The New York Rangers fanbase was holding out hope that a lost and dreadful season would result in them having some luck in the NHL Draft Lottery. Instead of winning the first- or second-overall pick, they fell down to the No. 5 spot despite having the third-best odds of winning the lottery. That meant in all likelihood, the Rangers would miss out on one of the three top forward prospects in this draft class, barring a trade-up.
One of the top forward prospects in this draft class was Sweden's Ivar Stenberg, who looked like a realistic option for the Rangers if they had maintained the No. 3 spot, at minimum. Stenberg shined this season in the Swedish Hockey League, and was at one point considered a serious option to get drafted before Penn State's Gavin McKenna. It's no secret that New York needs a influx of forwards, and Stenberg looked like an enticing option, especially with his scoring prowess.
However, it appears that fans are more high on Stenberg than some scouts.
NHL evaluators torn on Ivar Stenberg's chances during draft process
The Athletic's Corey Pronman recently released an article about what he's heard from scouts, executives, and evaluators during the draft process. As is the case in any professional sport, there are going to be differing opinions on certain draft prospects. Stenberg has his fair share of fans among scouts, per Wheeler, with some saying they'd draft him over McKenna. However, some are apprehensive about how his game would translate to the NHL, with some point out his size as a factor.
“The media talks about him and McKenna like they’re the consensus top two guys, but I don’t think teams have it that way,” an executive told Pronman. “My guess is most teams have one of those guys in their top 2, and then a defenseman or Malhotra. I could honestly see Stenberg get closer to 5 than to 1; he’s not the same type of talent as McKenna.”
If Stenberg were to fall to No. 5, a portion of the Rangers fanbase would sign up for that. But the fact that he is a 5-foot-11 winger scares off some talent evaluators.
“If Stenberg doesn’t score a lot, I don’t love his backup game,” a scout told Pronman. “If he’s a 50-point, 5-11 wing, it’s not a very valuable piece. For those D like Šmits, Reid, Verhoeff or Carels, even if they’re not running a power play at the end of the day, they can be useful parts of a playoff lineup. There’s more B-game there.”
If there is one common strength that Stenberg has amongst evaluators, it's his shot, with one scout calling it "elite." Fans could see that if they watched him play for Sweden in the IIHF World Championships this summer. However, as is the case for most teams, they want to see more beyond the scoring. That could mean forechecking or helping out on the penalty kill, just a couple of examples. For some of the evaluators Pronman interviewed in Buffalo, they don't see his talent matching the value, especially if the scoring doesn't translate to the NHL.
Realistically, based on the talk before the Scouting Combine, it felt unrealistic that Stenberg would even fall to the Rangers in the first round. McKenna is a virtual lock to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the No. 1 pick. Stenberg could realistically get drafted by the San Jose Sharks (No. 2), Vancouver Canucks (No. 3), or Chicago Blackhawks (No. 4). In fact, when it comes to the Blackhawks, they reportedly don't believe he'd fall to them at the No. 4 spot.
This past season with Frolunda in the SHL, Stenberg recorded 11 goals and 22 assists in 43 regular season games. In six playoff games, Stenberg recorded four assists. In the IIHF World Championships, Stenberg recorded four goals and four assists in eight games.
While the Rangers could miss out on a top forward prospect, the belief is they could have their choice of selecting one of the top defenseman prospects in either Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, or Alberts Smits. While forward is a more obvious need for the Rangers, stocking up on defensive prospects isn't a bad direction either, especially considering these four are being hyped up during this draft process,
