The New York Rangers currently own five picks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. After not having a first-round pick last season, the Rangers will select 23rd this year. The Rangers have had some recent success drafting players in that range. In 2017 they selected Filip Chytil 21st overall, and in 2018 they selected K’Andre Miller 22nd overall. Who do the Rangers take this year? Based on the organization’s needs, you would have to think it will be an offensive player. I sat down with two of the best draft analysts, Adam Kimelman of NHL(.com) and Byron Bader, the creator of Hockey Prospecting, to learn more about potential prospects available in the range of the Rangers pick.
Here are nine prospects that could be available for the Rangers when their selection rolls around Wednesday night:
David Edstrom, C, Frolunda Jr. (SWE-JR)
Adding young skill in the middle could be the best option for the Rangers at this point, with Mika Zibanejad at age 30 and Vincent Trocheck turning 30 before next season starts. Edstrom (6-3, 185) is a smart player with great size who averaged a point per game (28 points in 28 games) in Sweden’s junior league. – Adam Kimelman (NHL.com)
Otto Stenberg, C, Frolunda Jr. (SWE-JR)
Stenberg has leadership qualities and a tremendous two-way game. An offensively gifted player with quick hands and an accurate shot, Stenberg had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in seven games for Sweden at the World U-18s. He’s a complete player with a strong work ethic and the ability to come up big in clutch situations. He’s also versatile enough to play wing or center. – Mike Morreale (NHL.com)
Gabriel Perreault, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP)
Perreault (5-11, 163) led the NTDP in goals, assists, and points and was second for the United States at the U-18 Worlds with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in seven games. The son of former NHL center Yanic Perreault has great instincts, smarts, and knows how to put himself in good areas to create offense. – Mike Morreale (NHL.com)
Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw (WHL)
Yager (5-11, 170) is a strong, quick skater and a puck hound with a dynamic shot. He needs to get stronger, but the upside is a top-line center that can make players around him better. – Adam Kimelman (NHL.com)
Samuel Honzek, LW, Vancouver (WHL)
Honzek’s strength and hockey IQ stood out this season, his first in the Western Hockey League after coming over from his native Slovakia. He showed he could make plays off the rush and use his big body (6-3, 195) to hold off defenders to create time and space to use his quick, heavy shot. He missed nearly two months because of a bad skate cut to his left calf sustained during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, but he looked recovered when he returned, and his testing at the NHL Scouting Combine removed any lingering doubts about his quickness and power. – Adam Kimelman (NHL.com)
Gavin Brindley, C, Michigan (NCAA)
Brindley is a high-motor player who excels on the defensive side of the puck. He’s a tenacious forechecker and reliable in defensive zone coverage. He’s always in motion, always attacking lanes, bouncing around defenders to find them, especially on the power play. He anticipates plays ahead of time and moves to support them. – Elite Prospects
Danil But, LW, Yaroslavl Jr. (RUS-JR)
A big wing, But is 6-5 and weighs 203 pounds. The first thing that jumps out at you with But – once you get past the way he towers over everyone else on the ice – is just how coordinated, dextrous, and creative he is with the puck on his stick. His ability to chain difficult pass receptions into handling moves and handling moves into passes or shots is really quite remarkable. Not even just for someone his size, either. On top of that, But is a potent finisher, capable of getting his shot off on either leg with a quick release and almost textbook mechanical form. – Elite Prospects
Quentin Musty, LW, Sudbury (OHL)
He brings a little bit of everything to the table and does so in a projectable, imposing 6-foot- 2 frame. Better still, he’s not shy about leveraging every part of it to dispossess opponents of the puck, wreak havoc along the boards and at the net front, and barrel down the wing off the rush. His vision is top-notch, and he’s equipped with the cunning and passing skill necessary to connect with layered feeds around skates and sticks. – Elite Prospects
Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna (WHL)
Cristall was an offensive catalyst for Kelowna this season, leading them in goals (39), assists (56), and points (95) in 54 games. He’s offensively gifted and contributes to the power play (nine goals, 24 assists) because of his great vision and ability. With the proper development, Cristall has top-six NHL potential in the next 3-5 years. – Mike Morreale (NHL.com)
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