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…

Alexander Khokhlachev

HT: 5-10

WT: 188

Pos: C

Shoots: L

Birthday: 9/9/93

Team: Windsor, OHL

2009-2010 stats: 15g, 25a, 51gp, 22PIM (Spartak, Mid.)

2010-2011 stats: 34g, 42a, 67gp, 28PIM, +9

2010-2011 playoffs: 9g, 11a, 18gp, 8PIM

NHL.com profile > 

Ranks:

The Hockey News: 13

CSS: 29 Midterm Rank: 45

ISS: 23 

TSN: 44 Midterm Rank: 42 

TSN (Craig Button): N/A

The Scouting Report: 29 Midterm Rank: 28

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 26

Corey Pronman: 11

ESPN: 31

Highlight Reel > 

What They’re Saying:

THN – “Another in a line of small, strong Russians, Alexander Khokhlachev gets high marks for his competitive nature and strong character traits.  Khokhlachev made a big statement about his intentions when he came this season to play in Windsor rather than remain at home in the Kontinental League.  Once here, he made an immediate impression.  ‘I’m not a huge fan, but I admit he’s a hard-working kid with skill,’ a scout said.  ‘He’s not a big kid either and it won’t be easy for him, but I give him credit.  All the goals I’ve seen this kid score have been hard-working goals.’  Another scout compared him to Marc Savard from an offensive standpoint, but he’s more physical.  He’s not a tremendously gifted skater, but that normally doesn’t stop him from being an aggressive forechecker.  ‘He’s the kind of kid who gets in on the puck and makes things happen,’ a third scout said.  ‘He’s competitive and gets into the middle of the action.”

The Scouting Report – "Nobody was too sure what type of a player Khokhlachev would be this season as most in OHL circles felt he was overshadowed a bit by fellow Russian Vladimir Namestnikov. It didn’t take long for him to make his presence known, however, as Khokhlachev quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous offensive forwards in the league. Offensively, his talent level is up there with any player in the draft. He’s very good in small spaces and has a whole bag of puck tricks he uses frequently throughout the game. He’s an opportunistic scorer and if he shot more, would probably have eclipsed 40 goals this past season as well. The issue with Khokhlachev comes down to his lack of size and strength, and determining how much of an issue that’s going to be for him at the next level. His two-way game won’t blow you away, so unless he can find a way to add the muscle needed to play in the NHL, he’s going to be a bit of a risk."

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – "Supremely talented, and could go significantly higher than where we have him because of his elite skill and explosiveness. B2011DW has some concerns about the other areas of his game, specifically, intensity, consistency and overall effort levels in the areas of the rink where his skill set doesn't translate as well (along the boards and in front of the net). He's not very big, but has very good acceleration, separation gear and even the shifty elusiveness that so many European players possess. When at his best, he's flying around the ice, turning defenders inside out and wiring pucks to the back of the net from just about any spot in the offensive zone. One NHL scout we know absolutely loved Khokhlachev at the beginning of the year given how seamless his transition was to the OHL, but as the season wore on and he saw him more and more, the red flags started to surface about his overall intensity and willingness to compete when the going gets rough. Solid two-way player...when he wants to be. If he tightens it up in all zones and on most of his shifts, he's easily a top-10 talent in this class."

Corey Pronman - "Alexander Khokhlachev came over from Russia this season and helped his stock tremendously as he's one of the highest OHL draft-eligible players despite being a few days away from being a 2012 draftee. He has true plus puck skills with very notable hand-eye coordination that allows him to stick-handle very well with displays of unique creativity. His passing skills also range in the above-average to plus variety, as his vision with the puck is great and his passes are generally crisp and on target. Alex can at times be a victim of over-passing instead of taking the shooting lane, which is unfortunate as his shot is actually quite solid. Khokhlachev does exert notable work ethic defensively and in the crease area, but he's just nowhere near an average physical game with a very immature body and he gets pushed around too easily. His skating tool has pluses and minuses—on one hand he has above-average agility and a good first step that allow him to be pretty elusive, but the top speed barely touches pro level. Khokhlachev has one of the top skill sets in the draft class, but the physical game will impede him going forward. That isn't a huge concern though as it would be for most, as his 18th birthday isn't until September so he is expected to be somewhat behind on the growth curve."

Alan Bass – “’A lot of things had to come together to make this happen and the Spitfires are very thankful to all those who were involved,’ said Spitfires Vice President and GM Warren Rychel upon being informed that the IIHF approved Khokhlachev’s transfer to the CHL. ‘We are excited to have Alexander join us in Windsor and are ecstatic that he is now part of our organization. He has three years of eligibility to play with our club and his offensive talent will be noticed right away. Alexander is a pure goal scorer who was one of the most renowned players in Russia when he played for Moscow Spartak and will be an impact player in our league.’  Khokhlachev has made it clear to scouts and general managers across the NHL that his goal is to be drafted as high as possible when the entry draft comes around next June.  ‘Yeah, it’s like that,’ Khokhlachev said. ‘In the league I’m going to play the games are always attended by a number of NHL scouts. If you play well, score and help your team then there will be bigger chances to go high during the selections.’”

Elite Prospects – “An offensively extremely talented striker. A very good skater with great creativity. A good playmaker but an even better finisher. Has soft hands. Needs to gain strength.”

Kyle Woodlief, Red Line Report – “The smallish Russian came over to play in the Ontario Hockey League this season and proved he could handle the rough going in North America, all while scoring a bushel full of goals. Khokhlachev makes up for his lack of size with great puck skills and creativity, and he has uncanny touch around the net. While he tends to be a bit streaky, if he scores early in a game, watch out because he's likely to bag a few more in short order.”

Jess Rubenstein – “Very late 1st to early 2nd as he is a small 5’10.  He is a good worker and is helped by playing for Windsor.  Huge reach at No. 15.”

Mock Drafts:

Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – 29 

Mike Morreale, NHL.com – 26 

Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – N/A 

Deven Persaud, NHL.com - 29

TSN.ca – N/A 

Gary Joyce, ESPN – N/A 

Mark Seidel, CBC – N/A 

Hockey's Future - 26

The Hockey News - 16

Thoughts: A big-time performance in the playoffs may have convinced scouts that Khokhlachev is indeed worthy of a top-20 pick.  It’s an encouraging sign that he came over from Russia a year before being eligible for the NHL Draft.  Alex Burmistrov did the same thing last year and both showed a commitment to succeeding in North America.  Khokhlachev has plenty of speed and offensive skill, but is a little small and doesn’t bring much else to the table

Normally the Rangers might be scared off by these one-dimensional offensive players, but they have plenty of responsible two-way guys and are in desperate need of game-breaking talent.

The last Russian player the Rangers chose was Mikhail Pashnin, the team’s seventh-round choice in 2009.  The Rangers used their 2007 first-round choice on Alexei Cherepanov.

Season Review:

Breaking Down The Defense >

Breaking Down The Goalies >

Breaking Down The Offense >

Breaking Down The Prospects >

How Three Free Agent Signings In 2007 Have Shaped The Eastern Conference >

Spotlight On Glen Sather >

Spotlight On John Tortorella >

Player Reviews:

Spotlight On Mats Zuccarello >

Spotlight On Brian Boyle >

Spotlight On Matt Gilroy >

Spotlight On Ruslan Fedotenko >

Spotlight On Brandon Prust >

Spotlight On Bryan McCabe >

Spotlight On Alex Frolov >

Spotlight On Michael Del Zotto >

Spotlight On Martin Biron >

Spotlight On Brandon Dubinsky >

Spotlight On Marc Staal >

Spotlight On Steve Eminger >

Spotlight On Henrik Lundqvist >

Spotlight On Wojtek Wolski >

Possible First Round Pick:

Zack Phillips >

Sven Bartschi >

Mark Scheifele >

Mika Zibanejad > 

Mark McNeill >

Brandon Saad >

Joel Armia >

Nicklas Jensen >

Alexander Khokhlachev >