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Top options for Rangers in 2nd Round of 2025 NHL Draft
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- Top options for Rangers in 2nd Round of 2025 NHL Draft
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The New York Rangers were one of 12 teams that didn't have a pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday. But they'll be busy Saturday, when the Rangers are scheduled to make eight selections in Rounds 2-7 on Day 2 of the draft.
To say that Day 2 is a meaningful opportunity for the Rangers to replenish a diminished prospect pool would be heavily understated. The pressure will be on Chris Drury and Co. to deliver the goods, beginning with the the 11th pick in the second round, and 43rd overall in the draft.
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That's especially so after the Rangers sent the No. 12 overall pick
to the Pittsburgh Penguins
, who acquired the conditional selection from the Vancouver Canucks
after the Blueshirts dealt it to them in the J.T. Miller
trade this past season.
Let's check out some of the more intriguing options when the Rangers are finally on the clock in the second round Saturday.
Shane Vansaghi (RW)
Michigan State (NCAA) – 6 foot-2, 216 pounds
Vansaghi is a bulldog on the ice. He uses his muscle and great hands to play a very simple game, and is fearless driving to the net.
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This isn't a player that you build a team around. Yet, he's someone that simplifies the game with enough efficiency that with any strides to his development should be a handful when the games matter the most.
Vansaghi's got size, offensive skill, and fluidity to his game, and had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 37 games as a freshman at Michigan State last season. Vansaghi goes all out to the net and doesn't care how he gets there. And he has the hands to do so make plays once in scoring position.
Projected timeline to the NHL: 3-4 years
Ivan Ryabkin, (C)
Muskegon (USHL) – 5 foot-11, 170 pounds
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Ryabkin's game can be best described by a phrase Rangers coach Mike Sullivan helped make common in hockey, swagger.
He is very savvy in how he creates space for himself with and without the puck. Back home playing for HC Dynamo in Russia, Ryabkin seemed to be more of a distributer. He's adept at making a slick play by him to create something out of nothing.
Once Ryabkin came to North America, he scored 19 goals in 27 USHL games. The goal-scoring ability was always there and his ability to create space makes him a duel threat.
Projected timeline to the NHL: 3-4 years
Alexander Zharovsky, (RW)
Tolpar Ufa (Russia-MHL) – 6 foot-1, 165 pounds
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Zharovsky is simply a handful on the ice. He uses his size to enhance his very high-end stickhandling and embarrass opponents fairly effortlessly.
Whether it's in tight areas or with his long reach, Zharovsky always seems in control. There's a lot of Kaapo Kakko and Valeri Nichushkin in his game, but pump the breaks. Though pretty agile, he's definitely a little stiff in his first step.
Zharovsky is comfortable on his skates, but there just doesn't seem to be the explosiveness to be anything more than a strong support player with some development. He must get stronger so he can better shield the puck with his body,
Projected timeline to the NHL: 3-4 years
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Cole McKinney ( C )
USNDTP – 6-feet-0, 198 pounds
McKinney led the U-18 team this season with 27 goals and 61 points in 60 games. The average pick projection for the Michigan commit is No. 42 overall, right near where the Rangers are set to select in the second round.
The right-handed center, who had three goals and five points in seven games at the World U-18 tournament, is a dual threat. He plays both special teams, excels in the face-off circle, and has great hands to match his great release.
When it seems like there isn't room to, MicKinney finds a way. He can take a broken play in front of the net confidently and put it upstairs fast with a slight flick of the wrist. McKinney is very smart and poised on his offside half wall on the power-play. If there is pressure, he has the quick burst and acceleration you look for in smaller players to generate space for himself.
Projected timeline to the NHL: 2-3 years
Jack Murtagh (C/LW)
(USNDTP) 6 foot-1, 200 pounds
The East Greenbush, New York, native scored 22 goals and had 31 assists in 56 games this past season for the U-18 team, just under a point per game. He's the kind of player that makes teammates better around him.
The Boston University commit is very comfortable taking the puck up the left wing boards to pick his corners. His hands and skates seem to always be on the same page when he has the puck on a string weaving through opponents before ripping a quick shot top shelf. He can play the half-wall on either side of the power play, being a scorer or playmaker from the left side (being left-handed) and utilizing his heavy one-timer when placed on the right side.
"The games get really tough in the playoffs and when you're not scoring, you got to be able to do other things to disrupt your opponent. Knock people off pucks, extend plays, take it to the net to create a distraction … all of those things is what Jack Murtagh does," Jason Bukala raved on NHL Network. "I had a chance to watch him at the CHL-US top prospects game. He was by far the most involved American skater in my opinion … He's a bulldog."
Projected timeline to the NHL: 2-3 years
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Matthew Gard: ( C )
Red Deer (WHL) 6 foot-4, 192 pounds
Not the biggest of swings, but the upside is very apparent for someone who down the road could be considered a first-round talent in a re-draft. He's not the most explosive player, but has great control for a kid of his size.
His game is very stable with flashes that he can be dominant, and is reliable with or without the puck in all three zones. Gard knows how to use his size to get through opponents and has enough jump in his step to do so. Also has great hands in transition, behind the net, and driving the net, which at that physical stature, can punish any opponent trying to get in his way.
Gard is a solid net-front presence and has no problem taking blows to finish the play. Could see him right in the Chris Kreider
net-front spot on the power play. Many mock drafts, including The Athletic, have had him going to the Rangers with the No. 43 overall pick.
Projected timeline to the NHL: 3-4 years
Haoxi Simon Wang (D)
(Oshawa Generals) 6-foot-6, 212 pounds
Wang started last season in the OJHL with the King Rebellion and had four goals and 22 points in 38 games. After that, he moved up to the OHL with Oshawa and recorded two assists in 32 games and three more in 21 playoff games. The Boston University commit must decide to join them next season or play one more season in the OHL to build his game and confidence.
Even with those middling offensive numbers, Bob McKenzie and several analysts had Wang as a first-round talent, and most mock drafts have him going early in the second round. Scott Wheeler, in fact, has him as the 43rd-ranked prospect, which is when the Rangers select in the second round.
The towering defenseman from Beijing may be the most intriguing player in the draft, per McKenzie. He was raised in China and moved to North America at 14 to pursue a hockey career. Wang could eventually become the first China-born and raised player to sign an NHL contract one day.
Most teams have kept tabs on what is sure to be a project with low-risk, high-reward written all over him. Wang is an incredible skater for his size and not afraid to use that size to impose fear in his opponents. He makes sure they feel it every time he throws his weight around. Not playing organized hockey until he was a teenager makes Wang a prospect that could take a while to get to the NHL level. With his natural abilities, patience should pay off with proper development.
Projected timeline to the NHL: 4-5 years
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