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Hartnett: Rangers' Top Prospect Skjei Makes Strong Impression In Preseason Debut

By Sean Hartnett
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The Rangers struck gold when they drafted Brady Skjei with the 28th overall pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. It's not a matter of if, but rather when the 21-year-old defenseman establishes himself as a reliable player at the NHL level.

That time could be coming soon. Skjei looked the part during his preseason debut, as the Rangers topped the visiting Devils 6-3. He possessed the puck with calmness, confidently led the rush, took smart angles, and forced a turnover that led to a third-period goal by Oscar Lindberg.

Skjei finished the game with an assist and posted a plus-3 rating in 19:50 of total ice time. He registered seven shot attempts and blocked one shot.

Some kids just thrive under the pressure of high expectations. Skjei appears to be cut from the same cloth as Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh when they were breaking into the NHL. Like McDonagh and Stepan, he possesses the confidence of a young player that is capable of handling whichever challenge is placed in front of him.

"One thing I definitely wanted to focus on coming in was to be confident and not to 'shy down' from seasoned guys in the NHL," Skjei said following Monday's game. "I thought I played my game and tried to keep my nerves below me. I thought I did a pretty good job."

That being said, one preseason game is only a small sample. There's a long way to go, as five games stand between now and the Rangers' Oct. 7 regular season opener in Chicago. Skjei will not dress in the second of back-to-back games on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. His next appearance should come on Thursday night in Boston.

"I think there's definitely room for improvement," Skjei said. "I can reflect on things I did good. So, I'll keep learning from the good things and the bad things. I'm just excited to keep working and I'm going to do my best to continue."

Skjei is the great X-factor of the preseason. Although the Rangers return their six main defenseman from last season's Presidents' Trophy-winning roster in McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Keith Yandle, Dan Boyle, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein, a strong preseason from Skjei could force the Rangers to rethink things.

"I'll try to do my best to crack the lineup, but they have some unbelievable d-men," Skjei said earlier this preseason. "I'll go in with an open mind and try to make the most of it. Hopefully, I can be around that top-six area. We'll see."

The Lakeville, Minnesota, native has been frequently compared to a young McDonagh because of his sound positional play, excellent puck-moving ability and considerable offensive upside.

"In the last five or six years, I really liked watching McDonagh," Skjei said in July. "He plays the game unbelievable. He's very good in his own zone, very good in the offensive zone.

Unprompted, Vigneault praised Skjei's performance in his preseason debut.

"For his first NHL game, you can see him feeling more comfortable as the game went on," Vigneault said. "I liked his skill, his skating, his gap."

The 6-foot-3 defenseman believes his tendencies fit right in with Vigneault's uptempo system that offers defensemen a green light to join the rush.

"I think that they play an up-and-down type of game," he said earlier this preseason. "They like their d-men joining the rush. So I think I'd use my skating ability to my advantage, get up in the play and play that style of hockey."

Skjei's progress should make interesting watching throughout the preseason. He might just be talented enough and mature enough to push himself into Vigneault's immediate plans.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey

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