NY Rangers' Prospect Pool Has Seen Significant Improvements

Where did the New York Rangers' prospect pool recently rank in the NHL?

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; NHL prospect Alberts Smits before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following a busy summer, the New York Rangers are getting set for training camp soon, and the season will be starting up shortly after. 

Coming off a terrible campaign, the Rangers came into the offseason as a team hungry to improve. While it was a bit uncertain for a while what the plan was going to be, how Chris Drury wanted to work his retool. 

Despite things being a bit quiet to start, Drury got going during the NHL Draft, pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Pavel Dorofeyev. Arguably the top need for the team was to get a proven goal scorer to help their offense, and Dorofeyev fills that need. 

Shortly after that trade, the Rangers then selected defenseman Alberts Smits with the fifth overall pick. Not having to part ways with the fifth pick was important for the franchise, as improving their prospect pool was needed. 

This has been a focus of late for New York, and they are seemingly finally starting to head in the right direction. 

Adam Herman of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Rangers’ prospect pool, and with the team coming in ranked 15th, it is a great sign for the future. 

Prospect Pool Ranking is Highly Encouraging 

Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cole Beaudoin is selected by the Utah Hockey Club with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After years of not drafting well and struggling to develop prospects, it certainly contributed to the state of the franchise the last couple of years. Now, the team has been working hard to get some more draft capital and young talent to help make sure that doesn’t happen. 

Getting Smits with the fifth overall pick was a step in the right direction, but he isn’t the only talented prospect that they have in the system. This offseason, the Rangers also acquired center Cole Beaudoin. 

Improving up the middle and getting some young talent there was very important for New York. While Beaudoin might not be projected as a first-line center, he should be a middle-six player and help fill an organizational need. 

Also, in the trade during the season that sent Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, New York picked up winger Liam Greentree, who might be getting a look on the NHL roster during camp. 

Overall, with the prospect pool for the Rangers being ranked 15th, it is a big step in the right direction for the team. There is still a lot of work to do for their retool, but New York should be pleased with the progress so far.