by Jamy Baron
What are the first things that come to mind when you hear the name Tim Erixon? Is it his father, Jan Erixon who played 10 seasons for the Rangers? Is it the Calgary Flames, the team who originally drafted him 23rd overall in 2009? Well, I don’t know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name Tim Erixon, is a 20 year old, NHL ready defenseman.
When the Rangers first acquired Erixon from the Flames in June, Gordie Clark told us that Tim was a ready top 4 NHL defenseman. Gordie wasn’t lying.
It was evident this past week that Tim is ready to join the Rangers. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, which is very important. His hockey sense and IQ speak for themselves. Erixon, who had a goal and three assists, just couldn’t do anything wrong when he was on the ice. He was the only defenseman, with no disrespect to Blake Parlett who was a very pleasant surprise, who didn’t make a single mistake.
Erixon was pretty much invisible for the last two games of the tournament, which is a very good thing. As a defenseman, you make it your job to not be noticed, because when you do get noticed, it’s normally for a mistake that you made. Erixcon was barely noticeable.
Tim was excellent in the offensive zone as well. He showed great poise and confidence with the puck and made the right play every time. He also has a hard, accurate shot that gets to the net and he’s not afraid to use it. I don’t think Ranger fans will be afraid to praise him for it either.
Training camp starts tomorrow and Erixon will be there. As long as he plays like he is capable of, he will be a clear cut roster choice for opening night in Sweden, his home country. Michael Del Zotto, you better be on your “A” game at camp, because Tim isn’t going to slow down for you.
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CBJ