The New York Rangers are reportedly close to signing 20-year old right winger Jake Elmer of the Lethbridge Hurricanes WHL franchise.
The New York Rangers are reportedly close to signing RW Jacob Elmer of the WHL, per a report from Bob McKenzie of TSN.
Elmer is a UFA currently playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL.
NYR closing in on signing 20-year-old UFA RW Jake Elmer of the @WHLHurricanes. Elmer has 38 goals and 78 points in 66 GP, playing on a line with 2019 high-end draft prospect Dylan Cozens. Elmer is that rare breed in hockey — a Dec. 31st (1998) birthdate.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 15, 2019
His birthday is a special case, as he can be signed to an Entry Level NHL Contract of three years starting next season. If he was born just a day later, he would have been draft eligible. This seems to be exactly what the Rangers could be looking for.
The right-handed right winger has spent bits and pieces of four seasons in the Western Hockey League, with the last two being consistent. He was first acquired by the Regina Pats in the sixth round of the WHL draft.
He was then sent to the Kootenay Ice, before being traded to Lethbridge. In that time he has seen 202 games of action and has contributed 131 points in the WHL, with 63 goals and 68 assists.
This season, however, has been a career year thus far for the Calgary native. Through 66 games, he has 38 goals and 40 assists for 78 points. These stats put him as the fourth-highest scorer on the Hurricanes.
Elmer leads the team however in shorthanded goals. He currently has six and is narrowly in third in shots on goal with 245. Even more, he has notched two hat-tricks under his belt this season. Elmer is currently riding a 16-game point streak for the WHL franchise.
The Rangers are very shorthanded with right-handed shots on the right wing. Elmer has shown he can score and score in bunches. As the rebuild rages on, this signing makes total sense for the Blueshirts. Now, it’s just going to be a guessing game regarding if the Rangers will pull the trigger.
