11:28AM: At 39, the Rangers have selected Swedish goalie Olof Lindbom, the first goalie selected in the draft.
He was ranked 59th by The Hockey News and as the 4th best goalie in the draft by McKeens.
He was ranked 91st by McKeens, 251 by Future Considerations, 9th best goalie by ISS, 137th by Hockey Prospect and 53rd by TSN.
TSN's Craig Button said, "strong positioning and doesn't beat himself. Reads plays and is very attuned to the challenges coming his way. Good skill."
His skills were listed by Button as 4/5 for competitiveness and net coverage, 3.5/5 in shill, quickness and rebound control.
From the Rangers release:
- Lindbom, 17 (turns 18 on July 23), appeared in 20 games with Djurgardens' junior (U20) team in SuperElit this past season, posting a 3.10 GAA and a .897 SV%.
- Lindbom helped Djurgardens' U18 team win a gold medal and was named the MVP of the Playoffs, as he posted a 1.20 GAA and a .955 SV% in five appearances.
- Lindbom was named the Best Goaltender at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, as he posted a 1.66 GAA and a .949 SV% in six appearances while helping Sweden earn a bronze medal.
- In addition, he helped Sweden earn a bronze medal at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Adam Rotter: With all of the prospects they have, I did not expect the Rangers to go goalie this early in the draft. Obviously he was high on their board and he had some good success for Sweden at international tournaments. He was a teammate at times with Nils Lundqkvist so the Rangers must have seen him a lot and view him as someone who, down the line, could possibly be a starting goalie for the Rangers.
At pick 70, the Rangers select Swedish defenseman Jacob Ragnarsson.
He was not ranked by The Hockey News, ISS,
260 by Future Considerations, 152 by McKeens, 120 by Hockey Prospect.
From the Rangers release:
- Ragnarsson, 18, skated in 47 games with Almtuna IS in Allsvenskan (Sweden's second-highest professional league) this past season, registering four goals and nine assists for 13 points
- Ragnarsson led all players younger than 19 years old in Allsvenskan in games played during the 2017-18, and he also led all defensemen younger than 19 years old in Allsvenskan in goals, assists, and points during the season.
- The 6-0, 176-pounder was born in Mountain View, California, but was raised in Sweden and has represented Sweden in international tournaments.
- Ragnarsson's father, Marcus Ragnarsson, played parts of nine NHL seasons (1995-96 - 2003-04) with the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers.
Adam Rotter: This is another "off the board" pick by the Rangers and their third Swedish player so far. He played in the Swedish junior league and is clearly someone the Rangers view as someone better than his rankings. The Rangers must not only see something in him but have a ton of trust in their Swedish and European scouts because the Rangers are making a lot of picks from that area.
With the 88th pick, the Rangers select defenseman Joey Keane.
He was ranked 99th by McKeens, 279th by Future Considerations, 125 by ISS, 88th by The Hockey News and not ranked by Hockey Prospect.
From the Rangers release:
- Keane, 18, skated in 62 games with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, registering 12 goals and 32 assists for 44 points
- He was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team in 2017-18, as he ranked third in the OHL - and led all defensemen in the league - in plus/minus rating, and he was also tied for 13th among all OHL defensemen in points during the season.
- Keane, who served as an alternate captain for Barrie in his second season in the league this past season, established OHL career-highs in several categories in 2017-18, including goals, assists, points, and plus/minus rating.
- The 6-0, 180-pounder has skated in 129 career OHL games over two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18), both with Barrie, registering 13 goals and 50 assists for 63 points, along with a plus-17 rating and 113 penalty minutes.
He plays for Barrie in the OHL and was passed over in his first draft-year but considered to have improved significantly last season.
At 101, the Rangers have selected defenseman Nico Gross.
Gross is from Switzerland and plays for Oshawa in the OHL.
He was ranked 65th by Hockey Prospect, 82nd by McKeens, 80th by Future Considerations, 86th by ISS and not ranked by The Hockey News.
ISS lists him as "Very Good" for size/strength, defensive play, physical play, competitiveness and hockey sense.
ISS lists him as "good" for skating, puck skills, shot and offensive play.
From the Rangers release:
- Gross, 18, skated in 58 games with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, registering four goals and 10 assists for 14 points, along with 46 penalty minutes.
- He was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team in 2017-18.
- The 6-1, 185-pounder played in Switzerland prior to beginning his junior career in North America during the 2017-18 season.
- During the 2017-18 season, Gross represented Switzerland at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, and the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He served as the captain of Switzerland's team at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, and he recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in six games during the tournament.
- Gross represented Switzerland at the IIHF U18 World Championship three times (2016, 2017, 2018), the IIHF World Junior Championship twice (2017 and 2018), and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament twice (2016 and 2017). He was one of only two players younger than 17 years old who participated in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship (along with Rasmus Dahlin), and he was also one of only two players younger than 16 years old who participated in the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship (along with Andrei Svechnikov).
Dave Reid of the NHL Network said that Gross is a leader and played in three under-18 tournaments for Switzerland.
He added, "that he loves to play a physical game" and that he loves the "energy" that he brings.
Read reiterated that he is a good young leader.
Central Scouting, according to the NHL Network, described him as a "hybrid old school/new school guy that has the ability to escape pressure."
At 132, the Rangers selected Finnish RW Lauri Pajuniemi.
He played 32 games for TPS last season, scoring 2 goals and 5 assists with 3 goals and 1 assist in 9 games.
From the Rangers release:
- Pajuniemi, 18, split this past season between TPS of Liiga in Finland and TPS' junior team in Nuorten SM-liiga.
- He skated in 32 games with TPS in Liiga in 2017-18, registering two goals and five assists for seven points, along with four penalty minutes.
- The 5-11, 183-pounder has played in TPS' organization in Finland for five seasons (2013-14 - 2017-18). In 2015-16, Pajuniemi was named to the First All-Star Team in B-nuorten SM-sarja (Finland's U18 league) and won the Matti Hagman Award for leading the league in points (76; 28 goals, 48 assists in 45 games).
At 163, the Rangers have selected Swedish defenseman Simon Kjellberg.
From the Rangers release:
- Kjellberg, 18, skated in 43 games with Rogle BK's junior (U20) team in SuperElit this past season, registering four goals and five assists for nine points, along with 24 penalty minutes.
- The 6-3, 200-pounder has played in Rogle BK's organization since the 2015-16 season. Kjellberg's father, Patric Kjellberg, played parts of six seasons in the NHL.
- Simon Kjellberg was born in Nashville, Tennessee but has represented Sweden in international competition, and he helped his district of Dalarna earn a bronze medal in the annual TV-Pucken tournament in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
The Rangers traded to get pick 216 and selected Riley Hughes.
Hughes played two games in the USHL last season but played mostly as a High Schooler in Massachusets.
He scored 21 goals and 15 assists and is committed to play at Northeastern next year.
He was ranked 122 by Future Considerations, 208 by McKeens, 115 by Hockey Prospect.
From the Rangers release:
- Hughes, 17 (turns 18 years old on June 27), skated in 30 games at St. Sebastian's School in Massachusetts this past season, registering 21 goals and 15 assists for 36 points, along with four penalty minutes.
- The 6-1, 174-pounder has played at St. Sebastian's School in each of the last three seasons (2015-16 - 2017-18), registering 35 goals and 27 assists for 62 points in 78 games.