New York Rangers 3 stars of the week: The young guns
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The 2018-19 season is underway for the New York Rangers, despite the poor record, it was a good start for some young players. 

Dom Renna

Boy were the New York Rangers not kidding when they said that this was going to be a rebuild.

Off to an early 0-3-0 start to the young season, the Rangers had a hard time getting off to the start they wanted to. Despite that, we saw performances from several young players that are expected to be major parts of this team not only in the present but, in the future as well.

With that, here are the three stars of the week spanning Oct. 4 through Oct. 7.

3. Jesper Fast

Jesper Fast might be a veteran but, he is still developing into one of the games best all-around players.

Fast had a three-point week for the Blueshirts that saw him score the team’s first goal of 2018-19 along with picking up two assists. This week also saw the 26-year-old score his 100th career point against Carolina.

The hope for Fast is that he continues to play his solid two-way game while working on contributing offensively. In 2017-18, the man they call “Quickie” scored a career-high 33 points. He will be looking to add another career high in 2018-19.

2. Brett Howden

Brett Howden shocked most of Rangerstown beating out Lias Andersson but, he is showing why he was the right call.

Howden saw himself collect his first two career points that included his first career goal in the Rangers second game of the season in Buffalo. He got to a rebound that broke Carter Hutton’s shutout to give the Blueshirts a glimpse of hope in a 3-1 loss.

As Howden has gotten comfortable in his first three games, head coach David Quinn gave him more and more responsibility. He was one of the few bright spots in the Blueshirts’ disappointing 8-5 loss to the Carolina Sunday.

1. Jimmy Vesey

Jimmy Vesey is proving all of his doubters wrong so far this season.

Vesey was perhaps the most dominant Ranger all week. He only finished with two goals, but in reality, he could have had four or five goals.

If this is the type of game that Vesey is going to give the Rangers on a nightly basis, all the talk about him being a bust will go out the window. He’s starting to see time with top-line players, becoming one of their important players.

Honorable Mentions

  • Chris Kreider: Two goals in three games this week.
  • Filip Chytil: Two assists.
  • Pavel Buchnevich: Two goals.

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Dominick is a graduate of Canisius College. He has covered the Rangers for the last seven seasons and the Yankees for the last four.