Immediately you’re thinking, Brandon Prust? What about Brandon Dubinsky, the homegrown talent showing grit, guile, and leadership in his breakout season? Or Ryan Callahan, the person most Ranger fans gravitate to as the “identity of the team” and want to see as Rangers Captain (whenever Chris Drury decides to hang up the skates.) Or Marc Staal, or his partner Dan Girardi, the Rangers standout shutdown pair on defense called upon to stymie the opponents’ best offensive talents on a nightly basis? All viable candidates and all whom are part of this young, talented core for the Rangers. However, it’s a newcomer that’s quickly changed the hearts and minds of his coaches and his teammates.
A 3rd-round draft pick for the Calgary Flames in 2004, Prust came into the NHL with a knack for toughness. Not noted as a goal scorer or someone who will intimidate you offensively, Prust used his hands for other things; fighting. Despite only standing 5′ 11” and 195 pounds, Prust wears his emotions on his game jersey sleeves and fights like a heavyweight, sticking up for his teammates at any cost. An attribute NHL teams desire for the makeup of their team. And, in February of the 2009-10 season, a team inquired for his services.
The New York Rangers, in the midst of battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, made a call to Calgary, a team in a similar position at the time and of changing landscape after trading away their young star captain Dion Phaneuf, for a trade. New York would send wingers Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins to Calgary for center Olli Jokinen, hoping a change of scenery would spark some offensive wizardry from the enigmatic Finn and Brandon Prust. Most in the media and amongst Ranger fans concentrated on how New York got rid of 2 players with less than reasonable contracts or how well Olli Jokinen would play on Broadway, and not on what type of player the Blueshirts acquired in Prust. It wouldn’t be long for everyone to find out just exactly who that was.
Upon his arrival, Prust made an immediate impact with the team. His toughness, willingness to give his body up to block shots, and heart meshed very well with John Tortorella’s aggressive, relentless team. Prust skated on a line with Artem Anisimov and Jody Shelley, another tough guy the Rangers acquired during the season, and sparked the Rangers playoff push at the end of the season with their consistent energetic shifts. Unfortunately, the Rangers would come up short, losing in a shootout on the final day of the regular season to the hated Philadelphia Flyers.
Fast-forward to the present, and the Rangers sit in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 59 points, once again battling for a playoff spot. This season, the Blueshirts have exceeded expectations by playing remarkably well defensively. They are amongst the league leaders in hits, blocked shots, goals against, and shorthanded goals. They have stuck up for each other much more than in seasons past, not allowing opponents to push them around. Prust’s warrior-like mentality has to be credited as one of the reasons for the Rangers turnaround this season. His 3 shorthanded goals help a little as well.
However, unlike last year, Prust’s value to his team has not gone unnoticed. Earlier in the year, coach Tortorella said he felt Prust was “part of the core of this team.” One of the highest honors a coach can give one of his players; it shows the trust he has in his players. Tortorella also shows his faith in Prust by sending him out nearly 14 minutes a game and for a regular shift on the penalty kill, a spot on reserved for your best defensive forwards. Teammate Brian Boyle, who has also gone through a Renaissance-type season this year, emerging as one of the leaders of the Rangers and has formed a formidable tandem with Prust, said, “he’s a warrior and it’s an honor to play with him.”
So while players like Dubinsky, Callahan, Girardi and Staal receive most of the accolades for their contributions to the “core” of the team, you have to add Brandon Prust to the mix as well. Without him, New York would be without a player who has earned the right to call himself a “Ranger.”
