Vitali Kravtsov said on Thursday that he spent the whole summer in the USA working in the gym, skating with his teammates and getting stronger. (NYR)
He added that he has been looking forward to the Traverse City tournament all summer and that right now his focus is only on the upcoming tournament, not training camp.
😱 @Kravtsov with the sweet 🍎 @m_barron1998 with the 🚨 #NYRPDC pic.twitter.com/v9b6MN7JAk
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 27, 2019
Ad
Nikolai Bobrov, the Rangers Director of Euro scouting, said Kravtsov “showed the world” at the World Juniors the kind of “uncanny skill” and “very rare hockey sense.” (NYR)
He added that lot of scouts came up to the Rangers to compliment them on how good Kravtsov has been so far and the player he will turn out to be. (NYR)
Gordie Clark has said that Kravtsov is going to be a “top-line player” and compared him to Evgeni Kuznetsov in his skill and “no-nonsense personality.” (The Hockey News)
Clark said that Kravtsov has taken his game to another level and added, “his hockey IQ is through the roof.” (NYR)
Chris Drury said that Kravtosv is “so smart” and that the way he sees things on the ice and how quickly he is able to process them is “extremely exciting for us.” (The Athletic)
Alexi Kruchnin, who played with Kravtsov in the KHL, also said that he is similar to Kuznetsov, adding that he has “great potential.” (Sport24)
John Davidson said recently that Kravtsov is an example of the kind of player the Rangers want, “he came in, I think yesterday, and will be here the duration and will learn the language and I like that. He’s going to work with people that can work with conditioning, nutrition, there is a guy that seems pretty darn committed. That is the type of stuff you want.”
Chris Peters listed Kravtsov, along with K’Andre Miller, as “A” prospects currently in the Rangers system. (ESPN)
Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Kravtsov as the Rangers #2 prospect, adding that he has “game-breaking skill” and the ability to beat “even some of the best NHL defensemen with his 1-on-1 moves.”