Plodding on in the face of almost certain tragedy for the Rangers ‘youth movement’, let’s continue taking a look at how the players from the 1999-2000 Calder cup champion farm team have fared in the Ranger system over the past year.

Forwards:

Mike Harder – was traded to the Panthers organization this past year in exchange for the loan of Dave Deurden. Mike only played about half the games in the Calder cup run before he got injured.

Pavel Brendl – didn’t know he played for us last year, did you? The way things have been going, I may be the ONLY person on this site who will ever get to see him play on our side of the ice. He played two tentative, lackluster games for us that year, leaving me less than impressed.

Brad Smyth – shockingly chose not to follow Army to Switzerland this season and re-signed with the Rangers just before his arbitration hearing. Shooter had 50 goals in 77 games this year, and hopefully he will step out of Army’s shadow this fall and finally make the impact we believe he can in New York.

Ken Gernander – our captain is still with the Pack with one more year on his contract. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt again, as it seems to devastate the team.

Johan Witehall – put through waivers by New York, Johan was snatched up by Montreal, much to the shock and dismay of all in Hartford. This loss hurt. Johan will be playing in Switzerland for EHC Chur this season.

Dan Goneau – was last seen with the Manitoba Moose, which now that the IHL has been absorbed into the AHL is no longer a retirement home for the Rangers, so I don’t know whether or not he is still in the system. After suffering a shoulder injury midway through that year, Dan never really returned to his former play. Nobody misses him.

Derek Armstrong – *sigh* Army rejected a $30,000 offer from the Rangers this summer and accepted a contract to play for SC Bern in Switzerland. This is going to be one of the most difficult losses for the fans to accept, as he was not only a character member of the team (like PJ or Dale) but also the highest scorer and best playmaker we had. Video clips of him fighting and being interviewed on his new team have already made their way back here, and they are painful to see.

Manny Malholtra – up in New York and seems to have found a home there – albeit not a very happy one until the last few games of the season. He would have to clear waivers to come back to Hartford, and I hope the Rangers are less prepared to gamble with him than they were with Johan. We love him, but please keep him up there – its where he belongs.

Todd Hall – yeah, he’s still around. No, I don’t know why.

P.J. Stock – wasn’t re-signed by the Rangers, got picked up by Montreal and then traded to Philly, where he seemed to fit in and was enjoying himself, although he wasn’t re-signed by them this season either. P.J. is another Barnaby, a pest on the ice who drives guys to distraction and stupid penalties – and if it comes to a fight, he’s more than happy to go. Should have been room for a guy who once said he would run through a wall for the team.

Chris Kenady – last summer, Chris wasn’t re-signed by the Pack for reasons that weren’t ever clear. He got picked up by Louisville and signed on a PTO, but wasn’t re-signed after 20 games. We picked him up again mid-season with a PTO, which was extended to the end of the season when it expired. No one knows whether or not he will be back this fall.

Tony Tuzzolino – has signed with the Bruins, the archrivals of the Pack. We obtained him from the Ducks en route to the cup, and he played a big role in that achievement. I’m not a huge fan, but he’s also not a player I’m thrilled to know we will be up against on a regular basis.

Stef Cherneski – has retired. He played one game that year, ironically against the Falcons, the team who ended his career. Still, he has his ring now, which he certainly earned through all his struggles to make it back.

Jason Dawe – was re-signed by the Rangers recently. When Jason plays, he’s a force – but he only played 4 games last year. Prone to injury, I’m not sure what he will contribute to the club at this point. But if he DOES play… why do I feel like I’ve read these words somewhere else lately?

Chris Wells – is in Dallas. No loss.

What did we net? Brendl, Smyth, Gernander, Hall and Dawe are still on the roster – Malholtra is in New York. With the exception of the recently completed Harder trade, all of the other forwards were lost without compensation! Somebody asleep up there? We couldn’t have gotten anything for Army and all of his titles? P.J. and his yapping? Tony and his fashion sense? (he’s got a thing for black leather, you see)

Anything new? The Harder-Duerden trade was completed this summer, bringing a well-intentioned but tentative and mediocre player into the fold. Boyd Kane is an up and coming player who impressed with a great scoring touch when partnered with Brad Smyth, that will be a line to watch this year. Jeff Toms came and stayed, while Michal Grosek came and couldn’t get out fast enough once he got another look at life in the AHL. Bert Robertsson arrived in exchange for J. F. Labbe, and then was flipped shortly thereafter for Ryan Tobler, who was so awful he was given the boot, thereby completing the series that allowed J.F. to walk for zero compensation (are you seeing the theme here?) Brad Mehalko shows great promise as a P. J. Stock style player, and Brandon Dietrich impressed me as a scorer, if perhaps a bit tentative – a lot like Kane before his last trip to Charlotte. Richard Scott is a brute, but can skate better than Dale and actually has pretty good hands – he can score if he manages to keep himself out of the box long enough. Mathieu Benoit was very impressive, and I hope he manages to keep himself out of Charlotte and up in Hartford well. There are thirteen other forwards listed on the Rangers page that I have never seen, as well.

I’m okay with our forwards (although I hope we get tossed a couple of bruisers like Gosselin), just bitter that so many have been allowed to walk without anything in exchange. It looks like the kids are going to get to play this year in Hartford, even if they never make it up to New York. So, if you want to see the Ranger kids play, call 860-548-2000 for ticket information. I’ll see you in Hartford this fall.

- Heather

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