The Rangers made six selections in this year's CPHL Entry Draft:
#13 - R Matthew Wood (University of Connecticut/NCAA)
#43 - C Gracyn Sawchyn (Seattle/WHL)
#49 - C Oscar Fisker Molgaard (HV71/SHL)
#54 - R Mathieu Cataford (Halifax/QMJHL)
#68 - D Jakub Dvorak (Liberec/CZE)
#116 - D Drew Fortescue (USNTDP/USHL)
There was a group of players between about 8 and 15 who IMO were pretty close to each other and I would have been happy with anyone of them ... just a matter of how the board would fall. I am very happy with Matthew Wood, who - as the youngest player in college this past season - was a PPG player at Connecticut after putting up 45 goals and 85 points at the USHL as a 16-year-old. Primarily played RW last season, but played a lot of C before that. Either way: good size, good hands and just a really good prospect all around. Can't wait to track his progress next season.
After attending Shattuck St. Mary's and being a part of the US National Team Development Program, Gracyn Sawchyn made the switch to the WHL last summer and immediately became a PPG player on a deep Thunderbirds team. Good hands and playmaking abilities, as well as some positional versatility and entangibles. Sawchyn will need to gain weight, as he's a little undersized (5'11) and listed at only around 165 pounds. With most of the top Seattle forwards going pro (Ciona, Schaefer, Lambert, Davidson), Sawchyn should have an opportunity to play big minutes for the Thunderbirds next season.
No other U18 player played more games (41) or scored more points (7) in the SHL last season than Oscar Fisker Molgaard, who also suited up for Denmark during the World Championships last month ... that's a lot of pro experience for an 18-year-old. Molgaard isn't flashy, but he plays a solid and hard-working game that should translate well. Not sure how much high-end potential there is, but he seems like a well-rounded prospect who could end up being a solid middle-six forward when all is said and done.
I had Sawchyn, Fisker Molgaard and Cataford all very close to each other and I'm stoked to end up with all three of them. Mathieu Cataford is another one who isn't overly flashy, but gets the job done in a number of roles and areas. Playing on a stacked team, he put up 31 goals and 75 points in 68 games for the Mooseheads and showed a good combination of skill and work rate. As with Sawchyn in Seattle, many top contributors for the Mooseheads will be gone next season (L'Heureux, Doucet, Lawrence), so he should be able to play an even bigger role there next season.
More of a value choice than anything, as both McKenzie and Button have him ranked in the 40s on their lists. Jakub Dvorak is a big defenseman (6'5 203) who spent all of last season in the men's league in Czechia and who projects to be a shutdown defenseman. Sounds like his skating needs quite a bit of work and he's battled injuries, but at this point in the draft, it felt like a solid bet.
Another defenseman who's higher on some lists, as McKenzie has him at 93 and Button at 78. Committed to Boston College, Drew Fortescue primarily played a defensive role for USNTDP, but might have some untapped offensive potential. Going the college route will give him time to add weight to his frame (6'3 170) and work on some deficiences.
All in all, I'm very happy with the picks we made, especially the forwards. Slowly, but surely we're building something that remotely resembles an acceptable prospect pool and I'm looking forward to track these prospects' progress over the next seasons.
Rangers Draft Recap
