Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, I will be doing a series that highlights options for each pick the New York Rangers have. Each week until the draft, there will be a set of players who I think would fit the Rangers system or would be a good addition to our prospect pool. I will be starting with Rangers 7th round draft targets, and ending with 1st round targets a couple days before the draft. I will be using a combination of draft rankings by experts, as well as my own opinion on the players.
Not to be confused with a mock draft, the goal is merely to offer some insight on players that are available that fans might not already know about. I hope everyone enjoys it, and I look forward to counting down the weeks to the draft this way with you.
The Rangers have one pick in the seventh round this year; it is the 203rd overall pick. This will be their first time picking in the seventh round since 2021 — if they keep the pick, that is. Late-round picks tend to be swings for the most part; only one of the Rangers last seven seventh round picks is still in the organization currently.
My guess is the Rangers will likely use this pick on a goaltender. They have drafted two goalies in the same round over the last ten years, and with the organization currently having no unsigned goaltending prospects, I believe this is most likely the plan for this pick.
Petteri Rimpinen (Kiekoo-Espoo, Liiga), Overager
Petteri Rimpinen is a 19-year old goaltender who is 6’0” and 176 lbs. He spent the majority of this past season playing for Kiekoo-Espoo in the top Finnish league, Liiga, where he put up an impressive 2.35 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in 40 regular season games. He also represented Team Finland at the 2025 World Juniors, ending the tournament with a 2.34 GAA & a .933 SV% while leading his team to a silver medal.
Rimpinen is currently the 8th ranked EU goaltender by NHL Central Scouting, as well as the 84th ranked prospect by McKeen’s Hockey and the 168th ranked prospect by FCHockey. While often described by scouts as an extremely athletic goalie with high IQ and great puck-handling skills, his lack of size is considered a big question mark. There is a significant chance he goes earlier in the draft, but if other teams continue to shy away from this obviously skilled player due to his size, I think the Rangers shouldn’t even think twice before picking him.
Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko (Tolpar Ufa, MHL)
Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko is a soon to be 18-year old goaltender who is 6’3” and 185 lbs. For the 2024-2025 season, Tkach-Tkachenko played for Tolpar Ufa in the MHL, the top junior league in Russia. Across 40 games, Tkach-Tkachenko had a 2.99 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. He is one of the youngest goalies available in the 2025 draft.
Tkach-Tkachenko is the 11th ranked EU goaltender by NHL Central Scouting, and also the 212th ranked prospect by FCHockey. While there isn’t much scouting available on him, there are some clips uploaded by Gold Star Hockey on YouTube that give you an idea of the type of goalie he is. Based on the clips, he looks to have good positioning, decent puck-handling skills and great awareness. He tracks the puck well, but he doesn’t mind making a flashier move when the net front is crowded.
While I wish there was more in-depth scouting on him with more video clips, the combination of his stats and being one of the youngest goaltenders available in the draft make him a great candidate to use a late-round pick on. He played significant minutes for his team this past season, so despite everything else, it’s likely teams have been paying attention to him anyway. Jeff Malcolm and Benoit Allaire love their toolsy goalies they can develop.
Alexis Cournoyer (Cape Breton Eagles, QMJHL), Overager
Alexis Cournoyer is a 19-year old goaltender who is 6’4” and 205 lbs. He split the season between the Truro Bearcats of the MJAHL and the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL. In 21 games with the Bearcats, Cournoyer had a goals against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of .927, then in 21 games with the Eagles, he had a 1.82 GAA and a .942 SV%. Cournoyer is the 16th ranked NA goaltender by NHL Central Scouting.
Cournoyer is a bigger goalie, but despite that, scouts tend to praise his ability to move laterally from post to post. He has decent vision, but an area where he needs to improve is his rebound control. A less serious knock on his game by scouts is clock management; he is more willing to bat the puck away instead of freezing the puck, which can leave his team stuck in the defensive zone longer than they would ideally like.
In highlights uploaded by his management on YouTube, it’s clear to me that he has great positioning and strong vision. He doesn’t tend to get rattled by a crowded net front area, but in a few clips, he is on his heels, causing him to fall back. Cournoyer, in what I have seen of him, is a goalie that likes to see more action; he plays a stronger and more consistent game when he does. He is the oldest of all the goalies I have suggested, but I do think he is a good option depth-wise.
Next week, I will make a case for players who the Rangers should use their sixth-round picks on. They have two, the 166th overall pick and the 171st overall pick, so stay tuned.
