We are looking to develop the next generation of great Rangers players, ... Our goal is to continue to improve as the season moves along and to continue to develop the many great young prospects we have now.

[RANGERS: Goalie Dan Blackburn, 22, retired, citing permanent nerve damage in his left shoulder from an injury sustained in 2003. New York's first-round pick in the 2001 entry draft, Blackburn hurt his shoulder before the start of camp in 2003 and missed the 2003-04 season. His condition appeared to improve after surgery in March 2004, but never went away. Blackburn had a 20-32-4 record and 3.22 goals-against average in 63 appearances with the Rangers. He had a .894 save percentage.] Danny has worked extremely hard over the last two seasons to do everything in his power to get his shoulder to a point where he would be able to play, ... We are all very disappointed for him, knowing the effort he put in and the tremendous future he had.

Our goal is to continue to improve and develop all previously mentioned areas. We want to be able to prepare mentally for teams where we match up equally.

We're going to be quicker. We're going to rely on players who continue to improve. We'll have a new coach to lead us in that direction.

Our goal is to continue to improve and to be competitive within the Sunflower League.

I feel really reluctant to talk too much about it because this is only the first step in what we are trying to do and what we are trying to accomplish. There are more goals to achieve and there is a bigger picture ahead of us.