Draftees head to Prospect Development Camp

Five of the Rangers' seven 2009 NHL Entry Draft picks didn't have to wait too long to get a taste of New York and the Madison Square Garden Training Center.

Blueshirts draftees Chris Kreider, Ethan werek, Ryan Bourque, Scott Stajcer and Daniel Maggio are among the 26 players participating in the team's annual Prospect Development Camp at the training center this week. Players range in age from 18 to 24.

The group features 16 players whose NHL rights are owned by the Rangers, as well as 10 invited free agents who will be hoping to catch the eye of Rangers scouts and management.

In addition to the five 2009 draft picks, the camp will include 2008 draftees Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan, Evgeny Grachev, Tomas Kundratek and Mitch Gaulton. Max Campbell is the lone representative of the 2007 draft class, and there are five more undrafted players who have already signed Rangers contracts in Paul Crowder, Justin Soryal, Tysen Dowzak, Matt Gilroy and Ilkka Heikkinen.

The camp, which runs from Monday to Friday, brings all of these prospects together for a week of on-ice and off-ice training, as well as a chance to experience the NHL lifestyle. The entire Rangers coaching staff and scouts will be there to observe these players as many of them hit the MSG Training Center ice for the very first time.

Here is a look at the complete 2009 Prospect Development Camp roster:

2009 New York Rangers Prospect Development Camp Roster
Player	POS.	HT	WT	DOB	2008-09 Team (League)
Ryan Bourque	C	5-9	175	1/3/91	U.S. Under-18 Team
Max Campbell	C	6-1	185	12/21/88	Western Michigan (CCHA)
Paul Crowder	C	6-3	202	2/12/85	UAA (WCHA)/Hartford (AHL)
Michael Del Zotto	D	6-0	195	6/24/90	Oshawa/London (OHL)
Tysen Dowzak	D	6-5	215	3/8/88	Kelowna (WHL)
Mitch Gaulton	D	6-0	207	4/25/90	Erie (OHL)
Matt Gilroy	D	6-2	205	7/20/84	Boston Univ. (HE)
Evgeny Grachev	C	6-4	220	2/21/90	Brampton (OHL)
Ilkka Heikkinen	D	6-2	200	11/14/84	Helsinki IFK (Finland)
Chris Kreider	LW	6-2	205	4/30/91	Andover (Mass. High School)
Tomas Kundratek	D	6-1	204	12/26/89	Medicine Hat (WHL)
Daniel Maggio	D	6-3	198	3/4/91	Sudbury (OHL)
Justin soryal	LW	6-2	218	6/29/87	Hartford (AHL)
Scott Stajcer	G	6-3	180	6/14/91	Owen Sound (OHL)
Derek Stepan	C	6-0	168	6/18/90	Wisconsin (WCHA)
Ethan Werek	C	6-1	190	6/7/91	Kingston (OHL)

OTHER INVITEES:

Player	POS.	2008-09 Team (League)
Chris Chappell	LW	Saginaw (OHL)
Craig Cunningham	LW	Vancouver (WHL)
Luke Curadi	D	Hartford (AtlJHL)
Trent Daavettila	F	Kalamazoo (IHL)
Keith Kincaid	G	Des Moines (USHL)
Samuel Klassen	D	Saskatoon (WHL)
Matt Maccarone	C	Tulsa (CHL)
Luke Pither	C	Guelph/Belleville (OHL)
Ben Scrivens	G	Cornell (ECAC)
Travis Yonkman	G	Swift Current (WHL)