Rangers European Prospects Update

November 29, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff

This has been a hectic holiday weekend in the United States–the Thanksgiving holiday and lots of games, which have been generally good for the Rangers prospects and not so good for the NHL team.

At this time of year, much of the Rangers scouting staff is on the road, balancing family time with the need to keep up with all the hockey tournaments. Gordie Clark was driving back up to Toronto from Vermont yesterday when we chatted by phone about prospects in general, and the players over in Europe more specifically.

We first talked about David Kveton and his progress while playing with HC Trinec Ocelari (BTW, other players on Kveton’s team include former Ranger Jozef Balej and former Dallas prospect Vojtech Polak).  Clark noted that Kveton had a slow start but was starting to come on this season, after an excellent 2008-09. He said that the Rangers are keeping a close eye on Kveton, and would love to see him come over again and play in North America. But it is unclear whether or not that will happen.

This brought us to a discussion we have often had over the years, not as respects Kveton specifically, but when it comes to bringing European players to North America. The Rangers have a policy, born of experience, that they will not promise a player who is playing professionally in Europe that he will play with the NHL team.  If a player comes to training camp and earns an NHL spot, the Rangers are happy to add him as a roster player. However, if he does not make the NHL team, and is sent to the AHL, most likely he will be paid an AHL salary (generally around $65,000/yr). This is a issue for many Europeans who are supporting extended families on their current salaries which are far above the AHL range.

Whether Kveton is in that financial category or not was not clear from my discussion with Clark, but the lack of guarantee of NHL play appears to be at least somewhat of a stumbling block for him coming over to North America.

Speaking of playing in the NHL, or even the AHL, I asked Clark again about Tomas Zaborsky, and what his status was with Assat Pori, as well as with the Rangers.  Zaborsky was on a tryout with the Finnish team, but there was no announcement as to whether he had signed for a full season with Assat. Clark was unsure what Zaborsky’s status was with Assat, but he was pretty sure that Zaborsky would not be returning to North America to play within the Rangers organization. Clark talked quite a bit about Zaborsky’s good skills with the puck, however, he also mentioned that there were issues with his foot speed, as well as his failure to dominate when he got chances to do so. The organization was looking for him to become a top offensive player, either in junior, the ECHL, or in Traverse City or training camp. But he never seemed to do so on a consistent basis.

The upshot is that, although he may get picked up by another organization, Zaborsky’s return to North America seems far from imminent, and I believe that his days as a Rangers’ prospect are numbered.

I then asked about Pavel Valentenko. I had heard Clark’s recent interview with Jim Cerny and Steven Gelbs on the Rangers radio (check it out here http://rangers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=57647&navid=DL|NYR|home), and wanted to talk a little more about the young Russian obtained in the trade that sent Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt, and Mike Busto to Montreal for Valentenko, Chris Higgins, and Ryan McDonagh.

Clark told me that he was very hopeful about Valentenko’s return to North America next Fall. With a game more suited to our style, Clark felt that Valentenko would soon find that he would do better here rather than in Russia. He was suspended last season by the Canadiens prior to being traded to New York for signing a three-year contract with Moscow Dynamo, but Clark thinks that this will not be a problem going forward. According to Clark, Valentenko was close to being NHL ready or even NHL ready when he left. Although money appears to be an issue here, Valentenko’s defensive skills are needed by the Rangers, so look for them to make a big push to bring him back for the Fall. This all presupposes that Valentenko makes a good recovery from his shoulder injury.

After we discussed Valentenko, Clark himself brought up Ivan Baranka. The Rangers are apparently very hopeful for his return to North America next Fall. There is also a good possibility that he will be chosen for the Slovak Olympic team, albeit as a sixth or seventh defenseman. I was somewhat surprised, but Clark told me that Baranka has assured the Rangers that he still wants to play in the NHL. I have to wonder though where they will fit him into the organization. Baranka was very close to being NHL-ready when he left, but since the end of the 2008 season, he may have been passed by the likes of Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Ilkka Heikkinen. If all of those blueliners are on the NHL team, where would they put Baranka? He is not a shut-em-down guy, so I just can’t figure how this will all work out without a major trade.

As for defensemen far down the road, Mikhail Pashnin’s name came up. Clark told me that Pashnin told the Rangers that he would like to give the NHL a try at some point, which is why the team took him with their seventh round pick this past summer. Pashnin had come to North America to play in the Super Series against CHL teams in 2008, as well as to Ottawa for the World Junior Championships, and the Rangers loved the way he played. A physical defenseman, the Rangers are still looking for him to mature, but Pashnin is definitely on their radar.

Other notes as the result of our conversation–

* The Rangers are very happy with the development of Ilkka Heikkinen and think that he is close to ready, if not ready, to play in the NHL. Expect an early call-up for him.

* Expect Sam Klassen to remain in Saskatoon for the entire season. The Rangers are looking for Klassen to build on his leap in development last season.

* It was Ryan Hillier who asked for a reassignment to another ECHL team. He is now with the Wheeling Nailers, and since the reassignment he has one assist in three games.

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