On June 22nd, the night of the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers were under a lot of pressure. With immensely talented players like Oliver Wahlstrom and Quinn Hughes there for the taking, fans were wondering who the Rangers would select at nine.
With their ninth overall pick, the team ended up, surprisingly, choosing Vitali Kravtsov. The Vladivostok, Russia native was left off of most mock draft lists. The Rangers have made a habit of going off the board at the draft to outsmart the room.
Many fans were even initially disappointed with the pick, solely because of their lack of knowledge on the 18-year-old.