In Tomas Kloucek, Ron Low has seen the emergence of a physical force, a defenseman in the mold of former Ranger tough guy Jeff Beukeboom.
“You think about him as a Beuk,” Low said yesterday at Rye Playland. “Beukeboom had so much that people in New York liked. He had that true ugliness about him when he played that said it’s not going to be fun to play here if you’re the opposition. Klouch is only 21 years old and he’s a lot better skater than Beuk ever ended up being. If he shows half the heart [of Beukeboom], which he’s already started to do, the fans are going to like him a lot.
“He’s a really hard guy to play against. He has a nastiness about him and he moves the puck pretty [darn] well.”
Beginning to fill the physical void on the blue line left by Beukeboom’s 1999 retirement, Kloucek (one goal, four assists) has registered 41 hits in his last 10 games, including 11 in the Rangers’ hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Bruins Sunday at the Garden. With his recent run of aggressive outings, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound rookie has improved his hits total to 107 in 41 games.
“He has the ability to be a force,” said Low, who maintains that Glen Sather must address the team’s overall lack of toughness during the offseason. “The more he plays in the league, the more he understands that he’s stronger than most guys. Once you realize that as a 21-year old, the upside is tremendous.”
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Knowing that fixing the Rangers won’t be a “one-year thing,” Low said he would be all for Sather rebuilding the Rangers with a heavy dose of young players.
“I went through that process with Edmonton for five years, six years and it’s a rewarding experience,” said Low, who coached the Oilers from ’95-’99. “Working with kids, when you know that you still have a sprinkling of veterans that are excellent hockey players, I think is a great challenge. I really like working with young guys.”
Considering the team’s lack of chemistry, he indicated that instead of just adding new stars (as the Rangers have done in the past), a new strategy must be taken.
“You never thought you’d say it, but lots of times you look at your lineup and you think you got too much skill,” he said. “There has to be some kind of balance.”
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On Brian Leetch being named to the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Salt Lake City next February, Low said, “It was an obvious choice. The things he’s done for our hockey club this year are scary.”
The Rangers host the Islanders tomorrow before concluding the home-and-home Thursday at the Nassau Coliseum.