Corey In the House

Ranger fans have been awaiting and debating the arrival of 2003 12th overall draft pick Hugh Jessiman since that day more than five years ago when the big forward was selected. But while Jessiman has languished, the only first rounder from that deep deep draft class to have never played a single NHL game, the Rangers' fourth round pick that year has quietly but steadily developed at four different levels of hockey, flying completely under the radar, to the point where he is on the verge of achieving his dream of making the NHL.

Corey Potter, the 6'2, 185-pound defenseman born and raised in the Lansing, Michigan area was already 19 when he was drafted 122nd overall. He had just completed his freshman year at Michigan State, playing on a team that has already sent two other defensemen, along with two forwards, to the NHL. He had played the prior two seasons for the U.S. national team and would complete three more seasons of NCAA hockey before signing with the Rangers, something that was not a foregone conclusion at the time.

But the Rangers made the correct decision in seeing Potter's potential. After splitting his first pro season between Charlotte of the ECHL and the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford, Potter was a cornerstone of the Wolf Pack's defense last season, the only member of the team to play all 80 regular season games and all five playoff games, registering a team-high +33 rating, scoring five goals and 27 assists, and clocking 102 penalty minutes. He earned a call-up to the Rangers when injuries struck and practiced with the team, but he did not get into games.

That may change for Potter this season. On Friday, he came one step closer to reaching the NHL when he was one of eight defensemen retained on the Ranger roster for the trip to Europe for the two Victoria Cup games. He and veteran AHL blueliner Brian Fahey continue to be the candidates for the role of seventh defenseman when the Rangers open the regular season in Prague next weekend. Potter is thrilled to be making the trip and even more thrilled to be in position to be a Ranger this season, even in the depth position of seventh D.

"I've worked hard to put myself in the position to make the cut and I couldn't be any happier," Potter said yesterday after the Rangers completed the domestic portion of their pre-season schedule, during which he played four of the six games, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. "This is another step in the process of making the big show, and I'm pleased about it." Potter's prescription for making the Rangers out of training camp was simple. "Just playing like I did last year, just playing my game," he said. "Making the first pass out of the defensive zone, playing physical out there, being somebody that you can rely on back there. I've exhibited that."

Ranger coach Tom Renney noted during camp that Potter was a candidate to make the team precisely because he has that physical element, something he thinks is vital in a depth defenseman. "He's in the hunt for that," Renney said of Potter. "Here's a kid who's played a couple of years in the American league and has put himself in the position to get a serious look. By definition, a seventh defenseman is what it is, but in terms of what we're looking for, we might need a little more bite back there. Corey's got that in his game to a point, though it's not what he's renowned for."

"That's my job back there," Potter said of being physical. "I'm not a guy that's out there on the power play and putting the puck in the net a lot. If that's what they're looking for, that fits right into my game -- I've always been a phyiscal defenseman out there, trying to play the body."

Renney also noted during camp that he has a difficult decision to make when it comes to placing a young player in a depth role, where ice time is more likely to come in the practice rink than during games. "If he's legitimate and he's the type of player who can cope with playing 20-25 games, practice with our team, be part of what we're all about, and he wins out in that investment, great," Renney said in describing the generic qualifications as seventh defenseman. "But on the other hand, a young player, you gotta play. You know how that is."

For his part, Potter says that he is ready to be that type of player for the Rangers, but will continue to work hard should he find himself back with the Pack. "I'd love to be here, that's been my goal all my life," he said. "If that means being a seventh defenseman, that's what it is. But regardless of where I am, my attitude is not going to change -- if they send me to Hartford, I'm going to work just as hard as I do up here. Nothing is going to really change regardless of where they put me. I'm just going to try to get better every day." That's the attitude that has gotten Potter this far, and will likely get him even farther along down the road.

Comments

[kogan]

There was a hilarious comment to Gomer as a player on Metalurg's website.
They call him Gerridae bug. :)

[Andrea]

So for us non-biologists, what's a Gerridae bug??? Waterbug? Pond-skimmer?

[Andrea]

P.S.: Dubi, my nephew has concluded that you have the coolest job. EVER. :-) Have a safe trip!

[rangerbill94]

As I watched a rerun of the U-18 WJC game the US won, I could see what the Rangers saw in Cory Potter. It's taken some time, but it looks like it is going to pay dividends (maybe I shouldn't use that term with this financial crisis). He is very smart, like Girardi. Seems to make good decisions and is usually in the right spot. Mara and Kalinin better watch out. If he gets a shot at starting, he may never come out of the lineup. I still think Pock has a chance. With some of the defensive brain farts so far this preseason, does anybody think we will field a team with 8 D'men? Pock could be an alternate forward. Most likely, I see Pock and maybe even Prucha (unless he starts to produce points) on the trading block. Might be able to get something for those guys, even if it's early round draft picks.

[i]

rb Pock just might get claimed, and will be if they try to bring him back up. They've made the same mistake as last season. This year they'll find out Pock is better than Kalinin, and as he was than Backman & Malik last year. As of right now this team does not look promising. They need a lot of work.

[paulinflorida]

Easy does it folks....lets not push the panic buttons....not yet anyway. With all of the changes the Rangers made this summer I think it's totally crazy to think that this team is going to come together in the course of a few pre-season games. Adding to the problem in trying to find the right combos (offense & defense) is that the team was split into three teams to get through the preseason. I believe that in order to make a judgement of what this team is all about it will probably take as much as 15-20 games into the regular season. Granted, from what we have seen so far, the offense looks anemic, the defense suspect, and if that's the look the Rangers have a quarter of the way into the regular season, then yes everyone can start reaching for the panic buttons and it may be a long season. We are not there yet, and lets give the coaches and the players a chance before we start beating everyone up.

[cwede]

Potter's ice time may arrive soon - Gross's blog reports Staal hurt -
http://njmg.typepad.com/rangersblog/

[BLAZEPHR]

Anyone interested in going to a Hartford Wolf Pack game on 10/29? I have really good seats in section 115, row C, seats 3-4 (5th row from ice).

I'm originally from New York now living in Vermont for the past 4 years. I'm spending an entire hockey filled week in New York from 10/26 to 10/31.

26th is my nephew's game up in Westchester. 27th I have 7th row tix for NYR @ Isls (3 tix still have not been claimed if you're intersted). 10/29 is the Hartford game. 10/30 is NYR vs. Atlanta.

let me know if you're interested in going.

[email protected]

[wwwc9]

If Potter doesn't make 1-6, I hope they send him down so he gets a lot of playing time and continues to develop. Will he have to clear waivers if they send him down? Think Hugh has to right? If Jessiman is claimed, how sad that the origanization got nothing for that year (not counting Zherdev) and if no one claims him, well, I guess that would be pretty sad as it shows what the rest of the NHL thinks of him. I'll get over it some day. LOL.

[Alan]

right now we have about 2 mil in cap space. not being a capologist (cam hope i need ya), if we can remove betts, pru and rissmiller, that gives us another 3.2 mil, if that's how the cap hits work. i don't know how two-way hartford/ny deals work, but there may be more to free up. we really don't need betts now that it seems everyone can kill penalties. blocked shots and face-offs? we can fill that too. pru? i'm sad about that but he's not gonna make it here.
now we have the money to offer sundin a deal i'm sure. i was against jagr and shanny coming back and am so glad that right now we are the second youngest team in the league, but i think mats is the one guy that can really make things go. mats with marcus and dawes, then throw out gomer centering dru and zherdev, then dubi, cally and korpi, then fritsche centering voros and orr and sjostrom as the extra skater, goes in for orrsie when we're playing a softer lineup.
no team could match our top three lines game in and game out and scoring shouldn't be a problem. we also don't lose any of our good young players, insert another new one in the lineup (korpi) while still remaining a fairly youthful team.
once that's out of the way, we need hank never to have a game like he did yesterday, redden to wtfu, ditto to staal, rosi to heal quicker, kalinin to be happy he escaped northern nys and play like it (but keep malik's phone number just in case).

of course i like to see wins, but i really am not panicking over the preseason. no practice, diff lines every game, i would expect that. i just didn't expect our D and goalie to look so bad.

can we win without the above forward changes? i think so. but just like jagr and shanny and the rest that have moved on, renney needs to let betts and pru do so also. i remember two years ago, after anaheim won the cup with a fourth line that could do everything including score, i asked renney how can you keep a fourth line together that can't score in this league. he joked about orrsie's one goal that year and thought they were on the right path. hopefully he's doing whatever he has to to change that because with betts and orr it won't change. then again, if mats comes and we have consistent scoring from the top three, maybe the fourth could be a high energy shut down line and fritsche and sjostrom are pretty high energy.

hope that made some sense. (i think i'm kidding about malik.)

[kogan]

Andrea, this is a link to see the photo of Gerridae bug (Water Strider?)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/images/waterstrider.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/waterstrider.html&h=407&w=500&sz=29&hl=en&start=7&um=1&usg=__XfttmfdjLwCHCul_B32QFlf1ckI=&tbnid=1nFnbuQtR7UThM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGerridae%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

[Godot]

Why is it that every time I hear Sundin's name mentioned as a possible ranger I shudder?

[paulinflorida]

If the Rangers were looking to clear some salaries to make cap room, I would probably agree that Prucha at $1.6 million and Rissmiller at $1.0 million could fall victim to some type of transaction. On the other hand, Betts at $615,000 is a 'bargain' these days. While he can't score goals, his penalty killing skills are very good, has good energy, and maybe with some combo of different wingers than the last couple of years, he can center a line that can put some goals on the board.

[Andrea]

Ew, gross! But thanks for the laugh, kogan!

[Bones]

Got to hand it to Cory Potter. When I watched him play on TV a couple of times, I didn't think he had a ghost in hell's chance of playing in the NHL, just like Guenin. But you never know how a D will progress. Even Mike Mottau made the NHL last year. Forget about waiting 20 games for everything to jell. Things got to jell after 5-19 games or we'll be right out of it before it starts. Godot-- you shudder? Maybe you are suffering from the flu because the thought of Sundin arriving makes my energy meridians pulsate and enervate. What is the rationale for this anti-Sundin sentiment. This is an emotional reaction not a reasoned one. He'll bring leadership, goal scoring and will no doubt have a salutary effect on Hank too.

[rangerbill94]

Bones

The Sundin problem is more a cap space issue than anything else. I don't want a 38 year old guy taking up a younger guys spot. The only way to make cap is to move one of the high priced guys, say rozsival @ $5MM. Pru, Betts and Pock only amount to less then $2.4MM, not enough to get Sundin. So I just don't see Sundin coming to the Rangers.

[Bones]

Sure Bill, agreed that it is a cap space issue but maybe it can be done without moving Roszival. If we have 2 mil as Alan asserts, we needs to come up with another 4 mil right? Trade Pru & Betts, cut Rissmiller and one of Orr or Voros, where does this get us to. I don't know frankly. Trading Rosy and getting an equal D at 2-3 mil would also help. My daughter(Ranger fan) tells me that my son-in-law is absolutely convinced Sundin is coming to the Rangers and he can't bear the thought of it. I understand how he feels because I'm still traumatized by seeing Leetch in that Make Believes uni. Made me want to throw up. i think Slats is waiting to see how the team shapes up after preseason and then he and Cam will figure out how to do it.

[Thane]

Pock gets claim off waives to the fish sticks. I guess he will get his chance there.

The Rangers should go after Gaborik, if he doesn't sign with Minnesota, the Wild will be looking to trade him. He is the piece the blueshirts are missing on the power play, a sniper with speed that can score. With Gabby on the team, the Rangers could win the East.

[Bones]

How in heaven's name could we afford Gaborik? Getting him will require giving up some of our best young assets, and although he is a very skilled player he is not a franchise player in my mind.

[Thane]

Bones I disagree. I think he is better than Drury, throw in Prucha and Sjostrom, and you have room for him. It would work, if he signs for 4-6 years.