2026-27 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: New York Rangers’ Top 10

Jul 31, 2026, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 29, 2026, 16:58 EDT

2026-27 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: New York Rangers’ Top 10

Credit: Steven Ellis

Welcome back.

It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses, and so much more.

Here are the criteria for being labeled a prospect: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside the NHL than in it last year. Gabe Perreault was promoted to the graduated section because he missed out by one game – we’ll count it. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they must be 25 or under and have played fewer than 20 games in the past season or fewer than 30 games over their career.

Today, we’re breaking down the New York Rangers.

Compared to most other bottom-feeders, the Rangers haven’t been that bad for too long.

Like, heck. The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 with 114 points, after all. It’s been a quick fall from grace in the ensuing years, with core members Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck being among the team’s top moves over the past two years.

They’ve managed to beef up the pipeline a bit through the trade market, with Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin giving them two top-three prospects. The Rangers are still far from being legitimate contenders, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see around seven players on this list become NHLers in the next three to four years.

Biggest Strength

The overall defensive depth – especially on the left side – looks good. Alberts Šmits is the golden prize, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 2026 first-rounder go straight to the NHL this fall. Scott Morrow can still become a top-four defender, although I was hoping to see a bit more from him this past year. Drew Fortescue and E.J. Emery project to be more support assets, but both are highly difficult to play against. Ben Macbeath is quite impressive with the puck, and he’s defensively responsible, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if all four made the NHL – I believe in all of them.

Biggest Weakness

This is actually a well-rounded pool, despite not having a ton of high-end talent. What they could use is a bit more goaltending depth in case Dylan Garand doesn’t pan out (and I’m not convinced he will, unfortunately). Callum Tung has shown some promise, but I’m not sure what the NHL future is like there. For now, it’s Igor Shesterkin’s net to lose. But someone needs to be in waiting eventually, right?

Fast Facts:

NHL GM: Chris Drury
Dir. of Amateur Scouting: John Lilley
Dir. of Player Development: Tanner Glass
AHL Affiliate: Hartford Wolf Pack
ECHL Affiliate: N/A
Recent NHL Graduates: Gabe Perreault, RW; Noah Laba, C

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Alberts Smits (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

1. Alberts Šmits, LHD, 18 (New York Rangers)

Acquired: Drafted 5th overall, first round in 2026

When the Rangers selected Šmits fifth overall, they knew there was a legitimate chance he’d be in the NHL out of training camp. Jukurit definitely hopes that isn’t the case, but it’s going to be hard to keep Šmits out of Madison Square Garden. Šmits was a big part of Latvia’s World Junior, World Championship and Olympic teams last season. The 6-foot-3 blueliner moves well for his size and makes so much happen with the puck. It’s always nice seeing an 18-year-old who plays with a ton of confidence on the power play. He also has plenty of pro experience under his belt, which can be challenging to find out of European defenders. If things fall flat, Šmits can chase big minutes back in Finland. Regardless, I think he’ll be a top-four defenseman sooner rather than later.

2. Liam Greentree, RW, 20 (Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by Los Angeles Kings in 2026

The 20-year-old has been a scoring machine throughout his major junior career, which was highlighted by a 49-goal, 119-point season with the Windsor Spitfires two years ago. Greentree is ready to take the next step forward and go pro. He almost made the Los Angeles Kings out of training camp last year, before the team elected to send him back to Windsor to maximize his playing time. It helped him earn a spot on Canada’s World Junior team, where he played about nine minutes across three games. The biggest knock against Greentree earlier in his career was below-average skating. He’s a bit quicker now, but it’s still not a strength. What is, though, is his ability to dominate the game with his puck while agitating others. There’s some top-six potential here if the Rangers develop him correctly. Call me a believer.

3. Cole Beaudoin, C, 20 (Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by Utah Mammoth in 2026

*Cole Beaudoin (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Beaudoin is a physical beast, and I loved this acquisition by the Rangers. He has high-end hockey sense and makes up for so-so skating by hitting everyone in sight and being difficult to play against. I don’t think it will take him long to be NHL-ready – he could legitimately force his way onto New York’s bottom line immediately out of camp. Realistically, though, the 2026 OHL playoff MVP and CHL sportsman of the year winner should spend the year flying up Hartford’s lineup. He was an offensive leader in Barrie, and a literal leader, having worn the C in 2025-26 and the A for two years prior. I feel like he’ll max out as a third-line NHLer, but one who is an absolute workhorse all the time.

4. Scott Morrow, RHD, 23 (New York Rangers)

Acquired: Traded by Carolina Hurricanes in 2025

Morrow saw the most significant NHL action of his career last year, registering six assists in 29 games. He primarily played in the AHL, though, where he put up 19 points in 34 games. It was hard to produce in Hartford, but he continued to improve his own zone game. Morrow loves having the puck on his stick. He’s a strong puckhandler who can pull off some eye-popping moves, although the past few years have been more about cleaning up mistakes. We’ll see if he ends up sticking with the Rangers on a full-time basis this year – it feels like the clock is ticking a bit for a guy who’s set to turn 24 in November.

5. Malcolm Spence, LW, 19 (University of Michigan, NCAA)

Acquired: Drafted 43rd overall, second round in 2025

Spence was one of the first major CHLers to commit to the NCAA, and he put up a solid 25 points and 44 PIM with Michigan. We saw a bit of everything out of him: nastiness, offensive awareness and a high-end motor. He’s very versatile, although not necessarily a top-six play driver. There’s so much to love about the way he’s always buzzing and annoying everyone out there, while being productive to keep himself high in a lineup. I think he will be one heck of a middle-six player, at the very least, and a guy who’ll make everyone around him better and more competitive thanks to his presence.

6. Drew Fortescue, LHD, 21 (Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 90th overall, third round in 2023

*Drew Fortescue (Danny Wild-Imagn Images)*

Fortescue was a reliable, all-situations defender at the USNTDP and was known for his defensive stability at Boston College. He’s not overly skilled, but he’ll do whatever it takes to get in your way and make your life miserable. His nine-game run with the Rangers at the end of 2025-26 was impressive, showing he can handle the speed and aggressiveness of the top league in the world. Fortescue is better defensively than offensively, but he’s a perfect complementary option beside someone who’s a bit more snazzy with the puck. There’s top-four potential, for sure – at worst, we’re talking about a decent third-pair guy.

7. E.J. Emery, RHD, 20 (University of North Dakota, NCAA)

Acquired: Drafted 30th overall, first round in 2024

I loved Emery’s game back at the USNTDP, and I still do. The University of North Dakota defender had a quiet freshman season (numerically speaking) but had 13 points in 38 games this past year. It felt like he played with a ton of confidence and had some of his best performances when he played 18-plus minutes a night. Emery even had a four-game point streak in March, showing a bit more offensive flash than we’ve ever seen from him. Emery’s game is more about being physically and defensively dominant, and I think he can be a shutdown option in the NHL. He plays with so much confidence and rarely gets caught out of position. That level of reliability will go a long way. Notably, UND will have a stout blueline next year – that might hurt Emery’s ice time, but it might also allow him to focus more on being an absolute beast defensively.

8. Tomas Chrenko, C, 18 (Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL)

Acquired: Drafted 81st overall, third round in 2026

Chrenko’s international play was what really intrigued me the past two years. Between his performance at the 2025 U-18 and the World Juniors last winter, no draft-eligible Slovak came close to being as effective at blasting pucks past goaltenders. He also put up 31 points in 44 games in the top Slovak league last season, and while it’s a little lower on the totem pole among European leagues, he still played anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes a night against pros. He’s not big, and some scouts wonder if he’d be better on the wing in the NHL. But as a pure shooter, especially on the power play, there’s a lot to love. Chrenko needs to round his game out a bit more to convince me he’ll be an NHLer, but the talent is definitely there. The Muskegon Lumberjacks took him 13th overall in the most recent USHL draft, and I think that’s an excellent landing spot for him.

9. Ben Macbeath, LHD, 18 (University of Denver, NCAA)

Acquired: Drafted 64th overall, second round in 2026

*Ben Macbeath (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Macbeath came out of nowhere last year, registering 51 points in 67 games as a WHL rookie. The 6-foot-2 defender blends size, skill and mobility to become an absolute force with the puck. Some scouts thought the ceiling was high enough to take him in the first round. I wasn’t quite there because it feels like he can be a bit too passive with his decision-making at times. But as Calgary fought its way to make the playoffs, Macbeath was easily one of its most important players. I think he has a bright future with the potential to be an impact second-pairing defender.

10. Dylan Garand, G, 24 (Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 103rd overall, fourth round in 2020

Garand has been an AHL stalwart for a while now, and I’m starting to wonder if he’ll ever get a realistic shot in the NHL. With Jonathan Quick retiring, the Rangers had a perfect opportunity to promote Garand – only for Joonas Korpisalo to join the fray. Garand impressed during his three-game run with the Rangers last year, but his AHL season was a bit of a mixed bag. The 2022 World Junior gold medalist is an athletic keeper, but one who can get a bit over-eager in the crease at times. Realistically, I don’t think he could have done too much more in Hartford, given the team’s lack of success (29 points was all it took to finish third on that team in scoring, after all). I still think he has a decent chance of becoming an NHL backup, but he just needs the opportunity to prove it.

Other Prospects: Brody Lamb, RW (22), Jacob Battaglia, RW (20), Nathan Aspinall, LW (20), Carey Terrance, C (221), Bryce McConnell-Barker, C (22), Jaroslav Chmelar, RW (23), Dylan Roobroeck, C (22), Spencer Bowes, LW (18), Darian Anderson, RW (19), Mikkel Eriksen, C (18), Adam Sýkora, LW (21), Samuel Jung, RW (20), Rico Gredig, LW (21), Ty Henricks, LW (21), Rasmus Larsson, LHD 22), Zeb Lindgren, LHD (19), Sean Barnhill, RHD (19), Ivan Patrikhayev, LHD (20), Andre Mondoux, LHD (19), Charlie Morrison, LHD (18), William Trudeau, LHD (23), Jackson Dorrington, LHD (22), Artyom Gonchar, LHD (19), Evan Passmore, RHD (19), Felix Farhammar, LD (19), Callum Tung, G (22), Danai Shaiikov, G (19)

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