2014 NHL Draft: New York Rangers Select Brandon Halverson With The 59th Overall Pick

With the 59th selection of the 2014 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers have selected Brandon Halverson, a goaltender from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.

Here is a quick scouting report from our friends over at College Hockey hub here at SB Nation:

Halverson has a tall, lanky frame that takes up a lot of the net and impressive athleticism for his size that allows him to make the occasional highlight reel save. He's also regarded as an outstanding puck handler for a goalie.

On the downside, Halverson lacks a bit of experience. He's shown flashes of immense talent, but hasn't had the opportunity to show what he can do over the long run against a high level of competition. Most young goalies struggle with consistency, and that's especially difficult to develop when not playing on a night-in, night-out basis.

Nobody drafts a goalie thinking he'll top out as a career back-up. Halverson definitely has the potential to be an excellent starting goalie in the NHL, but at a position where every prospect is already boom-or-bust, Halverson takes that idea to the extreme.

There's no surprise the Rangers have elected to go with a goalie, as their farm system has been relatively thin since Cam Talbot made the jump to serve as Henrik Lundqvist's backup. There's no better time to re-stock the future, and I think the Rangers made the right choice with this pick.

The Rangers will have two picks coming up in the third round with the 85th and 89th overall selections.