As we get close to winding down another week, the Rangers’ prospects are getting ready to travel to Traverse City to play in the tournament that begins this Saturday.

One player who’s been there, but won’t be this time around is our feature profile today: Brodie Dupont

Player Profile
Drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft, Dupont was a raw player whom the Rangers hoped would develop into a legitimate prospect. Five years later, and after three years in Hartford the 23 year old is still looking to break through to the next level.

The 6-2 210lb LW/C is coming off consecutive seasons with the Pack, where he’s flirted with 20 goals, but just fallen short. The rugged forward may just not quite have the speed and talent to be more than an AHL player, but he can be fun to watch and works hard in and around the net.

He’s not afraid to mix it up either, dropping the gloves six times last year on the way to an AHL career high of 124 minutes.

But for Dupont to push for an NHL job, it’s really this year or maybe never. At 23 with three AHL seasons under his belt, he needs to prove that he’s more than just a journeyman. He should get the chance this season, without the likes of P.A. Parenteau and Corey Locke getting a good deal of the premium opportunities.

There’s still an outside chance that he’ll make the jump, but at this stage of his career it seems less likely.

2009-10 Statistics
Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
Stats: 17 goals, 22 assists and 124 penalty minutes in 80 games

Prediction
Team: Hartford Wolf Pack (NHL)
Stats: 20 goals, 24 assists and 110 penalty minutes in 75 games

Fun Fact
Dupont played with a number of future NHLers in his junior career including: Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, Jeff Schultz, Brett Carson, Brandon Segal, Barry Brust, Karl Alzner, Justin Pogge, Ryan White, Dustin Kohn and Alex Plante