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PLAYER PROFILE: BRANDON CRAWLEY By: Matthew Blittner With the 123rd overall pick, fourth-round, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers select, from the London Knights, of the OHL, defenseman Brandon Crawley. 6-1, 205LBS. Crawley fits the prototypical build of an NHL defenseman, and, get this, he's still got some more growing to do. At just 20-years-old, Brandon isn't at his physical peak yet, and one can only imagine what that peak will eventually be. Having gotten the chance to talk to Brandon after the final scrimmage of Prospect Development Camp, I can safely say that this is one kid who has the ability to make good on his talent. A firm yet articulate speaker and thoughtful person, Brandon made a great impression on the Rangers' staff from the word GO! His hard-hitting defensive prowess makes bystanders quiver as they watch his unfortunate targets crumple to the ice, and more often than not, you even feel bad for the boards. Now...

RANGERS PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT CAMP -- DAY 5 SCRIMMAGE By: Matthew Blittner Over the past week, we've received a good long look into the future of the New York Rangers. With the final day of Prospect Development Camp upon us, the future looks tantalizingly bright.  Some prospects have stood out more than others, but not all have dealt with the same level of hype and expectations. For example: Lias Andersson was picked in the first-round of this year's draft, 7th overall, and that distinction comes with a certain degree of expectancy and fanfare -- as well as what it cost to move up to that slot. On the other hand, a guy like Gabriel Fontaine, who was drafted in the sixth-round of last year's draft, came into camp merely looking to impress the coaching staff and with much lower expectations and fanfare. Another such player that came in bearing the burden of high expectations, was Filip Chytil. Chytil was the Rangers' second first-round pick this ...

ISLANDERS MINI CAMP SCRIMMAGE DAY 3 By: Matthew Blittner Like most teams in the NHL, the Islanders hold a week-long prospect camp for a vast majority of their top minor leaguers. Tonight just so happened to be the first scrimmage of their camp and it took place before a sold out crowd at the Northwell Health Ice Center out on the island. Among the players in attendance that already have big-league experience were: Joshua Ho-Sang, Anthony Beauvillier, and Mathew Barzal. For these three players, it's not so much about fighting for a roster spot, as much as it is about getting themselves ready for training camp and solidifying their roles for the upcoming season. There was also an impressive number of former first-round picks in participation. Five to be exact. Mathew Barzal (2015), Kieffer Bellows (2016), Anthony Beauvillier (2015), Joshua Ho-Sang (2014), and Michael Dal Colle (2014). There's also a funny quirk regarding one player. Last season, Seb...

BREAKING: RANGERS AND DMAN BRENDAN SMITH AGREE TO NEW CONTRACT By: Matthew Blittner NEW YORK, NY: Wednesday June 28th. The New York Rangers have had a busy offseason thus far, as they have said good-bye to fan favorites Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan, as well as reliable backup netminder Antti Raanta and third-line center Oscar Lindberg. And to think, Free Agency hasn't even begun. That happy day will take place on Saturday July 1st. Until that crazy day arrives there will still be plenty going on. With the subtractions from the Rangers' roster and the $2 million raise in salary cap, the Blueshirts currently have roughly $20 million in cap space -- an unusually high amount for a perennial playoff team. Let's not forget, Dman Kevin Klein has been rumored to be retiring so he can go play in Europe, and that will give the Rangers a total of approximately $23 million in cap space. So what does Ranger GM Jeff Gorton do with his newfound wealth? It ...

NY RANGERS PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT CAMP & FIRST-ROUNDERS By: Matthew Blittner TARRYTOWN, NY: Monday June 26th. With the craziness of this weekend's NHL Entry Draft behind us, it's time to look towards the future. Up until this past week, the Rangers' future was steady but not inspiring. The team was still a number one center, and a right-shot top pairing defenseman away from being a serious Stanley Cup contender. As Henrik Lundqvist began the back nine portion of his illustrious career it was fair to wonder just how long the Rangers' Stanley Cup window would stay open. The Blueshirts' high-command of GM Jeff Gorton and Team President Glen Sather had been attempting to retool the roster over the past few seasons, rather than rebuild. The logic was, if the window for contention is still open, we just need to tweak the roster rather then to overhaul it. That logic no longs hold weight. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals three times in four y...

RELAY FOR LIFE MCU PARK: MARINE PARK, MILL BASIN, BERGEN BEACH By: Matthew Blittner On June 10th, 2017 the neighborhoods of Marine Park, Mill Basin, and Bergen Beach -- from south Brooklyn -- gathered at the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, MCU Park, for their annual Relay For Life fundraiser. Relay For Life is a community based cancer charity event that is part of the American Cancer Association.  For many community members, they have either lost a loved one to cancer, or they know somebody close to them that has cancer or has beaten the disease.  Back in the 1970s, Brooklyn, New York, was filled with many close-knit communities in which neighbors were as close as could humanly be. In today's Brooklyn, that is no longer the case as many communities are more diversified than ever, and that has led to far less community relationships. However, there are three neighborhoods in south Brooklyn, where there are still strong inter-community ties. These neigh...

NY RANGERS DRAFT WRAP-UP DAY 2: ROUNDS 2-7 By: Matthew Blittner Day One done, Day Two welcome to you. After what many described as an underwhelming first-round in last night's NHL Entry Draft, Rangers' General Manager Jeff Gorton sought to improve his draft grade and his team's farm system in Rounds two through seven today. First a quick recap: What began as a quiet day when most people woke up to go to work, quickly became chaotic. News broke shortly after 10am that fan favorite center Derek Stepan and back-up netminder Antti Raanta were rumored to be part of a trade to Arizona for the 7th overall pick and a defenseman. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, although it was actually just a few minutes, news broke that the trade was indeed happening.  Just like that, the core of the Blueshirts was further ripped apart. Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta were desert-bound, while the 7th overall selection in the first-round of the draft...

NY RANGERS: ENTRY DRAFT ROUND 1 By: Matthew Blittner A busy day in Chicago for the Rangers' high-command. GM Jeff Gorton earlier traded Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and Arizona's first-round draft choice (7th overall). With the trade, NY had the 7th overall and the 21st overall picks in the first-round.  Draft floor trade rumors had swirled that the Rangers had offered the Dallas Stars both the 7th and 21st picks along with Marc Staal for the 3rd overall pick that Dallas owned. NY wasn't alone in coveting that pick. Las Vegas also looked to move up in the draft. Stationed at 6th, one pick before NY, Golden Knights' GM George McPhee was seen chatting with Jim Nill, his Dallas counterpart, about moving up to the third pick. The first two picks were owned by New Jersey and Philadelphia and those netted Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier. UPDATE: Nico Hichier went first overall to New Jersey. Nolan Pa...

SAYONARA DEREK STEPAN AND ANTTI RAANTA By: Matthew Blittner NEW YORK, NY: Friday June 23rd: Adios, farewell, shalom, sayonara  to Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. After weeks if not months of speculation, Rangers' General Manager Jeff Gorton finally pulled the plug on the current core group of Blueshirts.  Stepan, 27, who was plucked by the Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut during the 2010-11 season, had been a steady presence in the Blueshirts' dressing room for seven seasons and was even named an Alternate Captain a few years ago. Ever since his first NHL game, in which he recorded a hat trick against Buffalo on October 9th, 2010, Stepan has been a top-6 forward and often found himself matched up with the opposition's number one center. A steady 55-60 point guy, Derek was neither a superstar nor a dud. He was simply an above-average player that was often miscast in the leading role. Many people have pointed out that Step...

HOW   HOWARD   DOLGON   BUILDS   WINNERS   WITH THE CRUNCH By; Matthew Blittner With   his   club   engaged   in   the   Calder   Cup   Final,   Syracuse Crunch   owner, Howard Dolgon,   took   time   out   to   chat   with yours truly about a variety of topics, they included: 1. Relationship between the Crunch and the city of Syracuse. 2. The coach and his players. 3. Team promotions. 4. How he has succeeded. CRUNCH AND SYRACUSE: “The city and the county are in a love affair with the team, whether you're a hockey fan, a business owner, or a student. Right now, it seems like all of Syracuse is focused on the Crunch, the support we are currently feeling is just tremendous.” WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THIS CLUB: “It's a commitment to play hockey the right way. Our coach, Benoit Groulx, made it clear from day one that this is how we're going to do it. If you buy in ...