Rangers trade ryan russels' nhl rights

[Tiger Trauma]

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has traded the rights to unsigned prospect Ryan Russell to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Montreal’s seventh round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Russell, 20, appeared in 58 games with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season, registering 30 goals and 46 assists for 76 points, along with 40 penalty minutes. In seven postseason games, he collected three goals and six assists, along with two penalty minutes.

The 5-10, 165-pound center has skated in 263 career games with Kootenay (WHL), totaling 98 goals and 118 assists for 216 points, along with 115 penalty minutes.

Russell was originally a seventh round selection of the Rangers, 211th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

http://www.newyorkrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2926

[Spungy]

Thanks for the info!

Montreal will be a good place for Ryan. As good as the Rangers

[KIF]

MONTREAL (CP) - The Montreal Canadiens have acquired forward Ryan Russell from the New York Rangers for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.

The Canadiens then signed Russell to a three-year deal, the club announced Thursday. Montreal has also signed forward Janne Lahti to a one-year deal.

Russell spent last season with the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice. The 20-year-old had 30 goals and 46 assists in 58 games to rank 16th in the WHL in scoring. He added nine points (3-6) in seven playoff games.

The five-foot-11, 175-pound native of Caroline, Alta., was a seventh-round pick (211th overall) by the Rangers in the 2005 draft.

In four seasons with Kootenay, Russell registered 98 goals and 118 assists in played 263 regular-season games. nhl

[bobby]

Good deal by the Habs. Ryan outscored most of the top draft picks from 2005 still in the WHL this past season. Setoguchi, McArdle, Mueller, and he wasn't far off Hanzal. I guess size is the issue for Russell (both of them), although it is probably easier to be a 175 pound forward in the pros than a 175 pound defenseman.