And On The 14th Day He Collapsed

OK you are really wanting to talk about the Ranger prospects right? Of course you do so why not spend part of your Wednesday night when the Prospect Park vists his pals The Mouth and Old Jim (hey he is the one who pointed out he has a 19 yr old kid) on Blueshirt Banter Radio starting at 8:30 EDT/5:30 PDT. 


Cmon you know you want to talk hockey with us over at Blueshirt Banter

Really I do get paid to do this and imagine if you will 13 straight days of getting to watch New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects  playing playoff hockey.  So let us see who is still alive and playing because a day off would really be nice even if I am stuck at home.

It is funny in a sad way that the very prospects who could step in and help both teams right now are also the ones who are still playing.

So between the Frozen Four there are 14 prospects still alive and playing in the playoffs. The Islanders have 8 of their high quality prospects left with the Rangers having 6.

Here is who is still playing:

First the NCAA Frozen Four:

Carl Hagelin (2007 6th) and his Michigan Wolverines are going to take on what I call the best team in college hockey today the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota with their 2 Islander prospects Jason Gregoire (2007 3rd) and Brock Nelson (2010 1st). As much as I respect the Michigan program it is going to be next to impossible to find a reason that North Dakota will lose to them.

North Dakota enters the Frozen Four unbeaten in their last 15 games and really when clock strikes midnight on Saturday; it will be 17 straight cause the last time they lost was in January. Carl Hagelin is very good on defense but North Dakota just has too many weapons and Hagelin can not cover them all.

North Dakota's Jason Gregoire just might be the hottest player in the NCAA with a 16 game scoring streak (18-11-29) and if they win then expect Gregoire to turn pro while he is this hot. Brock Nelson  is going through the growing pains of a freshman but he had a statement game in the regional finals against Denver.

In the other half of the Frozen Four is Anders Lee (2009 6th) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will bring 10 freshmen to the party but these are not your average freshmen especially Lee. Islander fans will be drooling over this 6'3 220 power forward with the softest hands out there.

Even better is when it was written that for Notre Dame to have any chance in the NCAAs that Lee needed to start scoring again he did breaking the hearts of the Merrimack and New Hampshire fans.

In the QMJHL

Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd) and his 3rd seeded Quebec Remparts swept their way through the 1st round and take on 7th seeded Shawinigan. Quebec we expect to win this series but do not let that 7th seed fool, this Shawinigan team is going to put up a really good fight.

Kirill Kabanov (2010 3rd) and his 8th seeded Lewiston MAINEaics will be huge underdogs against 2nd seeded Montreal Juniors. Montreal swept all 4 regular season games this year and the MAINEaics are too young and inexperienced to handle the defensive pressure Montreal will put them under.

In the OHL

Casey Cizikas (2009 4th) and top seeded Mississauga St. Michaels Majors are taking on the Sudbury Wolves. Cizikas missed the 1st round due to an arm injury and there is a good chance he will not play in the 2nd round either.

The Majors are hosting the Memorial Cup so no matter what happens they know they are playing in May. Sudbury shocked Ottawa in the first round but they will not sneak up on anyone this time.

Jason Wilson (2010 5th) and his 3rd seeded Niagara IceDogs will be facing the 4 Ranger and Islander prospects of the 4th seeded Oshawa Generals. It will be the battle of a tough defense going up against a  high powered offense.

Niagara has to figure out a way to shut down Christian Thomas (NYR 2010 2nd), Calvin de Haan (NYI 2009 1st), and Tony DeHart (NYI 2010 5th). Dan Maggio (NYR 2009 6th) and his defensive partner Scott Valentine will be asked to shut down Wilson's line and we expect that at some point in the serious Maggio and Wilson will drop the gloves with each other.

What we don't want to do is pick a winner cause all of the prospects on this team are good guys. May the better team win.

Owen Sound survived the soap opera drama in their series against the London Knights. Even better is they found a way to get Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) who I interviewed the other day for the Blueshirt Bulletin.  Discovered why people like Stajcer so much as this is one kid with the most positive outlook on like since Michael Sauer (and silly it may seem both had hip surgery).

Owen Sound takes on Plymouth in the 2nd round with Stajcer starting the series as the back up goalie. Before this series ends you can bet that Stajcer will be the starter for the Attack.

The WHL

4 prospects started but only 1 is left so who is surprised that it is Nino Niederreiter (2010 1st) of the Portland Winterhawks? They take on the Kelowna Rockets who will give Portland a bit of a fight but Portland will take this series in 5 games as they just are way too deep for the Rockets.

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

Well we do not have to wonder any more if Andrew Yogan (2010 3rd) will get out of Robbie Ftorek's doghouse because the Erie Otters lost game 7 to the Windsor Spitfires. A disappointing end to Yogan's season but he earns high marks for fighting to make it back to play this season after major shoulder surgery. 

And he will also get marks for not saying the wrong things when asked about his benching in the playoffs. We know kids want to play but part of the learning and growing process is also learning when not to say something to the media. 

Someone is going to take Wednesday off to take care of a good friend of a dog who had to undergo doggie dental care on Tuesday. 

The Sun Is Going To Come Out Tomorrow

When people ask why we tell both New York Ranger and New York Islander fans that better days are coming; it is simple we get to see nights like the Rangers had against Boston years in advance.

We get to see a kid named Brandon Dubinsky tell us in 2005 that he deserved to be on the Rangers because he was better than the centers they had in training camp. We watch as that being cut motivates him to what you have seen out of him this season.

We get to see a Michael Sauer undergo the torture of a rehab for a hip surgery because he wants to become a New York Ranger. We watch as he tells us over the summer that this was going to be his year and he was going to earn that roster spot.

We know how much playing in the NHL means to Sauer especially on a day when an article is posted about how his older brother Kurt is still dealing with the after-effects of a concussion he suffered in 2009. When Sauer talks about how special scoring the game winner was to him, we know because we have watched Sauer refuse to give up on his dream.

We even learn from when we are wrong as Derek Stepan has proven us to be this season when we thought he was not ready to make the jump to the NHL. Silly us because we go back over our notes from the first time we talked to Stepan when he was a freshman at Wisconsin and we made a side note about how Stepan appears to have a master plan for his career.

Stepan did have that master plan and 21 goals later for number 21, we do not mind at all eating those words. But the message that really we hope that Ranger and Islander fans but realize is that patience, faith and hope is what will lead both franchises back to winning records.

The number one thing one can take from the Rangers comeback win over the Bruins is that when the Rangers badly needed goals look at where they came from. Brandon Dubinsky (2004 2nd) tied the game, Michael Sauer (2005 2nd) put the Rangers in the lead and then Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) put the dagger in the Bruins to seal the win.

3 huge goals by 3 home grown 2nd round draft picks, when they were selected none were expected to become stars but they wanted to wear the Ranger's uniform not for the money but to live out their dream of playing in the NHL.

So when we say Islander fans watch a Casey Cizikas (2009 4th), a David Toews (2008 3rd), an Anders Lee (2009 6th) as they grow then see that there is a promising future. It is not just the Nino Niederreiters or John Tavares that will restore the Islanders to being a respectable franchise; it will be guys like those who have to go that extra mile to make it to the NHL.

And when we say the Carl Hagelin's (2007 6th), the Roman Horak's (2009 5th) and the Christian Thomas's (2010 2nd) are going to one day be wearing Broadway Blue; it is not a dream it is a look at the future.

Yes say we are crazy when we say in 2-3 years when the Rangers and Islanders play that the games will be not just for the pride of the fans but for playoff seeding. It is OK with us if you laugh now when we say that down the road it will be a playoff series between the Rangers and Islanders that will bring new passion to the rivalry.

We are OK with it because on Monday night in a span of 2:55, it was 3 second round picks that few thought much of when they were drafted that just might have saved the entire Ranger season. Yes that was us laughing when Stepan's goal went in.

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

Sadly for one Islander prospect, his season came to an end on Monday night as David Toews (2008 3rd) and his Brandon Wheat Kings finally ran out of gas. The Wheat Kings lost 7-5 to the Medicine Hat Tigers in game 6 of their series to be eliminated 4-2.

But while it looks like a loss on the scoresheet, it was a win for the Islanders as a decision that Toews made last summer to leave North Dakota and join Brandon turn out to be a winner. 

Toews said playing in Brandon was going to be the best way for him to help his chances of becoming an NHLer and it is hard to argue with him. A 20-28-48 season with 9 power play goals and 5 game winners was only part of the improvement. 

For Toews it was playing on the power play, the penalty kill and on the top line for Brandon. It was the little things like the long bus rides and almost professional lifestyle that is going to help Toews when he reports to training camp next year.  Like we said the Islanders won here.

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

One game 7 left to play among the prospects but in Andrew Yogan's case, he will be sitting it out as a healthy scratch when his Erie Otters take on the Windsor Spitfires. In fact if the Otters do advance in the playoffs that Yogan is going to need someone to get hurt for him to return to the lineup. 

According to Victor Fernandes at GoErie.com, Otter coach Robbie Ftorek is quoted as saying

"I told him (Yogan) the other day that we’re probably going to go with what we’ve got,” coach Robbie Ftorek said Sunday. “He’s fine, but he doesn’t have the hands and the timing that the other players have because he only played nine games (in the regular season because of shoulder surgery).”

Why do we get this feeling that Yogan will be playing elsewhere next season?  Maybe it is because this is the second Ranger prospect to come back from an major injury only to wind up not playing.

(Images: Dubinsky/Portland Winterhawks, Sauer/Hartford Wolfpack/CT Whale, Stepan/Wisconsin Badgers)

3 Players 3 Different Outcomes

On a rather quiet day one New York Ranger prospect had his season come to an end, a second saw his extended for another series while a third forced a Game 7 on Tuesday night. 3 prospects with 3 different outcomes but only 1 prospect was a part of what his team did.

Dylan McIlrath (2010 1st) is going to have an empty feeling for a while as he has to know that his Moose Jaw Warriors should have beaten the Kootenay Ice in their series. But after a 5-4 loss, McIlrath and his Warriors were eliminated in 6 games by the Ice.

Not taking a single thing away from the Ice as they did everything you are supposed to do in order to win a playoff series which tells you that the Warriors did not. What a shame for a place like the "Crushed Can" to end it's time as the Warrior's home with a loss but that is what happened.

The Warriors are going to look back at this series and the key to losing was letting Kootenay jump out to a lead and then force the Warriors into playing catch up. Game 6 can best be described as a game of keep away as the Ice jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead and every time the Warriors would get close the Ice would make a play or two to protect the lead.

Oh the Warriors had their chances but they just could not make the play that would turn the game into their favor. It will be a huge learning experience for McIlrath despite signing a Ranger contract should not be seen a serious contender for a roster spot in next season's training camp.

McIlrath has lessons that he needs to learn starting with getting that shot of his on target. McIlrath has the kind of heavy shot that if he learns how to get it on target will be a nice rebound generator when it is not hurting someone.

We want to see McIlrath work on his skating to make his stride smoother so he can get up to speed with less effort. The defense is almost there and will get even better as McIlrath's body matures.

Next season we are going feel sorry for those going up against McIlrath as he already is a punisher with his checks but an off-season of Reg Grant's workout schedule will unleash the beast within. We also want to see McIlrath spend some time with Marc Staal as he has some real leadership potential in him and we want to see McIlrath do for the Warriors as Staal once did for the Sudbury Wolves.

Turn the Warriors into his team and carry them as we once watched Staal do. McIlrath is bigger, stronger and meaner than Staal ever was but when Staal came to the rink everyone followed his lead because Staal's presence on and off the ice was magnetic.

 Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) had the best seat in the house to watch his Owen Sound Attack eliminate the London Knights in 6 games squeaking by with a 1-0 win. Stajcer was the backup goalie as Michael Zador posted his 2nd straight shutout to push the Attack into the 2nd round.

In a series that was more soap opera thanks to the drama generated by the opposing coaches; game 6 was a goalie clinic as even in defeat London goalie Michael Houser was outstanding. Houser did what you asked of a goalie give your team a chance to win and that he did stopping 38 out of 39.

Owen Sound now has to wait to find out who they play next but the Attack have the luxury of 3 goalies who will give this team a great chance to win. Before the Attack are done we expect Stajcer to have an impact on their fortunes.

Andrew Yogan (2010 3rd) if he recovered from his being "sick" got to watch a heartstopping win by his Erie Otters as they forced a game 7 with a 6-5 overtime win over the Windsor Spitfires. We have no word as to his status other than he did not dress.

Yogan missed Game 5 not even traveling to Windsor because according to Otter coach Robbie Ftorek, Yogan was "sick". Sorry but past experience with the Otters under Ftorek strongly suggests that Yogan is in the coach's doghouse and we will be shocked if Yogan even travels to Windsor for Game 7 let alone play.

(Images: McIlrath/Moose Jaw, Stajcer/OHL Images-Aaron Bell and Terry Wilson)

The End in More Ways Than One

For us Saturday was a bittersweet night in our coverage of New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects. In Spokane, the Spokane Chiefs ended Roman Horak (NYR 2009 5th) and his Chilliwack Bruins season with a 6-4 win that gave Spokane a 4-1 series win.

It may also be the last game played by a team called the Chilliwack Bruins and that royally pisses us off but we will save the rant for a quiet day as it plays out. As for the game itself, it was the same script; 3 Spokane goals in the first period and the Bruins having to play catch up.

3-1 after one period had the makings of another blowout but as Chilliwack has done they did not fold. A goal 17 seconds into the 2nd period got them to within 1 and then Horak set up Robin Soudek at 6:28 for a power play goal and a tie game.

Spokane though broke the tie 27 seconds later at 6:55 for a 4-3 lead and that was how the 2nd period ended. As it has done so many times during this series Spokane fired 20 shots on goal while keeping the Bruins to single digits.

But in the 3rd period Chilliwack tied the game once again at 11:14 and were staying with the Chiefs. But that hope really died less than 2 minutes later at 13:05 when Spokane broke the tie a 3rd time this time for good.

Spokane added an empty net goal at 19:41 to end the Bruin's season and possibly their time as a franchise. Spokane moves on to face the Tri-City Americans in what should be a great series between 2 close rivals.

As for Roman Horak, he finished the playoffs 1-2-3 -4 in 5 games after a 26-52-78 regular season. As far as we are concerned Horak has earned his Ranger contract and should be brought to the CT Whale on an ATO as soon as he can get to Hartford.

In Medicine Hat, there was actually a playoff game where there were more goals scored than there were penalties handed out. The Medicine Hat Tigers with 4 unanswered goals in the second period roared back from a 2-1 deficit to grab a 5-2 lead and went on to win Game 5 9-5 over the Brandon Wheat Kings.

David Toews (NYI 2008 3rd) had primary assists on Brandon's 2nd and 3rd goals to give him 2-5-7 during this playoff series but it simply was not enough. The Wheat Kings head back to their adopted home in Winnipeg for game 6 hoping to force a game 7.

In the OHL, to be honest the war of words going on between Owen Sound Attack coach Mark Reeds and London Knights coach Dale Hunter has been way more entertaining that the series itself. It has taken what should have been a typical 1 seed vs 8 seed and turn it into something along the lines of Ali-Frazier.

To catch you up it goes like this; before the series began the Knights were telling anyone who would listen that Attack star Joey Hishon was a world class diver. The Knights actually were doing a great job keeping Hishon from hurting them limiting him to just a 1-2-3 in 4 games.

Then things turned ugly as players were getting hurt and suspended for their play. After Game 4 Owen Sound coach Reeds went off claiming that the Hunter brothers (coach Dale and GM Mark) had undue influence in the OHL and that everything went their way after Reeds Attack were called for 14 power plays.

Of course the Hunters denied that they get any sort of special treatment from the OHL. So in game 5 in Owen Sound, it looked like Reeds complaints worked as the Attack were only called for 4 power plays against.

And the Attack really attacked at both ends of the ice using a 44 shot barrage and a 4 goal 2nd period to lead to a 6-0 blow out win. It gives the Attack a 3-2 series lead going into game 6 on Sunday afternoon in London.

But what we loved the most was Reeds giving the Knights something more to think about when with the Attack up 6-0 in the period; Reeds inserts Scott Stajcer (NYR 2009 5th) with 8:34 into the game. Up to that point the Attack had limited the Knights to just 13 shots on goal and when Stajcer game in the Attack allowed just 1 shot on Stajcer.

For Stajcer it was his first action since November 20th and one has to wonder who gets the start in Game 6? Rightfully it should be Michael Zador who finished up game 4 and started game 5 but Stajcer was the starter who lost his job due to injury.

Tune in tomorrow to see how this soap opera plays out.

(Images: Horak/Chilliwack Bruins, Stacjer/OHL Images-Aaron Bell and Terry Wilson)

It Is All About DeHart

So on a team that boasts a total of 4 New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects if you were asked to pick the player who would be the star for the Oshawa Generals in Game 5 against the Kingston Frontenacs how many of you would have said Tony DeHart (NYI 2010 5th)? Christian Thomas most likely, Calvin de Haan a good 2nd choice, maybe Dan Maggio but Tony DeHart not a chance.

Yet it was Tony DeHart with a 2 goal, 3 assist +2 career night that led the way for Oshawa as they used a 3 goal outburst to break open their game against Kingston on their way to a 6-2 win. The win eliminates Kingston in 5 games and sends the Generals on their way to what should be a very good matchup with the Niagara IceDogs.

Christian Thomas (NYR 2010 2nd) got the Generals on the board first when he scored his 5th goal of the playoffs just 1:46 into the game. DeHart got his first point of the night with a secondary assist on the play.

After Kingston scored to tie the game at 1-1 after 1 period, with Oshawa on the power play it was DeHart earning his 2nd point of the night when he set up Boone Jenner for the go ahead goal at 1:39 of the 2nd period.

4:58 later with Oshawa again on the power play, DeHart earned point number 3 with another secondary assist this time on Lucas Lessio's goal for a 3-1 Oshawa lead. Christian Thomas earned his 2nd point of the night when he earned a secondary assist on Scott Valentine's goal at 18:19 of the period for a 4-1 Oshawa lead ending the period.

In the 3rd period DeHart scored his 1st goal of the playoffs and 4th point of the game at 1:04 of the 3rd period on yet another Oshawa power play for a 5-1 lead. Calvin de Haan (NYI 2009 1st) earned a secondary assist on the goal.

DeHart then put the finishing touches on both the game and series when scored his 2nd goal of the game and point number 5 at 3:52 on an unassisted goal and a 6-1 Oshawa lead. The game's 1st star DeHart had a career night as the 5 points also pushed DeHart up to 4th in the OHL playoff scoring race.

The leader is Thomas as he improved to 5-8-13 +12 which when added to his regular season totals means Thomas is 59-53-109 +32 on the season. Forget him being the son of former NHLer, Steve Thomas will now be known as the father of a future Ranger.

Still DeHart as we have been saying has been the perfect role player for Oshawa this year. The Generals have used him in every role on the blueline whether it was replacing de Haan as the leader or as the shut down guy before the Generals traded for Dan Maggio (NYR 2009 6th). The Islanders need to give him his contract as they need a DeHart in their system.

As for Maggio, he did not score and wound up with 6 PIMs and a -1 but his role was to be shut down defender and Kingston's top line was held to just 1 goal so mission accomplished. Congrats to a General team which had missed the playoffs for 2 straight seasons and now are on to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Niagara IceDogs in what should be a great series as an excellent defense takes on an excellent offense.

As for Ethan Werek (NYR 2009 2nd) and his Kingston Frontenacs, their season is over but the questions are just beginning. Werek is a player the Rangers need to make a decision on as to whether or not to sign him.

Injuries cost Werek to miss 19 games this season as he fell to career lows of 24-28-52 with no goals and just 3 assists in the playoffs. There is no question that Werek has talent as well as a 6'2 body which the Rangers could use but this year hurt Werek's cause from a weak training camp to the injury that we believe Werek should have asked the Rangers to look at.

We hope the Rangers do not give up on Werek as we still believe he has a lot to offer the Rangers and it would be a shame to just walk away from him.

In Lewiston, chances are there is a young Islander prospect named Kirill Kabanov (NYI 2010 3rd) still walking around with a huge grin on his face. Kabanov and his Lewiston MAINEaics eliminated Kabanov's former team the Moncton Wildcats in 5 games thanks to a 6-1 win.

We are not sure which impressed us more Kabanov's play or the maturity he has been showing during a series that you just had to know he wanted to win so badly. That Kabanov took the high road and refused to trash his former team after all that happened should make Islander fans feel better about Kabanov's growth.

Kabanov added his 2nd goal of the series which was Lewiston's 3rd of the game as they just took control of this game in the 2nd period and never looked back. It sends an 6th seeded Lewiston team that few expected to be amount to much this season into the QMJHL's second round for a match up with 2nd seeded Montreal.

Kabanov is 2-2-4 in 5 games after 2 straight strong performances in this series. If Kabanov continues to play like this then Lewiston is going to give Montreal a good fight despite being huge underdogs.

Dylan McIlrath (NYR 2010 1st) and his Moose Jaw Warriors are heading back to Moose Jaw now on the brink of elimination after losing game 5 to the Kootenay Ice 3-1. McIlrath and his teammates on their ride back to Moose Jaw will look back at going 0 for 5 on the power play and know where the Warriors lost.

McIlrath's pattern of taking penalties in Moose Jaw losses continued as he took an elbowing call in the first period which Kootenay did not score on.

Come Sunday when Moose Jaw could be playing their final game ever in the building that is nicknamed "the Crushed Can".  While people love the newest of arenas and all the fancy perks that go with them; there is something to be said about small arenas like this.

Ranger fans would be surprised to know how many former Rangers once called this place home. It only holds 2700+ fans but it's rich history of being loud and energetic is well known throughout the WHL.

Speaking of elimination, Andrew Yogan (NYR 2010 3rd) was again a healthy scratch as his Erie Otters are barely alive after blowing a 4-1 2nd period lead as they live to play a game 6 after a 6-5 overtime win in Windsor over the Spitfires. According to Victor Fernandes of GoErie.com, Yogan did not travel with the team because "he was sick"

Game 6 is in Erie at 4:30 PM but we do not expect Yogan to be back in the Otter lineup.

Finally Glen Sather and Brian Burke have once again made a small town mad by picking up a WHL team and moving them. The duo who once owned part of the Tri-City Americans tried to move that team but instead sold their interests and received the rights to the expansion Chilliwack Bruins.

Now word comes in that Sather, Burke and Darryl Porter have agreed to sell their shares in the Bruins to a group that will relocate the team to Victoria, BC. The WHL is going to look bad here because they had previously said that no such move was in the cards.

(Images: Thomas/Oshawa Generals, Kabanov/Ron Morin/Lewiston Maineaics, Moose Jaw Civic Centre/Moose Jaw Warriors)