A Bit of Everything

While opening night was a nice way for the Rangers to get their season underway with a 5-2 win over the Kittens, Prospect Park has to do what it does best and cover the prospects. Besides who recaps the Rangers better than Dubi Silverstein so find out what you missed and see what Dubi says here.

Prospect of the Week

For us we are a day late but never short as Bobby Sanguinetti earned our Prospect Part player of the Week honors by going 3-2-5 in 2 games during the week.

Sanguinetti is the 4th leading scorer in the OHL at 6-5-11 and leads the entire OHL in plus/minus at +9. In fact Sanguinetti is also rewriting the Brampton Battalion record book as well.

Sanguinetti with his 11 points now owns the record for most points in a September, most goals in the season's first month (6) and tied the team record for assists with his 5 assists.

With a start like this we have this feeling that Sanguinetti will be breaking a lot of scoring records this season. We like to call Sanguinetti the Nuclear Weapon for the damage he can inflict on other teams but if he keeps this kind of scoring up then we will have to find a new name for him.

Prospect Action
Tomas Zaborsky had an assist but his Saginaw Spirit lost in the shootout to the Windsor Spitfires 4-3. Zaborsky missed on his shootout attempt. One almost has to feel sorry for Zaborsky who has opened this season with a very respectable 2-4-6 mark in just 5 games.

Zaborsky we believe will step out of the shadows to show everyone that he happens to be a very solid 2 way forward in his own right. Like Petr Prucha who is a smallish forward, Zaborsky can take a hit and give it right back.

Zaborsky is coming off a 19-24-43 rookie season in the OHL so we are projecting at least 30 goals from him this year as he is also being counted by Saginaw to be a team leader as well.

We fully expect Zaborsky to wind up earning his own Prospect Park Player of the Week sooner than you think.

Here Come The College Boys (and more)

This weekend will mark our first chances to look at this year's version of several of the Ranger college prospects making their season debuts. Senior's Billy Ryan of Maine and Jordan Foote of Michigan Tech are in action in exhibition games.

Eric Hunter will make his season debut as his University Of Alberta Golden Bears begin regular season play.

We will also get our very first look at 2007 7th Round pick Danny Hobbs as the Ohio Bluejackets get their USHL season underway against the Green Bay Gamblers. Now Hobbs is a player who Gord Clark says we should keep an eye.

Who are we to argue with the Ranger director of player personal?

Some Caution and Maybe some Patience PLEASE?

Okay I have some bad news folks, the Rangers are not going to go 82-0 so can we relax and realize that this team needs time to bond, time to develop not only chemistry but it's own identity?

To be honest I was kind of hoping that they would lose tonight so the message would be sent that unlike the last couple of years the Rangers are no longer the hunters. They are the team that others are hunting.

When teams play the Rangers they will view a win against the Rangers as a feather in the cap. The Rangers need to treat each team as if they were going against a possible Stanley Cup finalist. Other teams will be fired up to play against the Rangers and that will become the test for Rangers to be able to get up for games against the lesser teams.

We fans also need to understand that this team still is seeking their own identity, they are learning how to play with their new teammates and to develop chemistry. For kids like Staal and Dubinsky they are learning the hard way that playing at the NHL level is going to be an education.

Preseason teaches you really nothing which is why most teams break their season into 10-20 game blocks, we will see where the Rangers are at those points and then if you really feel that need you can freak out.

Me I am going to enjoy what I believe will be a great ride.