Mike Sullivan Details Challenges of Condensed NY Rangers Camp

The New York Rangers are dealing with major changes to training camp this year.

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just like all the other teams in the NHL, the New York Rangers are dealing with some major changes to the training camp schedule.

With an 84-game regular season, training camp has been scaled back. Instead of starting training camp earlier, teams are cutting down on the preseason. For example, the Rangers are now playing only four exhibition games in preparation for the regular season, instead of six.

That means a lot less practice time to implement new schemes and get players in shape and prepared for the grind of an 84-game campaign. Head coach Mike Sullivan detailed some of the changes his team will be undergoing during training camp this year compared to those in years past.

“The format of the camp is going to be completely different than what we ran last year,” Sullivan said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano and Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription required). “Starting (Thursday) until the opening night against Boston, we have 12 days. We have four exhibition games and two days off built into those 12 days. So if you take away that time, we essentially have 10 practices — six when you’re not including a game that night. So, time is of the essence.”

Rangers have challenges to overcome with condensed training camp

NY Rangers prospect Brian Nicholas of Scarsdale at development camp at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown July 1, 2025. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As currently planned, New York is set to have the day off on Sunday, Sept. 20, before they start exhibition games. The Rangers will play four games in five nights, going up against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders two times apiece.

New York will be visiting the Devils on Sept. 21 before hosting the Islanders on Sept. 22. They will be back on the ice on Sept. 24, hosting New Jersey before heading on the road for the matchup on Sept. 25.

The regular-season opener is only four days later, on Sept. 29, on the road against the Boston Bruins. That is certainly a lot of hockey in a condensed period of time. Conventional wisdom would suggest that having more bodies at camp would make navigating that easier.

Alas, that isn’t the case. Because of how little ice time there is to implement everything, the Rangers actually scaled back how many players were invited to training camp. Last year there were 61; this year, only 48.

Rangers have fewer players at this year's training camp

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They were split into two groups, with three sessions per day on Sept. 17-19 to ramp up activity ahead of the exhibition games next week.

“It’s a necessity, just because of the time constraints,” Sullivan said of the reduced camp roster. “We’ve got to cut the fat off the meat, so to speak.”

One step closer to hockey season ‼️

Our Training Camp Roster is here → https://t.co/bnCTlLubrA pic.twitter.com/eEdzepZkR1

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 15, 2026

The start of the 2026-27 regular season is going to be a war of attrition. Exiting the preseason healthy will be a win for franchises. New York has an advantage as well, being in Year 2 under their head coach; first-year head coaches are going to need a little more time to get their teams up to speed during the regular season.

It will be fascinating to see how things come together in this new age of the NHL with 84-game regular season schedules and shortened training camps.