A year ago, the Rangers drafted Lias Andersson seventh-overall, one slot ahead of Casey Mittelstadt. This year, it was Vitali Kravtsov at ninth-overall when Oliver Wahlstrom was still available. Wahlstrom was then selected two spots later by the Islanders.
That’s a pair of Europeans rather than a pair of Americans. Beyond that, the Rangers used 11 of their 17 picks on Europeans these past two drafts, including four of their five selections over the first two rounds.
But director of player personnel Gordie Clark told The Post on Wednesday the selections do not represent a shift in philosophy for the organization that drafted Yanks Chris Kreider, J.