NY Rangers Shake up Player Development Staff Ahead of NHL Draft

With the 2026 NHL Draft around the corner, the New York Rangers are heading in a different direction with their player development staff.

Mar 31, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue (45) at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers struggled mightily during the 2025-26 NHL regular season, finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with only 77 points.

There is a lot of work to do with the roster, but the one positive to come from such an underwhelming campaign is that they will be selecting high in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Rangers have the third-best odds to land the No. 1 pick and are guaranteed to be in the top five.

However, less than two months ahead of the draft getting underway, the team has made a major shakeup in the development department. Jed Ortmeyer, who has been the director of player development for nine seasons, is out.

The writing was certainly on the wall for Ortmeyer, who was not mentioned by president and general manager Chris Drury during a Zoom interview with reporters on April 17. He hinted that a move could be coming with everything being evaluated.

Rangers fire director of player personnel, Jed Ortmeyer

May 8, 2025; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York 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. / The Journal News-Imagn Images

“We are looking at every different department and areas as to what we can do better,” said Drury, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required).

While Ortmeyer wasn’t mentioned during the call, Drury did praise John Lilley, the director of amateur scouting, who was responsible for the selection of emerging top-six forward Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba, a four-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft who is developing into a contributor as well.

Laba is one of several mid-round selections who are showing excellent signs of development. Jaroslav Chmelar, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, also looks like he will be part of the New York game plan moving forward.

Those recent developments, along with Perreault and Adam Sykora, a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, who certainly looks the part of an NHL regular, are certainly nice to have. However, throughout most of Ortmeyer’s tenure with the franchise, development has been underwhelming.

Player development has been weakness for Rangers

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

All too often, first-round picks failed to live up to expectations. From 2017, when he took over as director of player development, through 2021, the Rangers made nine first-round picks. Only two of them remain on the team today: Alexis Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and Braden Schneider, who was selected No. 19 that year.

Ortmeyer has spent over a decade in total with New York, playing three of his eight years in the NHL with the franchise before taking over the director of player development role for nine.

There have been no plans announced about who will take over for Ortmeyer. But if the Rangers do elect to remain in-house, Tanner Glass is someone to keep an eye on. He has been the assistant director of player personnel since 2019.