SPOTLIGHT: COREY POTTER

BY: Bruce Berlet

It’s nice to see former Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter finally get regular shifts in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers.

Potter, the New York Rangers’ fourth-round pick in 2003, was always a steady presence on the Wolf Pack blueline and among the AHL leaders in plus-minus, even finishing third in the league in 2007-08 at plus-33. But despite showing well with the Wolf Pack and his occasional visits to Broadway, Potter always seemed to be caught in a numbers game with the Rangers.

FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET

BY: Bruce Berlet

With goaltending and defense in lots of good hands, it wasn’t surprising the New York Rangers’ first four picks in the NHL draft Friday night and Saturday were forwards.

With the 15^th pick, the Rangers chose center/left wing Jonathan T. Miller, who led Team USA in scoring with four goals and nine assists in six games en route to winning the gold medal in the Under-18 World Junior Championship in Germany. He tied for third among all skaters in points and was selected by tournament coaches as Team USA’s top player in the elite event.

Miller’s selection at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., came with some emotion, as it was announced by Aaron Boogaard, the younger brother of Derek Boogaard, the Rangers’ left wing who died at 28 at his apartment in Minneapolis on May 13. Boogaard, whose late brother was a seventh-round pick of the host Minnesota Wild in 2001, was introduced by Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark.