NY Rangers Have Revamped Key Area of Player Development

A key area of player development has been invested into by the New York Rangers.

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

The New York Rangers are hopeful that the moves team president and general manager Chris Drury has made with the roster will lead to better results on the ice.

After finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with only 77 points last season, something had to be done this summer. He made several moves with a clear goal in mind to improve the overall talent level by any means necessary.

First-round picks were traded to acquire goal-scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. The blueline was further bolstered with the acquisition of Sean Durzi as part of the return package from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade. Oliver Bjorkstrand was signed in free agency to add another goal-scoring threat.

The talent level has certainly improved, but what is going to lead to a true improvement on the ice is something being done behind the scenes. As Adam Herman of Bleacher Report pointed out on X, the Rangers are making a real commitment to improving their strength and conditioning and fitness program.

Rangers revamp strength and conditioning and sports science department

NY Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Herman shared that there are at least five people who have been added to the franchise to help with keeping players healthy. And this doesn’t seem to be a case of Quentin Dolan just giving jobs to people he knows; from the looks of the hirings, this was a well-thought-out process to improve in an area the organization has been weak in.

Matt Price has been hired as the Director of Sports Performance. He comes to New York from the Los Angeles Kings, where he was their Director of Sports Science. The Rangers now have a manager of sports science in Matt Hawkey, who comes to the franchise via the Seattle Sounders and Seattle U Kinesiology PHD Director.

There is a new Head of Strength and Conditioning with Mike Wagner. He was previously the assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Washington Capitals. A new assistant athletic trainer has been hired, with Christian Galindo coming over from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.

As I clarified in the replies, it’s quite likely that Quentin Dolan is actually behind this push. https://t.co/csFCqxf13k

— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) August 11, 2026

Last but not least is Naoto Goto, who will be the traveling massage therapist and previously held the title of assistant athletic trainer with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That is a lot of hirings and commitment to ensuring their players are as healthy as can be during an 84-game regular season. A big reason things went off the rails in the 2025-26 campaign was injuries to key players.

Defenseman Adam Fox, goalie Igor Shesterkin and forwards J.T. Miller and Trocheck all missed significant chunks of time, which had a negative impact on the team’s on-ice performance. These behind-the-scenes changes and putting resources into sports science and fitness will help keep the players fresh and healthy.