Training camp begins for the Rangers Thursday as the veterans report for physicals. Long gone is the day where training camp was a six-week marathon of conditioning, the time spent knocking off the cobwebs of an idle Summer.
I can remember, as a youngster, my father taking me out of school for a day of watching the Toronto Maple Leafs at training camp in Peterborough Ontario. Leafs coach, George ‘Punch’ Imlach spent most of the sessions standing mid ice, blowing his whistle and barking out commands as his squad of hopeful Leafs huffed and wheezed their way around the ice. Stops and starts for the most part typified the creativity of camp.
Certainly a far cry from Tom Renney and his staff’s highly-coordinated, up-tempo training camp. A player at today’s Ranger training camp will find the movement and pace difficult to maintain if the Summer was spent in the idle manner of the old days.
With the nature of the business that is hockey today in all reality there would look to be very few spots available for opening night. Free agency, salary commitments, waiver rules and roster limitations for the most part will rule out many training camp surprises. Glen Sather and his management staff have done a thorough job of scouring the globe for talent and there is very little left to chance. But that being acknowledged there will be a couple of interesting things to watch as camp gets going.
In goal the Rangers look to be in pretty solid shape with both Henrik Lundqvist and Kevin Weekes returning. However, both will be pushed as returning to the Ranger fold is Stephen Valiquette. Valiquette has spent the past two seasons in Russia.
Acquired during the purge of March ’04 from Edmonton in the Petr Nedved deal, the 6-foot-6, 217-pound 29-year old Valiquette will force some competition into the goaltender mix.
The Rangers’ first pick in the ’04 draft, Al Montoya has some lingering issues from offseason shoulder surgery and will likely not be much of a factor during this camp, as a result.
Gone from last season’s blueline are Tom Poti and Jason Strudwick. New to the mix are Martin Richter, Karel Rachunek — both whom have toiled in Europe for the past couple of seasons — and Aaron Ward.
Ward, one of the leagues premier shot-blocking defensemen has been a three-time Stanley Cup winner and will bring further personality and grit to the club. Top amateur pick from the ’05 draft, Marc Staal is likely another year away, but will be worth keeping an eye on.
The game today warrants puck moving defenseman who will support the offensive rush. This year’s top draft choice Bobby Sanguinetti certainly showed no hesitation during rookie camp joining the rush, but he is young and will return to junior for further seasoning.
Camp will determine whether Thomas Pock’s development has warranted an opportunity for him to play a part in that role at the NHL level.
Up front, the acquisition of Brendan Shanahan via free agency from Detroit is a tremendous addition. Shanahan, sought the Rangers out, expressing a true desire to play on Broadway. His on and off ice presence will be significant. Shanahan’s addition will to a certain degree fill a void left by the departed Martin Rucinsky.
Last year’s club was led by the dominant play of Jaromir Jagr. It will be worth observing the evolution of the locker room now that the personality and play of Shanahan has been added to the mix. Jagr is coming off offseason shoulder surgery and will likely see limited time during training camp.
With Dominic Moore’s departure, there will be an interesting battle for the fourth center ice spot. Jarkko Immonen, who was recalled late last season from Hartford, would seem to be the leading candidate. The issue with Immonen will be whether he is quick enough to handle the speed of NHL play.
I would keep an eye on Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky had a great rookie camp and has the size and determination to be a factor.
With Jed Ortmeyer expected to be out of the lineup until mid-season due to pulmonary issues, Nigel Dawes will have an opportunity to compete for a spot. Dawes is a crafty left-handed shot who scored 35 goals for Hartford last season and has been a winner wherever he has played.
Finally it will be a big camp for Hugh Jessiman, the Rangers 1st pick in the ’03 draft. Jessiman has been a bit of a project, but has showed signs of moving up the depth chart. A good camp will not likely mean a spot on the Ranger roster, but a good competitive camp will further the big winger’s advancement.
EXPECTATIONS
Last year’s Rangers success was a most pleasant surprise to all involved. Gone is the day where the Blueshirts were a bit of a laughingstock in the NHL. When nothing is expected it is certainly easy to surprise. This years Ranger cast will enter the season with greater expectation. That means the club is headed in the right direction, and it will all begin with a good competitive training camp.
So let’s drop the puck and get at it. It should be fun!
Msg.
