The Rangers made the following picks in the third round:
At 67, the Rangers chose goalie Danai Shaiikov from Kazakhstan.
He played in the QMJHL last season for Gatineau.
On ESPN, Sam Cosentino said “this is a guy that has some athleticism to him, he never gives up on a play. He goes to a Gatineau team going into a rebuild so he’s getting tons of time, tons of pucks, really good for his development.
McKeen‘s had him 9th on their list of Most Athletic Goalies and 175th overall.
McKeen‘s write, He served as Gatineau’s starter this year and showed flashes of real brilliance that suggests he could be capable of much more. What really stands out about his game are his quickness and athleticism. He’s swift covering his posts and he recovers extremely well to ensure that he’s squaring to shooters and tracking the play. He’s also extremely aggressive in challenging shooters, looking to leverage every inch of his 6-foot-2 frame. However, that is also where he runs into trouble. The technical components of his game need work to help him find greater consistency. He can take himself out of the play and relies too much on scrambling. If he were a little bigger, it might be less concerning. But, his athleticism and play tracking abilities do give him a chance of developing into an NHL netminder.
At 77, the Rangers pick QMJHL defenseman Charlie Morrison.
He will play at UConn next season.
He is 6-4 and a left shot.
Sam Cosentino said “you see a lot of flashes in his game He spent some time injured this year and he made the decision to go to college. I would have liked to see him get more games this year because of the injury and playing with Quebec. You talk about the ability to get games and hold off that college career just for a little longer to get that mileage is something that Morrison could require. You talk about your minor hockey career and you think you are one thing and maybe you are something a little bit different. I think this guy is going to identify as a good skating, puck moving defenseman that is going to have to be very hard to play against. I think that right now, finding what his niche is something he will have to continue to work on.”
The Hockey News ranked him 49th and said that his best case is Josh Manson.
The Hockey News said that Morrison will likely spend at least a couple of seasons at UConn and wrote”he has good size, likes to play physically, and he is a good skater. I see him as more of a defensive D-Man. He doesn’t look to be an offensive driver to me.”
McKeen‘s listed Morrison 9th on their list of Best Body Checkers/Most Physical and 5th on their list of Most Defensive Defensemen.
He was ranked 63rd overall by McKeen‘s and they wrote, “while his offensive impact was relatively limited; the lack of development in this regard was disappointing, he emerged as one of the QMJHL’s top defensive players and that has him firmly on the radar as a potential top two round selection. Morrison’s combination of size, length, smarts, physicality, and solid mobility gives him a very solid floor as an NHL defensive contributor. He kills the transition game with his aggressiveness in closing gaps, but he’s also strong down low because he’s assertive and confident, using his strength to out muscle opposing forwards. His physical approach is going to appeal to NHL scouts who hope that he can be a penalty killing anchor and the kind of defender teams want come playoff time. As a competent four-way mover, who is quick and smooth on his edges, Morrison is almost the prototype of the modern day NHL shut down defender. He makes clean exits and limits turnovers, in addition to getting shots on net from the point. Sometimes simple is better. While there may be a limit on his upside because of this, Morrison has a chance to develop into a steady defensive specialist who can play on a team’s second or third pairing.”
At 81, the Rangers picked center Tomas Chrenko.
He is 5-11, 172.
Chrenko was ranked 37th by The Hockey News and said that his best case is JG Pageau.
The Hockey News says that skating is his most notable strength and said “he’s a kind of sneaky-good player, and I don’t see his name on a lot of lists out there. He’s smart, but he’s undersized and as a result he often gets knocked off the puck.”
They add that “Chrenko can produce offense, and his vision and playmaking skills are at a high level, but there’s not a lot of excitement over him when it comes to the ‘wow’ factor, which isn’t necessarily a knock, because there aren’t a lot of deficiencies to his game either. ‘He’s a dynamic skater, but he’s not a dynamic player. He’s really skilled and competes hard, but there’s not a dynamic element to his game. He doesn’t have a lot of red flags, but he also doesn’t have that one defining element to his game that a lot of other guys have.”
Jason Bukala said on ESPN, “Tomas had a fantastic WJC. He’s a little bit light, a skill guy, his hockey IQ leans offense more than defensive commitment but you can teach that. He has a low ranking from my staff because of that, he just doesn’t engage quite enough yet. He’s never going to be a physical specimen or run anybody over, but he craves the puck offensively, wants to make plays on the PP, he’ll work the half wall and he can sneak up and bite you.
Tony Granato said on ESPN, “I like this kid a lot an I really like what I think he’ll do in the future. He’s going to Western Michigan.”
McKeen‘s ranked Chrenko 45th and wrote “Lightning-quick feet and the pace of an energizer bunny are practically trademarks of his game. His high tempo play with the puck on his stick consistently pushes things forward and forces opposing defenders onto their heels. And whereas his physical build is little more than average, his strong lower body allows for almost effortless and explosive acceleration. Agile, able to shift weight on a dime, and possessing an arsenal of dekes, one can almost forget that his greatest strength is his playmaking. If you’re open in the offensive zone, chances are, he’ll get you the puck. There are plenty of weaknesses in his defensive game and when he’s pressured while space runs out, but much can surely be made of such an immense skillset while the kinks are being ironed out. A top six selection beckons.”