Grading NY Rangers' Overall 2026 NHL Draft Class

What grade should the New York Rangers receive for their overall 2026 draft class

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have finished up the 2026 NHL Draft, and early indicators are that they have done a nice job. 

Coming into the draft, the team had a lot of pressure on them to have a successful draft. This is a team that has been in need of adding to their prospect pool, and the draft is always a good time to be able to help with that. 

Prior to the draft starting, the Rangers were expected to have two picks in the first round. With the fifth and the 26th overall selections, it always felt like the team might move the second of their picks if the right players became available. 

That ended up being the case with Las Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev being acquired. New York was a team that desperately needed to add some scoring, and the 25-year-old forward is going to be able to help in that area. 

Despite trading one of their third-round picks as well as their 26th overall selection, the Rangers still made nine selections and were able to get some nice talent. Overall, the team should be quite pleased with what they were able to accomplish. 

Total Draft Grade: B+

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

While it might not have been a perfect draft, there is a lot to like about what the Rangers were able to accomplish over the last couple of days. Even though they didn’t get one of the top three forwards in the draft, they were able to land a very talented defenseman in Alberts Smits. 

Since New York has a desire to compete next season, getting the defenseman who is perhaps the most NHL-ready of the class is a strong move. Furthermore, with their second-round selection, there is a lot to like about the addition of Benjamin MacBeath. 

While he also plays on the left side, he projects as a player who could be a second-pair defenseman, with a potential ceiling of a first-pair player. 

Arguably one of the best steals for the Rangers was landing Tomáš Chrenko with the 81st overall pick. Getting some help up the middle in this draft was a need for the team, and Chrenko very well could have been a late first-round talent. 

Overall, with five picks in the top 100 of the draft, New York addressed some positional needs for the pipeline. With some new talent coming in, some of which could be very good, the Rangers receiving a grade of a B+ is very fair.