There was minimal attention paid to the New York Rangers’ signing of Colin Blackwell at the beginning of free agency last October. It appeared he was just another AHL veteran/NHL tweener who’d been signed as eventual fodder for the Seattle Expansion draft. There was good reason for this thought as Blackwell’s NHL career prior to signing with the Blueshirts consisted of 33 games, 3 goals, 7 assists, and 10 points.
At the AHL level he’d tallied a line of 41-64-105 in 187 games, which equates to an uninspiring points per game average of 0.56. Throw in the fact that Blackwell—drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 draft—came to the team at just 5’9”, and it is easy to see why he was overlooked.