Rangers Draft Report Card
1st Round – Dylan McIlarth, D | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) | 6’4 212 lbs. | 4/20/92
I really do like this pick. He is a big bruising defenseman that 
I think the Rangers need and have needed for the longest time. He has decent hands for a defenseman, hits like a freight train, throw with the best of them, and protect his teammates. The only downside is Cam Fowler was still available with this pick, but as you will see with the rest of the picks Fowler wasn’t the type of player the Rangers were going for in this draft.
Grade – B
2nd Round – Christian Thomas, RW | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | 5’9 165 lbs. | 5/26/92
This is another pick a like. After finally getting a shot at some playing time last year Thomas responded by putting up 41 goals and 65 points in 64 games. He is undersized, but that is not something that bothers me. As a bigger defenseman myself the thing I hated the most was trying to stop a small, speedy, elusive player like Thomas. Not only does he have a knack for scoring, speed, and being a hard worker; he is also the son of a 400-goal scorer who was also an undersized player. Not too shabby. It also adds a player for a position where the Rangers have the least amount of depth.
Grade: B+
3rd Round – None (Traded for Brian Boyle)
I’ll take the NHL player over draft pick [that isn't a 1st round pick] almost all the time.
Grade: B
4th Round – Andrew Yogan, C | Erie Otters (OHL) | 6’3 202 lbs. | 12/4/91
My favorite pick in the draft in terms of value and potential. Yohan is a big strong kid with a lot of a talent. There were jokes that he could not be an NHL player because he is from Florida and there has never been an NHL player from Florida. He has great passing ability and plays a hard nosed game, but has dealt a lot with the injury bug. He could be the next Hugh Jessiman or he could be Ryan Kesler. Needs to work on his work ethic.
Grade: A-
5th Round – Jason Wilson, LW | Owen Sound Attack (OHL) | 6’2 205 lbs. | 4/15/90
I’m not really a big fan of overage draft picks, but this is another big strong kid who has some talent to go along with it. While he may not be as talented as Yogan he is tougher and he still has an outside shot to become a 3rd line winger.
Grade: B-
6th Round – Jesper Fasth, RW | HV71 Jonkoping (SEL) | 6’0 176 lbs | 12/2/91
You have to like a fast, two-way, European player in the 6th round. He plays on a good club and seems to have a nose for the net. He played extremely well on the Sweeden U19 team during international play scoring 5 goals and 8 points in 6 games. I always hold out hope that these picks can become the next Henrik Zetterberg. In 1985 All-Star winger Randy Burridge was selected with the 157th overall pick so we can hope.
Grade: B+
7th Round – Randy McNaught, RW | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | 6’5 221 lbs. | 8/5/90
This pick was a bit confusing. He fits in with the mold of the players were drafting, but he is an older pick who is almost strictly an enforcer. He could have just been signed as an undrafted free agent, but in the 7th round it doesn’t really make a difference. Big strong kid though.
Grade: C
Overall Grade: B+
I really like what Gordie Clark and the Rangers did here. I am a big believer in their scouting department that has made some great finds the last couple of years and like that they saw the Rangers needed to toughen up after Henrik Lundqvist got run all last year and no one protected the superstars. They started to address it when they picked up Jody Shelley and continued it with the draft so it will be interesting to see if they continue on that path for the trade deadline tomorrow.
With the 10th Pick the Rangers Select Dylan McIlrath
I have to admit I am a bit shocked about this pick as should everyone. I actually had typed into the title “With the 10th Pick the Rangers Select Cam Fowler” and I was getting ready to write about all the great talents that have fallen to the Rangers in recent history. Still with that being said I like the pick and had Fowler been off the board like expected I would have been ecstatic about the pick.
Date of Birth: April 20th, 1992
Height: 6.04
Weight: 212lbs.
Shoots: R
Season Statistics: Regular | 65GP 7G 17A 24P 169PIM
Playoffs| 7GP 0G 1A 1P 21PIM
TSR Midterm Rank: 33 | Position Rank: 7th D
League Rank: 8th WHL | Country Rank: 11th Canada
Try not to be fooled by his soft way of speaking because this kid is as tough as nails. The Rangers have been lacking the kind of toughness and edge he brings since they won their last Stanley Cup. His nicknames are “Freight Train from Winnipeg” and “The Undertaker” how can you not love that. When a seventeen year old is one of the most feared defenders and the main enforcer on a team taking on kids 2 to 3 years older than him you know he is tough. Just Youtube some of his fighting videos the kid can really throw em and he still has the frame to add another 20 pounds. Scary.
McIlrath is going to be a bit of a project as his offensive game is a little raw, but he as the upside of a Shea Weber who just so happens to be my favorite defenseman in the league and McIlarth actually put up better offensive numbers in his draft season than Weber. He is not likely to reach this ceiling, but he still has a good shot to be a shutdown stay at home defenseman.
No two people are going to be happier about this pick than Henrik Lundqvist or Marian Gaborik. When this kid finally comes up to the NHL there is going to be no more running into the goalie or goons fighting our most skilled player because this kid is going to put anyone who tries to do that through a wall. He has that Jeff Beukeboom, Scott Stevens, Chris Pronger type of toughness and mean streak that you just can’t teach.