The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of 28
on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely New
York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round pick,
No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.
Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at
some of the forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft
day. Today, we look at…
Zack Phillips
HT: 6-1
WT: 181
Pos: C
Shoots: R
Birthday: 10/28/92
Team: Saint John,
QMJHL
2009-2010 stats: 16g, 28a, 65gp, 31PIM
2010-2011 stats: 38g, 57a, 67gp, 16PIM
2010-2011 playoffs: 8g, 14a, 16gp, 8PIM
NHL.com profile >
Ranks
The Hockey News: 9
CSS: 15 Midterm Rank: 12
ISS: 29
TSN: 28 Midterm Rank: 32
TSN (Craig Button): 15
The Scouting Report: 26 Midterm Rank: 34
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 24
Corey Pronman: 24
ESPN: 22
Highlight Reel >
What they’re saying:
THN – “An increase of
50 points over last season has vaulted Phillips to the top 10 on many
lists. The one facet scouts believe is
keeping him out of the top three is his skating. ‘He’s a gifted offensive player, but his
skating is not that good,’ one scout said. ‘That’s the risk with him. His
first couple steps aren’t very good.’ The skating issue makes Phillips an easy target for criticism, but
scouts also acknowledge it’s difficult to be too critical of a player who puts
up the numbers he did. ‘There are some
guys where you’re looking for something wrong with them,’ another scout
said. ‘Then you look at the scoresheet
and you realize there has to be something right with them.’ ‘He reminds me a lot of a Jarret Stoll type
of guy,’ another scout said. ‘Everybody
knocks his skating, but all he does is keep putting up points. He can score goals and he has a great shot.’
The Scouting Report – "Phillips made some major strides forward in his game this
season and we think he’s done enough to be included in our Top 30 prospects. He
doesn’t have an overly defining quality to his game, but he’s a crafty
offensive player who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Skating isn’t great, but it isn’t horrible; albeit something that needs to
improve for him to make the jump. While Phillips seems to be a guy that a lot
of people feel might not be able to find a role at the next level, we liken him
a bit to a guy like Brett MacLean who, even with some weaknesses in his game,
seems to have enough of everything to overcome them."
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – "This scoring stud lost some effectiveness down the stretch
with a shoulder injury he suffered in the President's Cup final series against Gatineau. As such he
hasn't been able to shine as brightly in the Memorial Cup as he did during the
regular season when he and linemates Jonathan Huberdeau and Michael
Kirkpatrick destroyed opposing defenses and netminders. The biggest knock
on Phillips is his lack of speed and explosiveness, but the NHL is full of guys
who don't have the most dynamic skating ability. Where he compensates is with
his hands and elite hockey sense- Phillips may be the most opportunistic scorer
of any prospect in this entire class. He drives the net honestly and often
times finds results. One of the questions scouts have is whether Phillips can
do it on a team without the pure talent and depth he has surrounding him in St. John. We think he'll
do it no matter who he's with, whether at the center position or on the wing at
the next level. He was the ninth-ranked player in THN's draft issue and while
we feel that is a bit high, we could see how an NHL team in need for some legit
scoring chops might have him as a solid top-15 pick this year."
Corey Pronman - "After playing alongside top draft eligible prospect Jonathan
Huberdeau for most of the season, Zach Phillips put up impressive counting
numbers. If you want a player with flash, Phillips is anything but that,
however the late '92 birthdate does have a couple of notable tools that have
made scouts notice him. His hockey sense is above-average which is evident in
how he consistently anticipates the flow of the play. Once he senses his team
is about to gain possession of the play, he jettisons into an open lane to
receive a pass and get the puck up the ice, yet is responsible defensively,
works hard in that aspect and in viewings of Phillips he showed very effective
penalty killing. That work ethic is apparent in the offensive size too as
despite his frame that significantly lacks muscle he goes to the physical areas
consistently. He's a solid distributor and on the power play will occasionally
flash above-average in that regard. Zach's a solid to above-average finisher
with good accuracy on his wrist shot. The major issues with Philips which is
going to really hamper his pro potential are his fringe skating and his body.
He has heavy feet and despite a decent first step, the tool really lacks
pro-level qualities. While Phillips did succeed at going to the net at the
Junior level, he has a ton of gym work ahead of him before he'll be ready to do
it at the NHL level. While he frequently lined up at center in the QMJHL this
year, he projects as a winger and I've seen him be effective as a left wing."
True Hockey – “He is described by many as a smooth skating player who has strong finishing abilities, but can also create opportunities for his linemates. He is not overly sizeable at 6-feet and 180 pounds, but will grow into his frame and top out closer to the 200-pound mark.”
Mock Drafts:
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – 16
Mike Morreale, NHL.com – N/A
Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – 17
Deven Persaud, NHL.com - 17
TSN.ca – 13
Gary Joyce, ESPN - 27
Mark Seidel, CBC - N/A
Hockey's Future - 17
The Hockey News - 13
Thoughts: Phillips certainly sounds like he has goal scoring
ability, but the negative comments about his skating are giant red flags. The Rangers are desperately in need of a
dynamic offensive player, and Phillips may have the capability. However, New York typically shies away from players
with fundamental knocks on them in the first round.
The Rangers haven’t used a first-round selection on a QMJHL
player since 1977 and haven’t drafted anyone from the league since Chris Doyle
in 2008.
