Quick Notes

If you have not had your fill of Chris Kreider (2009 1st) then make sure you check out Boston College taking on rival Boston University on Friday evening. The game will be televised on the NHL Network starting at 8 PM EDT/ 5 PM PDT.

What will make this game different is that it is going to be played outdoors under the lights at Fenway in Boston. However the rivalry between these 2 schools is as intense as Ranger/Islander games can get so check it out and enjoy another dose of Chris Kreider.

The Owen Sound Attack sent us word that Goalie Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) was award the Molson Canadian goalie of the month for December. Of course when he plays in just about every single game then it is hard for him not to win the award.

Still Stajcer had a decent month going 4-3-1-0 in 8 games played with a 3.11 goals against and a nice 0.915 save percentage. Stajcer has been the main reason why the Attack have risen from the worst team in the OHL to into the playoff spot hunt.

Sam Klassen's (2009 UFA) Saskatoon Blades are now ranked 4th in the latest Mastercard CHL Top 10 rising up from 6th last week. The Blades are the top ranked team in the WHL and made this move while being on the road since before Christmas.

Finally it is only fitting that Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) and his 2 other Badger teammates who were on the gold medal winning Under-20 USA team return back to Wisconsin to lead the nation's 4th ranked team in an exhibition game against the Under-18 Team USA squad on Saturday evening.

(Kreider courtesy of Dennis Peace)

Back To Earth

With the finish of the World Under-20 tournament the focus returns back to the entire prospect effort as the second half of the season begins in earnest.

Mitch Gaulton (2008 6th) playing with an protective covering on his finger had an assist as the Erie Otters were able to hold off the Plymouth Whalers 7-3. Still according to Victor Fernandes of Shootout, Gaulton left the game in the 2nd period and did not return.

For Gaulton, the assist extended his scoring streak to 4 games (1-5-6) as Gaulton has found his scoring touch which would make this injury that much more frustrating for the kid. Gaulton appears to have gotten the message that he needs to elevate his offensive game to earn a professional contract from the Rangers.

Gaulton improved to 4-18-22 on the season.

Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) saw his 4 game winning streak come to an end as Stajcer and his Owen Sound Attack fell to the London Knights 4-3. Stajcer stopped 24 0f 28 shots as his record fell to 15-15-2-1 on the season.

Chris Doyle (2008 5th) was scoreless as his Victoriaville Tigres had little trouble with the Acadie-Bathurst 7-3. Doyle took 5 shots and was a credited with one good hit. We hope Chris gets going soon as his numbers are nothing close to where they were last season.

Sam Klassen (2009 UFA) and his Saskatoon Blades took their 6 game winning streak into Kootenay on the final leg of a very long road trip. The Blades had been on the road since prior to the World Under-20 Championships so it is not a shock that they struggled and lost their "get away" game.

The Blades lost 8-1 as the Ice took over the game with a 5 goal second period outburst and the Blades simply waved the white flag. Nobody likes to end a road trip this way but it is also understandable to be away from home for over 2 weeks.

Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) and his Medicine Hat Tigers do not have that excuse as they were also beaten on the road but only 5-1 by the Moose Jaw Warriors. Kundratek and Co were just terrible especially in their own zone and deserved the beating they got.

It took Roman Horak (2009 5th) all of 33 seconds to get back in the swing of things for the Chilliwack Bruins as he earned a secondary assist on the Bruin's first goal of the game. Chilliwack jumped on the Prince George Cougars and never looked back winning 5-2.

Horak who we feel was badly misused by the Czech Republic team reverted right back to the same form that we were used to seeing. One assist for his 30th point of the season and a strong +3.

We are going to visit with Roman, Luke Walker and a now sure shot Top Ten 2010 draft pick this weekend in Nino Neiderreiter. With all due respect to the other CHL leagues, the WHL remains our favorite place to watch Ranger prospects develop.

(Gaulton courtesy of Mark Bell/Erie Otters)

Better Than Gold

So where exactly should we begin in recapping the USA's gold medal winning performance against Canada? That it was 3 New York Ranger prospects who were playing key roles in winning the gold medal perhaps?

If you watched this outstanding game then you know exactly what happened. If you did not then boy you really missed a game worthy of the term "classic".

Should we talk about how in all 7 games Derek Stepan elevated his game in the 3rd period including his goal and an assist against the Canadians? How about that the leading scorer at the tournament (5-10-15) was a Ranger prospect?

How about Chris Kreider introducing himself to the Ranger Universe with 6 goals during the World Under-20s or that in crunch time he played way beyond his age of 18?

How about the job as a checker that Ryan Bourque did? The smallest player on the USA roster was the leader of the USA penalty kill or that Bourque put his own stats on the backburner to help him win his 2nd gold medal as a member of a USA team.

We can think ahead to a bright future that hopefully these 3 will bring to the Rangers. Stepan the leader of the pack with the strong 2 way game that nobody wants to say reminds of them of but who else can we say he reminds us of?

Oh how long has it been since the Rangers had a leader who played with a chip on his shoulder, a snarl on his face and an ability to make the clutch play when the team needed it the most?

Or Kreider who's raw talent has not even begun to surface but you see the potential for a first line player. How do we not get excited after watching Kreider show the offense that we were not seeing when Kreider was playing at Boston College?

To be honest what we should be excited about is that these 3 are growing up together and already have shown that each has an almost instant chemistry with the other. See when you strip everything away there is one thing you can never buy with money and that is chemistry.

Stepan and Kreider was together on the USA first unit power play. Bourque and Stepan on the penalty kill; Kreider and Bourque on a checking unit.

You can not buy that as it has to be developed over time but these 3 already have it and it is only going to get stronger. It is something that the Rangers have needed for over a decade but it is still 2-3 years away from paying dividends for the Rangers themselves.

As hockey fans we have to enjoy the performance not only of Team USA but also Team Canada as these young men showed how great hockey can be. Win or lose if you were not entertained by this game then nothing is going work for you.

And for those of you who have never watched something like this now you understand why Prospect Park loves what it does. A game like this makes the long drives and very late nights well worthwhile.

Derek Stepan finished the tournament as the leading scorer 5-10-15, he was named to the Media All-Star team and was named the USA Player of the Game for the final.

Chris Kreider had 6 goals and 1 assist while being a +6; Kreider also despite his physical play only wound up with just 2 PIMs for the tournament.

Ryan Bourque only had 3 assists but his willingness to accept a checking line role says more about his maturity than any stat can.

We also want to mention Luke Walker who we count as a Ranger prospect even though he is a free agent. Walker who plays for the Portland Winterhawks taught us a lesson in courage and unselfishness that makes us proud to know him.

As a Winterhawk, Walker is a star player who wears an "A" on his jersey. Even we did not think he had a chance to make Team USA especially after Walker was badly hurt against Everett just a few days before the USA camp.

Walker choose to have a plate inserted in his mouth and 50+ stitches rather than wiring his jaw shut. Team USA asked Walker to accept being a 4th liner instead of a scorer; to provide energy and be a spare part instead of the star he was used to being.

Luke Walker did that and in our eyes if Glen Sather does not offer him a contract then shame on him. Walker's effort, his courage and his heart is exactly what being a Rangers is supposed to be about.

------------------------------------------------------------

Someone forgot to tell the WHL not to schedule games on Tuesday and it is ironic that the team displaced by the World Under-20 Championship did not get to watch the game. Sam Klassen and his Saskatoon Blades can return home after defeating the Spokane Chiefs 5-4.

Klassen was scoreless as the Blades won their 6th straight game all on the road and 5 of those wins were against every team in the WHL's US Division. A very impressive performance by a WHL championship contender.

The Blades have one more game on their road trip before they make it back to Saskatoon as they play Kootenay tomorrow.

(Stepan courtesy of Melody Hasse, Kreider: Dennis Peace, Bourque: Katherine Ep, Walker: Portland Winterhawks)

Stepan Up

There is a huge reason why we choose a picture of Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) in his Wisconsin uniform and that is back in Wisconsin Stepan is coached by Mike Eaves. As you go what is the big deal about that the coach who led the USA to a gold medal in the 2004 World Under-20 Championships was the same Mike Eaves.

Since last November we have been saying that Derek Stepan was going to become a huge player for the New York Rangers. If you have been watching Stepan play in the World Under-20 tournament then you too now see why we are so pumped up about Stepan.

Forget that Derek Stepan is leading the World Under-20 Championships in scoring at 3-9-12 as while that is great to see; what has been more important to see is that Stepan has elevated his game in every single 3rd period that the USA has played. How long has it been since the Rangers have had a player who elevated his game when his team needed it the most?

His play in setting up Jerry D'Amigo which not only bailed out fellow prospect Ryan Bourque but put the dagger in the hearts of the Swedes has been typical of what we have seen from Stepan during this tournament. The Rangers are going to be getting not just an offensive minded player but a solid 2 way player who shows up with a bit of an edge to his game.

We expect Stepan to leave Wisconsin after this season to sign a contract with the Rangers. We also would not put it past him to make the jump right to the Rangers with his work ethic.

Chris Kreider (2009 1st) has been the nice surprise for Ranger fans out of the World Under-20 and while his goal scoring has gotten the notice to most; for us it has been his defensive skills that nobody knew about. We did get a learning lesson from Kreider as to how to gauge his potential and that is Kreider is a raw talent who needs to learn how to put all of his skills to use at the same time.

Kreider against the Swedes showed his speed and his willingness to use his body but what he was not doing was using both in concert. Kreider clearly is a power forward of the future as you can see the skill set is there but it is going to take some time for it to come together as a total package.

One thing is for sure when it does come together then we will see Kreider and Stepan as part of a very good line.

Against the Swedes Ryan Bourque played his best game of the WJC even if he did not register any points. Bourque very much is a player who can handle the trap very well and if anything in time would become an ideal player for a trapping system.

Which makes us wonder why the Rangers drafted him as his lack of size was shown during the preliminary rounds as we watched Bourque be taken off the puck by the stronger more physically gifted players. Bourque is a thinker of a player and was able to solve the mystery of the Swedish trap when his teammates repeatedly could not.

Still what we will come away from these games about Bourque is that he made one very visible mistake in each game that almost cost Team USA. Tonight against the Swedes it was the delay of game penalty that Bourque took that Stepan bailed him out of with the shorthanded goal.

We are going to hope that it was just a run of bad luck as we know Bourque has a much higher hockey IQ than he has shown during this tournament.

But for now we are also going to savor that 3 Ranger prospects are going to do no worse than a silver medal as part of Team USA. It has been a very long time since that has happened and for Ranger fans these prospects have already given them a gold medal's worth of entertainment.

Rest of the Prospects

Roman Horak (2009 5th) and his Czech Republic teammates ensured that the Czechs will be remaining in the Top Division for another years after a 10-1 win over Latvia. Too bad as maybe being demoted would have sent a message to the Czech Hockey Federation that they need to make some changes to become more competitive at this level.

We know Horak, we have seen his game and in to be totally blunt; Horak was not used properly by his team and that sadly is a huge waste. Horak we have to wonder was being punished because he came over to North America to play rather than stay in the Czech Republic.

Still Horak has only 1-1-2 in this tournament even though with Chilliwack he has had way better numbers. That is alright as by next Saturday Horak will be back with the Bruins on his way to earning a Ranger contract.

Chris Doyle (2008 5th) scored his 1st goal with the Victoriaville Tigres as they were able to defeat the Rimouski Oceanic 5-4 in overtime despite blowing a 2 goal 3rd period lead. Doyle scored his 16th goal of the season in the first period for the Tigre on the power play as he adjusts to the new team and system.

Max Campbell (2008 5th) and his Western Michigan Broncos failed to score in their second straight game against 9th ranked Bemidji State. However Bemidji State was able to score 3 goals to earn the 3-0 win.

Campbell we are sorry to say is playing himself off the Ranger prospect radar in his junior season and it is a shame too as Campbell is a great guy who we happen to like very much.

Sam Klassen (2009 UFA) and his Saskatoon Blades finished off their tour of the WHL's US Division with a 6-4 win over the Tri-City Americans to go 5-0 on the road trip. Klassen did not score but was a +2 to tie his career high of +27 which he set last year.

Klassen was a victim of numbers when cut by the Rangers not talent as the prospect who hits everything that moves is going to be in Hartford next season for sure.

(Stepan courtesy of Melody Hasse)

A Stajcer Saturday Night

Saturday night was not as much fun as New Year's Eve was but the overall results were still interesting. While the USA trio were able to shake off the hangover from losing to Canada to advance to the World Under-20 semi-finals, the star of the night was once again a 5th round goalie.

Tonight's Star Scott Stajcer

The Rangers second pick in the 5th round of the 2009 NHL Draft, Scott Stajcer has quietly turned both his and perhaps his own team's season around. Stajcer earned his 4th straight win as he stopped 30 out of 32 shots to lead the Owen Sound Attack to a 5-2 win over the Ottawa 67's.

In fact since November 27th, Stajcer has gone 8-3-1 in net for the Attack as he has improved his numbers to 15-14-2-1, 3.48 goals against and 0.908 save percentage.

Stajcer's play is going to determine where Owen Sound winds up in the OHL Western Conference playoff seeding. His improved play has helped Owen Sound become a legit playoff spot contender rather than having the worst record in the OHL like they had earlier in the season.

Team USA

Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) had 2 more assists to take over as the leading scorer in the World Under-20 Championships at 3-8-11 as Team USA was able to hold off Finland 6-2 to advance to the semifinals against Sweden. Stepan had an up and down game like his USA teammates as he made the key plays when needed.

Still despite the assists and a nice hit on Jasse Ikonen; Stepan tried to be too fancy with his game instead of sticking with what had been working in the previous 4 games. If Stepan keeps his game simple then he is too much for the Europeans to handle.

Chris Kreider (2009 1st) had a case of the nerves in the first period again and like the rest of the team was guilty trying to be too fancy. However Kreider also showed how fast his reflexes and shot release was on his 5th goal of the tournament.

Kreider scored the USA's 4th goal of the game on a bang bang play where he was faster than a one timer. It was an impressive play from Kreider who offense has had a coming out party at these games.

Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd) had a mainly quiet game but turned up his defensive game when the USA needed it the most. Still one thing we notice about Bourque is that when he makes a mistake it is typically a very noticeable one that directly leads to a very good scoring chance for the other team.

Do not let the 6-2 score fool you as the USA actually played a sloppy game that if they repeat it in either of their remaining games then they will lose to whoever they play. Next up will be our pick for the the gold medal which is Team Sweden as the game will start at 9 PM EDT/ 6PM PDT and will be shown on the NHL Network in the USA (TSN in Canada).

The Rest of the Prospects

Mitch Gaulton (2008 6th) had an assist before being forced to leave Erie's game against the Guelph Storm with what was being reported to us by Victor Fernandes as a lacerated finger for sure and possibly a broken finger. Gaulton was injured in the first period as the Otters went on to win the game 7-5.

No report as to the extent of Gaulton's injury and how long he will be out this time but it came at the wrong time as Gaulton was on the verge of breaking out in our eyes. Gaulton had 5 points in his last 3 games and was starting to do what we were saying he was needing for a contract.

Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) was scoreless but got into his first fight of the season as his Medicine Hat Tigers took the home half of the "home and home" series with the Swift Current Broncos 4-1. Kundratek took on Michael Strickland and held his own (meaning he did not get beaten but did not win either) according to reports.

Sam Klassen (UFA 2009) gave himself a belated birthday present with 2 assists to help his Saskatoon Blades earn a hard fought 6-5 overtime win over the Portland Winterhawks. Even though the Winterhawks lost in our eyes they established themselves as a team to worry about as the Winterhawks were missing Nino Neiderreiter and Luke Walker among others.

For Klassen, the assists were his 19th and 20th of the season as he is now 3-20-23 in scoring which is 2 points off his career high.

Ethan Werek (2009 2nd) was held scoreless as his Kingston Frontenacs lost in overtime to the Belleville Bulls 3-2. It was a rare quiet night for Werek as he is 18-22-40 on the season.

Daniel Maggio (2009 6th) had an assist but his Sudbury Wolves lost 5-2 to the Niagara Ice Dogs. For Maggio it was his 11th assist and 20th point which ties his career high in points set during the 2007-08 season.

Max Campbell (2007 5th) and his Western Michigan Broncos went to a 0-0 overtime tie with 9th ranked Bemidji State. Even though it was a scoreless tie this was an exciting game that could have gone either way.

Since this was a non-conference game the CCHA shootout rules were not in effect but Bemidji State and WMU took part in an exhibition shootout that WMU won 2-1 thanks in part to Campbell scoring on his shootout attempt.

Danny Hobbs (2007 7th) and his 15th ranked UMass Minutemen got whipped by the Boston University Terriers 7-3. Hobbs was on the UMass 2nd line but did not score and was held to just one shot on goal.

(Stajcer courtesy of Terry Wilson/ OHL Images)

A Chance to Catch Our Breath

New Years Day gives us a chance to take a step back and savor the outstanding play we got to witness on New Year's Eve. As we get ready for the World Under-20 medal and relegation rounds, there was 2 New York Ranger prospects in action on Friday.

Ethan Werek (2009 2nd) had a goal as his Kingston Frontenacs shut out the Peterborough Petes 3-0 in OHL action. For Werek it was his 18th goal of the season as well as his 40th point in just 34 games.

Werek is not getting the splash like the USA trio but as we said the other night; Werek has been the overall best Ranger prospect all season and that we doubt will change.

Against the Petes; Werek scored the Frontenac's second goal of the game at the 17 minute mark of the 1st period. Werek picked up a loose puck that was sitting in the crease and poked it home.

A garbage goal; the kind of goal that the Rangers rarely ever seem to get but the kind of goal that Werek seems to specialize in.

Check out the video (Werek scores at the 49 second mark) of the game courtesy of the folks from the Frontenacs.



The other Ranger prospect in action was Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) as his Medicine Hat Tigers lost their 2nd straight 3-2 overtime decision only this time to the Swift Current Broncos.

Kundratek was scoreless but took 3 minors in an otherwise quiet evening for him.

The Schedule for the World Under-20 Championships

Team USA will be playing Finland on Saturday in a game that will be televised on the NHL Network in the US starting at 9 PM EDT/6 PM PDT. If you have not had a chance to watch the 3 Ranger prospects (Stepan, Kreider, and Bourque) then we suggest you do so now.

Roman Horak and his Czech Republic team is now in the relegation round so the best they can do is try to keep the Czech team in the top division for next year. It might be the wake up call the Czech hockey federation needs if they get demoted.

(Werek courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)