NY Rangers Prospect Receives Glowing Reviews for Upside

The New York Rangers look to have gotten a potential steal in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Mar 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; A New York Rangers flag is seen in the crown during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the goals that the New York Rangers had coming into the 2026 NHL offseason was improving the overall depth in the organizational pipeline.

The Rangers have struggled in recent years with player development, failing to produce many in-house stars despite having so many first-round picks. Really, any impactful player development has been a struggle, but the talent level has certainly improved in the pipeline.

The 2026 NHL Draft produced a lot of intriguing players who could help the team down the line. One of the most intriguing was their second-round pick, Ben MacBeath. Selected with the No. 64 overall pick, he was part of a conscious effort for the team to restock at the blueline.

Along with selecting Alberts Smits with the No. 5 overall pick and MacBeath in the second round, New York added five left-handed shot defensemen in the draft. That is a lot of competition for playing time, but it will be good to see all of the youngsters compete against each other.

Scouts love the upside of Ben MacBeath

2026 Draft Profile: Ben MacBeath #16

67 GP | 7G-44A--51PTS

MacBeath is a poised, 6'2", 196-pound, smooth-skating defenseman with an excellent foundation. His move to Denver should provide an ideal development environment under David Carle.pic.twitter.com/aOeSkaJwTY

— Pens System (@PensSystem) June 18, 2026

MacBeath is someone that fans should be keeping a close eye on in the coming years because he has the upside to make some noise down the road.

“There’s a lot of upside here,” said a Western Conference scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly share his observations, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required). “Elite skater, good size, he has a puck game. … He’s got a lot of frame to work with and there’s a lot more room to grow.”

Along with the hockey qualities that the scout laid out as positives for MacBeath, he checks a lot of other boxes the Rangers look for when evaluating prospects. He is intelligent and high character, which will certainly help along his journey as well.

After playing this past season with the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL, MacBeath is set to enroll at Denver University. He is entering his collegiate career with a lot of positive momentum, with Calgary general manager Cass Bruni guessing that the young defenseman logged between 25 and 26 minutes per game for the team.

Is Ben Macbeath a 1st Round Player?

I have him Ranked 40th, but actually going to Calgary with the 30th Pick. He is an excellent skater, has fluid movement and can evade pressure very well. He uses his shot often, loves to join in on the rush, but also has a solid defensive… pic.twitter.com/HDVMiQraMf

— IceMetrix (@IceMetrix) June 21, 2026

With the ability to fill virtually every role needed on the ice, it comes as no surprise that a heavy workload was managed. And now, Denver is looking to take advantage of that as well.

“He’s very even keel, which is also one of his best assets on the ice,” Bruni said. “He would retrieve pucks out of chaos in difficult situations, and he’d break it out and either distribute it or skate the puck out when we needed it the most. 

“His puck movement is decisive. It’s smart, and he makes really good, consistent decisions.”

Only 18 years old, there is still plenty of room for MacBeath to add to his game. New York and its fans should be excited about what the future holds, given how great a base he already has.