Almost every year the New York Rangers pick their best prospects and have them play in a tournament. The Traverse City Tournament is a way for the Rangers to see which prospects stand out and which could possibly make the team.
This year the tournament begins September 6 and is in Michigan. This will be the thirteenth year consecutively that the Rangers will be participating. Their team has reached the championship game twice, and won once in 2007. These games can show the organization and fans what to expect for this season, in both the NHL and AHL. Recently, the Rangers announced their roster for the tournament and there are a lot of exciting, young prospects to look out for.
There are 24 players on the roster. Eight defensemen, two goaltenders, and 14 forwards. Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Igor Shesterkin, and Adam Fox are some of the notable players to look out for. These names are players who already have a lot of buzz about them, so this tournament can show how they could perform in an NHL game.
There are a total of four games in this tournament. The first game in the tournament will be played against the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects. The following games are against Dallas, Minnesota, and then a Placement Game.
Last year, five players that played in the tournament made it onto the team, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Tim Gettinger, Brett Howden, Ryan Lindgren. Each went on to have impressive seasons and may show up on the team again this season.
The Rangers have become one of the youngest teams in the NHL and this tournament can show the talent of the young upcoming stars. Fans are excited for the future of the Rangers, and these young players are exactly what this rebuild needs.
Featured Image:
