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Welcome to the September edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we explore each organization in depth, examining its recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 prospects. 

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By: Brendan Ferry

After last month’s review of the New York Rangers’ 2024 draft class and off-season roster movement, it is time to take a look at the organization’s risers, fallers, graduating players, and depth chart. With limited cap space, the Rangers are hoping to fill in some depth positions this upcoming season with a couple of players with inexpensive cap hits. With that in mind, they will undoubtedly look to accrue whatever cap space that they can during the regular season, so as to be key players on trade deadline day in early 2025. Additionally, the organization will need to get a look at some of their young players, many of whom have yet to make their NHL debuts.

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Roster Projection

Forwards

Kreider- Zibanejad- Smith

Panarin- Trocheck- Lafreniere

Cuylle- Chytil- Kakko

Vesey- Carrick- Rempe

Candidates for 12th/13th forward: Sam Carrick, Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edstrom

Defense

Lindgren- Fox

Miller- Schneider

Jones- Trouba

7th D: Chad Ruhwedel

Goaltender

Shesterkin

Quick

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Graduating players

Minors to NHL: Matt Rempe

Juniors to AHL: Dylan Roobroeck, Bryce McConnell-Barker

NCAA to AHL: Hugo Ollas

First Year NCAA (former USNTDP): E.J. Emery

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Risers

Noah Laba, C

Laba nearly doubled his output in points during his Sophomore season for Colorado College, posting 37 points in 36 games played, in comparison to his 22 points in 35 games played during his Freshman season.  Tough and skilled, Laba was a handful for opposing teams, but also did it with good discipline, registering 27 total penalty minutes, compared to 48 during his initial season with the Tigers. He will return to the NCAA for 2024-25, but is a player to keep an eye on in terms of being a guy who the Rangers organization may well look to try to sign to an entry level contract when his upcoming Junior season comes to an end. If so, Laba would then make the jump to pro hockey with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

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Brett Berard, LW

Berard was extremely impressive in his rookie AHL campaign a season ago, registering 48 points in 71 games played. Although he appeared in a few games down the stretch for Hartford at the end of the 2022-23 season after wrapping up his collegiate career at Providence College, this past season represented his first real taste of professional hockey. Berard’s performance represents a nice success story, and, though undersized, the hard-working winger is certainly putting himself in the mix to be a potential injury call-up, or if all things work out perfectly for him during this Fall’s training camp, perhaps he can put himself in the mix to be New York’s 12th forward heading into the upcoming season.

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Zac Jones, D

Jones heads into the 2024-25 season poised to finally lock down a full-time NHL role with the Rangers, after paying his dues at the AHL level and as New York’s seventh defenseman a season ago.  Jones performed admirably in limited duty with the blueshirts last season, posting nine points in 31 games played, along with a 50% corsi- for rating and 1.10 p60 (points per 60 minutes played).  The left-shot defenseman will be paired with Braden Schneider or Jacob Trouba on the right side, two defensive-minded players, enabling Jones to have the freedom to do what he does so well, which is to jump up into the offensive zone and utilize his superior playmaking ability.

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Fallers

Matthew Robertson, D

Robertson, the team’s second- round selection in the 2019 NHL draft, is facing a make-or-break situation this upcoming season, as he has yet to make his NHL debut with the Rangers. Signed in the off-season to a one year contract extension, the rangy rearguard is running out of time to earn a future with the organization, and is no longer waivers exempt. He will be a restricted free agent once again at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. After somewhat of a breakout season with the Hartford Wolf Pack during the 2022-23 season, when he posted 23 points in 57 games played, Robertson regressed to 21 points in 68 games a season ago. As things stand, Zac Jones is clearly ahead of him on the left defense depth chart within the Rangers organization, as Jones is poised to win the sixth defenseman slot with New York. Additionally, with promising prospect Drew Fortescue in his rearview mirror, and other veteran options currently in Hartford, Robertson has a lot left to prove, and must do so quickly.

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Zakary Karpa, C

Karpa, the unsigned 22-year-old center, will be suiting up for his Senior season with Harvard of the NCAA in 2024-25. After posting only eight points in 31 games played as a Junior a season ago for the Crimson, and topping out at 12 points in 33 games during his Freshman season, the long-shot draft selection from the 2022 draft is looking like a major swing and a miss.

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Talyn Boyko, G

Boyko is likely to begin the 2024-25 season in the same fashion that he spent most of the 2023-24 season, playing in the ECHL. The main difference this upcoming season, however, is that it will be with the Rangers’ new ECHL affiliate, the Bloomington Bison. Although Boyko signed his entry level contract with New York in 2022, that deal will be expiring at the conclusion of this upcoming season. While it remains a possibility that the huge netminder will enjoy a breakout performance with Bloomington and earn a contract extension, he appears to be fourth on the organizational depth chart at goaltender, behind Dylan Garand, Hugo Ollas and veteran Louis Domingue. Last season, Boyko appeared in 26 games with the organization’s former affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones, posting a 3.42 GAA with only an .888 save percentage.

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Organizational Depth Chart

(Combination of NHL readiness and upside)

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Top 20 Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Rangers prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Gabriel Perreault
2. Brennan Othmann
3. Zac Jones
4. Bryce McConnell Barker
5. EJ Emery
6. Brett Berard
7. Adam Sykora
8. Dylan Garand
9. Noah Laba
10. Hugo Ollas
11. Drew Fortescue
12. Matthew Robertson
13. Jaroslav Chmelar
14. Matt Rempe
15. Victor Mancini
16. Raoul Boilard
17. Ryder Korczak
18. Kalle Vaisanen
19. Adam Edstrom
20. Brody Lamb

Though their prospect pipeline is thinner than in recent years, the New York Rangers still possess a number of quality prospects within their system, and were able to fill a big organizational need by grabbing promising right-handed defender EJ Emery out of the US National Development Team program.  Now, there is decent depth at all positions.  Forwards Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann are two very impressive players, but the organization has dealt away some draft picks and hasn’t had a high draft selection since taking Alexi Lafreniere first overall in 2020, due to their stronger play in recent years.  As some of the forwards on the NHL roster begin to age a bit, it will be incumbent upon Rangers GM Chris Drury and company to continue to bring in talent at all positions in the draft, and via trades.

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Thank you for reading! Stay tuned throughout the season for more prospect updates.

Brendan Ferry