling across the continent (the tournament is in Edmonton) to play in tournament as the second-wave of the virus spread across North America, to a team that is having some COVID-19 issues of their own.

 

 

New York Rangers: No Lafreniere at World Juniors

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Hockey Canada announced Thursday that New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, will not be released to Canada for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships.

“After ongoing discussions with the New York Rangers, Hockey Canada has been informed that Alexis Lafrenière will not be released to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton,” Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed Alexis will not be able to join our team for World Juniors, we understand and respect the decision made by the Rangers.”

The Rangers have yet to say whether Kaapo Kakko, the second-overall pick in 2019, will be released to Finland for the tournament.

Lafreniere led Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 junior championship in the Czech Republic. He had four goals and six assists in five games and was named tournament MVP, but also missed a few games due to an injury.

All activity at Canada’s camp has been suspended from Nov. 25 until at least Sunday after two players and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, something that may have also factored in the Ranger’s decision to keep his off Team Canada’s roster.

Of course, the news is not sitting well in hockey-crazed Canada, as pundits and fans have pointed out that the Blackhawks’ Kirby Dach, Avalanche’s Bowen Byram, and the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens have been made available to Canada.

While the above three are fine players, they are not generally considered the Rangers and/or the league’s next superstar. Also factored in is the fact that COVID-19 is continuing it’s spread across North America, prompting the NHL to consider an all-Canadian division this season. Lafreniere also did not return to the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and instead has been in New York preparing for the NHL season. Traveling and border crossings are not recommended by the CDC at the current time.

 

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers prospects continue to stand out, Lafreniere decision expected shortly

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While the New York Rangers sit and wait for the NHL and NHLPA to work out a deal to start the 2020-2021 season, the Blueshirt prospects continue to give fans something to talk about.

Eight prospect players were highlighted in the New York Rangers prospect report that was made available on Monday.

Here is a look at how they are doing as of Nov. 23.

Players:

Nils Lundkvist registered five points (three goals, two assists) in three games during the past week; he tallied an assist and posted a plus-two rating in 23:14 of ice time on Nov. 19 against Orebro, recorded two points (one goal, one assist) and a plus-two rating on Nov. 21 against Linkoping, and established a single-game SHL career-high with two goals and tied a single-game SHL career-high with seven shots on goal on Nov. 22 against Farjestad. The Rangers’ first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has registered nine points (five goals, four assists) and 46 shots on goal in 15 SHL games in 2020-21, and he has averaged 20:37 of ice time in the 15 contests. Lundkvist is tied for first among SHL defensemen in goals this season, and he also leads SHL defensemen who are in their U21 season or younger in goals and points in 2020-21. His 46 shots on goal this season are the fifth-most by an SHL defenseman; he has already recorded half as many shots on goal as he did all of last season while only playing in one-third as many games (46 shots on goal in 15 games this season – 3.07 shots on goal per game; 92 shots on goal in 45 games last season – 2.04 shots on goal per game). Lundkvist leads Lulea in shots on goal, and he is tied for the team lead in goals and power-play goals (three) in 2020-21. Lundkvist ranks second on Lulea in average ice time this season, and his 20:37 average ice time per game is the highest among all SHL players who are 20 years old or younger. He has registered 21 career SHL goals, which is the third-most by a defenseman while in his U21 season or younger in league history. In addition, Lundkvist’s 55 career SHL points are the fourth-most by an SHL defenseman while in his U21 season or younger in league history.

Eric Ciccolini recorded the game-winning goal on Nov. 19 against the University of Wisconsin and was on the ice for the game-winning goal in overtime on Nov. 20 against the University of Wisconsin. The Rangers’ seventh-round pick (205th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has recorded two goals/points in three games with the University of Michigan thus far this season, and he has also registered eight shots on goal and a plus-three rating in the three contests. Ciccolini tallied 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 26 games in his freshman year at the University of Michigan in 2019-20, and he ranked second among Michigan freshmen in assists and tied for third among Michigan freshmen in points last season.

Lauri Pajuniemi tallied a goal and posted a plus-one rating on Nov. 21 against HPK. The Rangers’ fifth-round pick (132nd overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has registered three points (two goals, one assist) and 32 shot attempts (18 of which have been on goal) in eight games with TPS in Liiga in 2020-21.

Vitali Kravtsov led all skaters with five shots on goal and 20:34 of ice time on Nov. 18 against SKA, and he established a single-game KHL career-high in ice time in the contest. Kravtsov also played on Traktor’s first line in each of the team’s three games during the past week. The Rangers’ first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has recorded 11 points (eight goals, three assists), a plus-eight rating, and 67 shots on goal in 22 KHL games with Traktor this season. Kravtsov leads Traktor in goals, even-strength goals (seven), and shots on goal per game (3.0), is tied for second on the team in shots on goal and is tied for third on the team in plus/minus rating in 2020-21. Among KHL players who are in their U22 season or younger in 2020-21, he ranks first in goals, is tied for second in plus/minus rating, and ranks third in points this season.

Tarmo Reunanen tied for the game-high with nine shot attempts (three of which were on goal) and posted a plus-one rating in 26:54 of ice time on Nov. 18 against JYP, and he also registered a goal, recorded six shot attempts, and posted a plus-two rating while skating in a game-high 28:58 of ice time on Nov. 21 against TPS. The Rangers’ fourth-round pick (98th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has recorded one goal, 18 shot attempts, and a plus-three rating in five games with HPK in Liiga this season, and he has averaged 24:56 of ice time per game in those five contests.

Leevi Aaltonen was loaned to IPK in Mestis (Finland’s second-highest professional league) during the past week, and he registered three points (two goals, one assist) in two games with IPK during the week. The Rangers’ fifth-round pick (130th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has also recorded two assists and 17 shot attempts (12 shots on goal) in 10 games with KalPa in Liiga in 2020-21.

Brett Berard is expected to begin his freshman season at Providence College on Nov. 27, as the Friars are scheduled to play their first regular-season game in 2020-21 against Boston College. The Rangers’ fifth-round pick (134th overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft skated in 41 games with the U.S. National U18 Team as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) last season, registering 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points, along with a plus-15 rating and 46 penalty minutes. Berard led the team in game-winning goals (four), tied for second on the team in goals, ranked third in points, and ranked fourth in assists in 2019-20. He skated in 13 games against United States Hockey League (USHL) opponents last season, tallying 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in those 13 contests, and he led the USHL in points per game (1.38).

Riley Hughes is expected to begin his sophomore season at Northeastern University on Nov. 27, as the Huskies are scheduled to play their first regular-season game in 2020-21 against UMass Lowell. The Rangers’ seventh-round pick (216th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in his freshman year last season, and he was one of seven players (and one of three freshmen) who skated in each of the team’s 34 games during the season.

A Decision on Alexis Lafreniere

Rangers first-round draft pick Alexis Lafreniere has yet to be invited to the Canadian World Juniors team. The Rangers have not made a decision on whether they would like him to play for them or wait until the team’s training camp will begin for him to skate with the team.

Time is running out for the Rangers to make a decision.  Per Adam Kimelman, the IIHF has ruled that all teams must be together one week before entering the bubble in Edmonton on Dec. 13.

The Jan. 1 rumored start date for the NHL could be pushed back to February which may give the Blueshirts more of a reason to allow Lafreniere to play for Team Canada.

Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere may play for team Canada at WJC

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New York Rangers‘ first-round draft pick Alexis Lafreniere may be invited to Hockey Canada’s national junior team selection camp.

In a report written by Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com on Thursday, Lafreniere is still eligible to participate in the World Junior Championships. The 2021 WJC, will be held Dec. 25 to Jan. 5, 2021 entirely at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

Tom Renney, a former head coach of the Rangers and the Hockey Canada chief executive officer said he has spoken with Jeff Gorton about the opportunity of having Lafreniere play with them for the tournament.

“With respect to the Rangers, [general manager] Jeff Gorton and I had a good chat. It gave Jeff the opportunity to understand our timetable of what might be coming up with respect to this camp, for example, and well beyond that.”

Team Canada will be holding their selection camp Westerner Park Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta from Nov. 16-Dec. 13.

Lafreniere was the number one overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft. The 19 year -old will be attending Rangers training camp, but with the start of the 2020-2021 season undetermined, the Blueshirts may want to get the rookie some ice time. It is believed that if the NHL season should begin earlier than the completion of the WJC tournament he would return to the Rangers to prepare for the start of the season.

“[Gorton] was certainly open-minded to the idea but hoping that his player would have the opportunity to join the NHL team in New York, as of now actually, to begin skating with the club,” Renney said. “I’ve indicated to him that I would circle back within about 10 days to see how things are sitting and what things look like for [Lafreniere] joining this camp and beyond.”

The WJC would be held in a bubble similar to what the NHL conducted for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year in both Toronto and Edmonton. Should Lafreniere skip the invitation camp, he would still be allowed into the Edmonton bubble and after quarantining for four days be ready for the first of two exhibition games prior to their first game of the tournament.

New York Rangers agree to terms with Alexis Lafreniere

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The New York Rangers announced on Monday afternoon that they have agreed to terms with their 2020 first-round draft pick, Alexis Lafreniere.

Lafreniere is the first player who has been selected by the Rangers with the first overall pick in the NHL Amateur/Entry Draft since the universal Draft was adopted in 1969.

 

The forward, who turned 19 years-old yesterday, skated in 52 games with the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this past season, registering 35 goals and 77 assists for 112 points, along with a plus-41 rating and 50 penalty minutes. He received several awards in 2019-20; he was named the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Year, received the Michel Briere Trophy as the QMJHL’s Most Valuable Player, received the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL’s Best Professional Prospect.

The 6-2, 193-pounder has skated in 173 career QMJHL games over three seasons (2017-18 – 2019-20), all with Rimouski, registering 114 goals and 183 assists for 297 points, along with a plus-128 rating and 176 penalty minutes. Lafrenière was named the CHL Player of the Year, the QMJHL’s Most Valuable Player, and the QMJHL’s Personality of the Year in each of the last two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20); the only other player who has won each of those awards twice is Sidney Crosby. He has recorded 80 or more points in each of his three seasons in the QMJHL, including 100 or more points in two of those seasons, and he has also registered 35 or more goals in each of his three seasons in the league. Lafrenière has been named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team in each of his three seasons in the league, including his rookie season in 2017-18, when he was named the CHL Rookie of the Year and the QMJHL Rookie of the Year and registered a QMJHL career-high 42 goals in 60 games. His 42 goals in 2017-18 were the most by a QMJHL player in his U17 season or younger since Crosby (54 in 2003-04).

Via Capfriendly.com Lafreniere signed the NHL’s entry-level maximum contract which breaks down as follows;

$925k cap hit
$3.775M AAV
$11.325M total value

$832,500 Base Salary (all 3 yrs)
$92,500 Signing Bonus (all 3 yrs)
$850k Sched ‘A’ Bonus (all 3 yrs)
$2M Sched ‘B’ Bonus (all 3 yrs)

New York Rangers’ John Davidson says Alexis Lafreniere is the ‘complete package’ (Video)

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Alexis Lafrenière

New York Rangers team president John Davidson spoke with MSG’s Steve Valiquette and John Giannone following the club’s selection of Alexis Lafreniere with the number one overall pick in Tuesday’s NHL Draft.

J.D.’s glowing smile represented how all Rangers fans felt the moment they heard general manager Jeff Gorton anounced the pick a few minutes after 7 p.m.

The president started the interview by stating the obvious, ” It only seems to just happen maybe once in a lifetime, you know, the good part for me and the great part of the wonderful part was when he put the jersey on, but he put that jersey on it just looked like it fit him, It was perfect.”

Davidson continued by talking about the kind of person Lafreniere is. The soon to be 19-year-old is a mature player for his age. A “no maintenance” guy who is already looking forward to working with the organization and set up a plan during the offseason with times being so vastly different as everyone tries to work through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The break down of Lafreniere by Davidson was as candid and truthful when whenever he talks about a player among the Rangers organization.

“We’re talking about a player that does everything really well.  A 200-foot player, and not full of what you call complete flash and dash, but really knows the way to get things done the right way very strong lower body’s good with leverage because of that very high IQs, as far as hockey goes very driven without question, and has when you have skill and power at the same time you’re and you’re going to be the 200 pounder, that’s a pretty good package. And then I see at his age for just the way he carries himself it’s a complete package. You know we just are going to do things the right way with them we’re going to develop him we’re going to work on all aspects of what you have to do to be a great Pro, our, our group is really excited about having the opportunity to work with him, and he’s very excited about being a New York Ranger.”

Lafreniere will have plenty of pressure on him when he joins the rest of his teammates in training camp. For now, the youngster will continue to work on his game and wait for the opportunity to visit New York when the time allows it to happen.

The first overall pick will have plenty of time to get to know New York City and the fans of the Blueshirts look forward to the opportunity to see the newest Ranger grow into the superstar he anticipates to become. The newest star on Broadway will take the stage when the NHL returns early next year.

Meet the New York Rangers “other” first round pick, Braden Schneider

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The New York Rangers had two first-round draft picks on Tuesday night. After selecting Alexis Lafreniere with the first overall pick, the Rangers traded up to not only snipe their arch-rival New Jersey Devils but to select a “gritty” and a “throwback” style defenseman in Braden Schneider.

With a late birthday (September 20, 2001) Schneider is one of the older players in the 2020 NHL Draft class, which has given him the opportunity to play three full seasons with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Since 2017, Schneider has steadily improved and focused on rounding out his game.

According to the Western Hockey League’s draft profile, Schneider says that he tries to model his game, best he can, after the likes of former WHL star Shea Weber, already a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, and Alex Pietrangelo. NHL Central Scouting has said his current comparable is Weber, which is a pretty good indicator he is succeeding and well on his way to being that guy who “is going to play in the NHL for a long time,” as one scout stated.

“He has a great physical game, he’s a great defensive player,” said Ryan Kennedy, Senior Writer for The Hockey News. “What I like about Schneider is he plays a pro game. He’s almost kind of a safe pick. You look at him and you say, ‘Yeah, that is a kid who is going to play in the NHL for a long time. He has 15 years written all over him.’ Big body, skates well. He has some offense to his game, but he’s more of a penalty kill guy, really. But he is strong.”

“I’m a two-way physical defenseman,” Schneider said. “I take a lot of pride in my own end and in being a guy who’s hard to play against and in your face, and if the opportunity comes to make a good pass or jump up in the play or get a shot on net, I’m more than willing to take it. So, a two-way guy who looks for holes and tries punishing you when I can.”

This is something that the Rangers were looking for, especially after the quick and early exit against Carolina in the qualifying round.

The WHL draft profile also mentions that Schneider has logged significant time with Hockey Canada. He captained Canada White at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge before then earning a gold medal with Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, chipping in with three points (2G-1A) in seven outings, logging a plus-9 rating for good measure. In 2019, Schneider was in an evaluation camp for Canada’s entry into the 2020 World Junior Championship but found himself on the outside looking in as one of the final cuts from the roster.

However, don’t look for him too soon. Schneider will likely spend one more year in Juniors in order to develop full NHL skills. The WHL is hoping to resume on December 4. He is also expected to be on the Team Canada roster at the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton.