NY Rangers Rookie Served as Stunt Double in Wildly Popular Hockey Show ‘Off Campus'

A New York Rangers player was praised by "Off Campus" star Jalen Thomas Brooks for all the help he provided to make the hit hockey show.

Mar 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Vincent Iorio (6) plays the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NHL has recently seen a spike in popularity due to popular television shows such as "Heated Rivalry" and "Off Campus" that are centered around the sport of hockey. In addition, it appears the New York Rangers are getting personally involved in the action on the small screen.

Defenseman Vincent Iorio was claimed off waivers from the San Jose Sharks by the Rangers on Jan. 31, 2026, after originally being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. The blueliner finished his 2025-26 season with New York and tallied a total of three points — off three assists — on the year.

At only 23, he represents how the league is beginning to trend younger and also indicates a new wave of skilled players taking form. However, "Off Campus" actor Jalen Thomas Brooks has revealed that Iorio also served as the stunt double for the main character of the show's first season.

"Off Campus" is a romance series that has quickly blown up and is based on a book series by Canadian author Elle Kennedy. One of the main characters — Garrett Graham — who is the star hockey player of Briar University had Iorio shoot some of his more action-packed on-ice scenes.

"Off Campus" Star Details Rangers Ties to Hit Television Show

Jan 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Iorio (22) moves the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Brooks said that the entire cast quickly took an interest in the NHL, with himself in particular following along with the careers of young league stars and getting some mentorship from Iorio.

"It was just like watching [a lot of] of Jack Hughes, Connor Bedard, and a lot of these young guys coming into the league — they're just insane. And then Vinny, I can never pronounce his last name, but he plays for the Rangers and so he was one of the stunt doubles for our show," Brooks said in an interview. "And so we actually got to talk to him, and he got to help us a little bit when he was on set. And it was lovely."

Brooks plays the series' fun-loving character of Tucker, who is a winger wearing No. 46 on the Briar U hockey team. His character also has a passion for cooking in addition to being on the ice.

He detailed that he's picked up some skating skills thanks to his time both with Iorio and on the show.

"We had already started training about a month ago for a hockey boot camp prior to shooting the beginning season two," Brooks said back in May. "We could skate a little bit backwards at the beginning of the first season, but now we're actually able to full on scrimmage and do our times and everything, and rotations and all that. And I can now somewhat skate faster backwards than I can forwards and pick up and do backwards crossovers and everything and get going. And it's great."

The entire "Off Campus" series is based on the previously mentioned books in Kennedy’s series. Tucker serves as the lead of the fourth book, "The Goal."

All eight episodes of Off Campus's first season are now streaming on Prime Video; a second season has already begun filming with Brooks to reprise his role, meaning if seasons continue, the former star of "The Pitt" and now-Iorio fan will for sure be seeing a lot more time on the ice in what could be his own leading season.

Jalen Thomas Brooks, "Tucker" in Off Campus / Courtesy: Emily Sandifer

According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, Iorio filmed his portion of scenes last summer in his home province of British Columbia. It is highly possible and more than likely that he'll return to the series to complete further work as an on-ice stunt double.