First Look At Future Blue
by: Ricky Vaughn
I decided to drive back to the MSG Training Center Friday to catch the last day of the Rangers Prospect Development Camp. The week ended with a four-on-four scrimmage that showed the Rangers have some really nice young talent waiting in the wings.
You can click here to view some photos I snapped, and click here and scroll to the bottom to see some video shot by newyorkrangers.com.
Anyway, here are five guys that caught my eye, in no particular order:
1. Alexei Cherepanov - What can I say? The guy is the real deal. Fast, smart and very feisty. Cherepanov constantly forced the opposing defense into committing turnovers and was strong along the boards. Very impressive.
2. Artem Anisimov - The "other Russian" is a big, physical 6-3 forward who is very quick on his feet. He netted a nifty shot top shelf in what was probably the most impressive goal of the day. He definitely has a big time future in the NHL.
3. Tom Pyatt - Playing alongside Cherepanov, the duo played with such great chemistry that you would never know they spoke different languages. Pyatt was very quick and clearly another level above most of the other prospects in terms of play making ability.
4. Marc Staal - So solid it is ridiculous. Yeah, he can make the flashy play, but everything he does is solid and he rarely made a mistake. It looks like Staal will be well worth the wait.
5. Masahito Suzuki - Sure, he was just a camp invitee who has no shot at making the club or even earning an invite to main camp, but how often do you get to see a Japanese hockey player? Also, the kid had some skill, and was one of the fastest guys on skates.
