NY RANGERS: DEFENSEMAN RYAN GRAVES PLAYER PROFILE

September 15, 2017

By: Matthew Blittner

NY Rangers Training Camp is underway and that can only mean one thing -- there are a lot of players looking to make the team, and only a few can.

Hope springs eternal for many as they prepare themselves for the preseason slate of games that starts Monday night at MSG against the Islanders.

An area of concern for the Rangers last season was their defense, but not this year. All signs point to this being a strength of the team.

With the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk, re-signing of Brendan Smith, acquisition of Anthony DeAngelo, retirement of Kevin Klein, and releasing of stalwart Dan Girardi, this defense has been revamped and is looking to lead this team to the promised land.

Down on the farm the Rangers have a glut of defense prospects, and one such Ranger hopeful is Ryan Graves.

After the first group of ice drills was complete, Ryan was kind enough to chat about why he should be considered for the big-league club.

RYAN: "This is my fourth camp with the team. I worked out hard all summer, especially when I would train here (MSG Training Center). I want to show everyone that I'm in great shape and that this will be my year."

ME: Ryan, what is one skill that you feel sets you apart from the rest?

RYAN: "I'm a big guy."

He's not kidding. Ryan measures in at 6-5 and 216lbs.

RYAN: "For me, my size is an asset, and to be honest, I have deceptive speed. For a big guy my mobility is a huge factor in my game."

Again he's not joking. It took all of five minutes watching Ryan skate through drills for me to realize that he is basically an express train on skates.

I asked him if he has any particular goals in mind for the upcoming season, and the consummate professional that he is gave me with this response:

"I don't try to set personal points milestones. I'm a defensive guy. But when I occasionally get power play time, that's when I look to rack up points."

Ryan is certainly capable of scoring points. He's got a big-time shot, especially for a lefty.

Last season with Hartford, Ryan tallied 30-points (8G, 22A) in 76 games.

This Yarmouth, Nova Scotia native is only 22-years-old -- he's younger then me -- and he's already got the presence of a veteran on the ice.

When asked which side he prefers to play, Ryan answered, "because of my lefty-shot I prefer the left-side, but during my last year in Juniors they had me play the right-side, and I carried that over into my first year as a pro. It's hard to play your opposite side as a pro. After that first season I went back to playing on the left, but I can still play the right in a pinch of they need me to."

This savvy prospect is certainly a team player with that response.

Last year Hartford didn't have one of its' better seasons, because of that, Ryan's plus/minus of -17 needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as he's been a double-digit plus guy for most of his career.

He's looking to rebound this season, and he hopes that that rebound will be in the NHL, but he's also realistic. In the event that he starts the year back in the AHL -- Ryan acknowledged he needs to work on some things -- he promises to hone his game to perfection.

Even so, he's just a quick phone call away from being called up.

Here's to hoping that the big man breaks camp with the Rangers, because trust me, he brings excitement to the game, and I pity whatever forward gets checked by Graves.