Ask anyone in the hockey universe as to how to design a winning team and they’d all mention something about drafting well. In a league with the lowest average salary of the four major sports, cost-controlled talent below market value is the name of the game. For the New York Rangers, the team has 16 different players 25-years-old or younger ready to make an impact over the next several years.
Out of this collection, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and Tony DeAngelo have played well at the NHL level. Even though he’s only 19-years-old and has sat out a number of games as a healthy scratch for not living up to head coach David Quinn’s demands, Filip Chytil is well on his way to a fine rookie campaign.