Defensemen
Matthew Schaefer
Smooth skating and creative puckmover with solid defensive instincts.
Sam Malinski
Confident puck-handling defenseman with 3rd-pairing upside
Isaak Phillips
A depth defenseman with a good combination of size and skating ability. Has limited offensive upside but could provide some value in multi-cat leagues.
Dmitri Kuzmin
An excellent slot defender. Extremely mobile. Projects as a second or third-pairing defenseman with offensive upside who can effectively run the second power-play unit.
Elias Salomonsson
An offense-minded defenseman with excellent vision and passing skills. Has the potential to be a top-four NHL defenseman and can run a powerplay unit. The defensive side needs some work, as being over-aggressive in his end leads to missed coverage.
Xavier Veilleux
Strong two-way, puck-moving defenseman with good vision and some offensive upside. His ability to manipulate defenders to open a passing lane and create opportunities for his teammates helps to drive play for his team in every area of the ice. He has great discipline and uses his skating to help provide stability to the backend, allowing for consistently positive plus-minus statistics that can help contribute to leagues with that category.
Rasmus Larsson
The 19 year old Larsson, listed at six foot three and 203 pounds, is a sturdy, puck-moving defenseman with an accurate shot. Larsson will spend the 2023-24 campaign with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, and then will be on to the NCAA for the 2024-25 season. Drafted as an overager, Larsson will need plenty of development time over the course of the next few seasons, as he attempts to earn himself an NHL contract. Luckily for Larsson and the Rangers organization, the club holds his signing rights until August 15, 2028. If it all comes together for Larsson, he can become a big, bruising bottom-four NHL defenseman.
Marek Alscher
Big, physical defensive defenceman who does not score often but shows promise in transition. He could become a bottom-pairing type at the NHL level.
Vladislav Lukashevich
A smooth skating defenseman specializing in the transition game and moving the puck up ice. His passing is strong enough to be his primary tool at the highest and could help him excel past his original draft position.
Matt Kiersted
An undrafted defender who is an effortless skater who sees the ice well. May have untapped offensive upside.