NEW YORK RANGERS PROSPECT REPORT: DEC. 26 

NEW YORK RANGERS PROSPECT REPORT: DEC. 26

1. Lias Andersson was named to Sweden’s roster for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which begins on Dec. 26, and he was selected as the captain of the team. Andersson is the first Rangers prospect who has served as a captain at the IIHF World Junior Championship since Derek Stepan with the United States in 2010. The Rangers’ first-round pick (seventh overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft registered three goals in seven games while representing Sweden at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. Sweden will play four games during the preliminary round: Dec. 26 against Belarus, Dec. 28 against the Czech Republic, Dec. 30 against Switzerland, and Dec. 31 against Russia.
2. Filip Chytil was named to the Czech Republic’s roster for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Rangers’ first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in five games while representing the Czech Republic at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championship, and he helped the Czech Republic win a gold medal at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The Czech Republic will play four games during the preliminary round: Dec. 26 against Russia, Dec. 28 against Sweden, Dec. 30 against Belarus, and Dec. 31 against Switzerland.
3. Dominik Lakatos registered a goal in both games he played during the week. The Rangers’ sixth-round pick (157th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft has tallied 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 29 games with Liberec in Czech Extraliga this season, and he is tied for third on the team in goals in 2017-18.

• Tony DeAngelo registered three points (one goal, two assists) in three games during the week, and he tallied a point in each of Hartford’s first two games during the week to extend his point streak to six games (two goals, six assists during the point streak). In addition, DeAngelo registered the game-winning goal in overtime in Hartford’s 5-4 win on Dec. 20 at Lehigh Valley. He has recorded nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last 10 games. DeAngelo ranks second among Wolf Pack defensemen in assists (nine) and points (11) this season. 

• Gabriel Fontaine tallied a point in each of Hartford’s three games during the week, registering four points (two goals, two assists) over the span. The Rangers’ sixth-round pick (171st overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has also recorded six points (four goals, two assists) and a plus-four rating in the last five games. Fontaine has posted a plus-nine rating over the last 11 games. He is tied for second on Hartford in plus/minus rating (plus-four) and he is tied for fourth in goals (six) in 2017-18.

• Vinni Lettieri recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in three games during the week. He has registered five points (three goals, two assists) in the last six contests. Lettieri leads the Wolf Pack in goals (12) and ranks second on the team in points (21) this season. He is also tied for third among AHL rookies in goals and is tied for ninth among AHL rookies in points in 2017-18. 

• John Gilmour registered two points (one goal, one assist) on Dec. 20 at Lehigh Valley. Gilmour has notched eight points (three goals, five assists) in the last six games. In addition, he has tallied nine points (three goals, six assists) in the last nine games and has registered 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his last 21 games. Gilmour leads Wolf Pack defensemen in goals (five), assists (12), and points (17) this season.

• Ryan Gropp tallied a goal on Dec. 20 at Lehigh Valley. The Rangers’ second-round pick (41st overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has recorded a point in each of the last four games he has played (two goals, two assists) and has notched a goal in each of his last two contests. Gropp has tallied seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last eight games, eight points (six goals, two assists) in his last 10 games, and nine points (six goals, three assists) in his last 12 contests. He is tied for second on the Wolf Pack in goals thus far in 2017-18 (seven). 

• Peter Holland tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in three games during the week. He has notched a point in seven of 10 games with the Wolf Pack this season, registering 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over the span. Holland, who was acquired by the Rangers from Montreal on Nov. 30, has registered 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 30 AHL games in 2017-18. He is also tied for sixth in the AHL in points this season. 

• Steven Fogarty recorded three assists/points in three games during the week, including two assists on Dec. 22 vs. Providence. The Rangers’ third-round pick (72nd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has registered six points (one goal, five assists) in his last six games, as well as eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last nine games.

• Ryan Graves recorded a point in two of three games during the week (one goal, one assist). Graves recorded a goal and posted a plus-three rating on Dec. 22 vs. Providence. The Rangers’ fourth-round pick (110th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft has tallied four points (three goals, one assist) in the last eight games. Graves leads Wolf Pack defensemen in shots on goal (64) and ranks second among team defensemen in goals (three) this season.

• Ryan Sproul recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in three games during the week. He has tallied 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 26 AHL games this season, including nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 21 games with Hartford.

• Dawson Leedahl notched an assist/point in two of three games during the week. Leedahl has registered five points (one goal, four assists) and a plus-six rating in 10 games with Hartford this season, and he leads the team in plus/minus rating in 2017-18.

• Patrik Virta registered a goal, recorded seven shots on goal, and posted a plus-one rating on Dec. 19 against KalPa. The Rangers’ seventh-round pick (207th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft extended his point streak to four games (three goals, two assists) and his goal streak to three games, and he has also registered seven points (three goals, four assists) and a plus-seven rating in the last seven games. Virta has recorded 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 32 games with TPS in Liiga this season. He ranks third on TPS in assists and is tied for third on the team in points this season.

“His strength is his (offensive) side. We saw some spurts last year and at the beginning of this season. … His improvement has been great. He’s placed himself among the top 20 defensemen in this league. He leads our team in points for defensemen. Sometimes I catch myself taking a step back just to see how fast he is playing the game.” – Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Keith McCambridge on John Gilmour (Credit: Hartford Courant)

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