The Rangers may have an impressive group of prospects within the organization, but there’s a good chance that not a single one of them will be on the roster for the Oct. 4 NHL opener at the Garden against Florida.
How different would that scenario appear, and how more powerful would the Rangers be, had management been keener with its three first-round picks in 2003 and 2004 Entry Drafts that yielded three players who so far have not played in a single NHL game among them, and who probably won’t for at least a while?
Hugh Jessiman, selected 12th overall in 2003 out of Dartmouth with blue-chip prospects such as Zach Parise, Dustin Brown, Ryan Seabrook, Ryan Getzlaf and Mike Richards on the board, is one of only two players from that first-round not to have played at least one game in the league. L.A.’s 26th overall, Brian Boyle, is the other.
Al Montoya, selected sixth overall in 2004, is not only locked in behind Henrik Lundqvist on the depth chart for all eternity (or until free agency), the goaltender’s salary-cap charge of nearly $1.85M disqualifies him for consideration to serve behind The King, even if he were deemed ready for the assignment and it was deemed beneficial for him to sit for weeks at a time.
And Lauri Korpikoski, selected 19th overall in 2004 after the Rangers traded up to acquire the pick one before center Travis Zajac was taken by the Devils and two before winger Wojtek Wolski was selected by Colorado, doesn’t appear to be having the training camp he needs to earn any consideration for a spot.
Yesterday’s fifth day of training camp featured the Blue-White intra-squad game won 3-2 by the White on a late goal from around the net scored by Jessiman, the right winger who looked good while skating on a line with Chris Drury in the middle and Martin Straka on the left.
“It was a great opportunity for me to try and take advantage of. It was very rewarding to get a chance to play with [Drury and Straka],” said the now-23-year-old, 6-foot-6 Jessiman. “They’re buzzing all around, so my role was to go to the net and create space for them.
“My game is going to the net and to use my size to create space for myself.”
Jessiman, projected as a project even when drafted following his freshman year at Dartmouth, has been playing catch-up with his career ever since sustaining a serious ankle injury early in his sophomore season. This summer, following a second straight pro season in which he played more hockey with Charlotte of the ECHL than with Hartford of the AHL, Jessiman hired city-based boxing coach Jimmy Fusaro to help him prepare psychologically as well as physically.
“Believing in yourself and visualizing success are pretty powerful tools,” said Jessiman. “It’s tough. You feel like you’re on top of the world when you’re drafted, and then there are a couple of years where you struggle a little bit and you have to create confidence when there’s not much to draw on.
“Every year I think I’ve been ready physically, but this year I feel confident and feel I can be an asset. I don’t think it’s funny that people don’t expect much from me now.”