NY Rangers Struggled in Rookie Scrimmages Against Flyers

The New York Rangers were outplayed by the Philadelphia Flyers in the rookie scrimmages this past weekend.

NY Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue (45) in action during a prospect development camp at the NY Rangers practice facility in Elmsford on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers opened training camp for their rookies last week, which culminated in scrimmages against the Philadelphia Flyers.

It was an opportunity for young players to make a good first impression before the veterans arrive later this week to start the full training camp, but things didn’t go well for the Rangers. They lost both scrimmages to the Flyers, 3-2 and 4-1, in what were some choppy and underwhelming performances.

Drew Fortescue, who made his NHL debut during the 2025-26 season and appeared in nine games down the stretch, didn’t mince words when talking about his team’s performance following the loss on Saturday.

“First game, s—‘s gonna happen,” he said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required). “Honestly, in that game, I think we were sitting back a little bit too much. … We were kind of trying to feel it out a little bit, and I think let them take it to us a little bit in that regard. So, yeah, it’s our first game. But there’s a lot that we can work on.”

Rangers beaten twice by Flyers in scrimmages

NY Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue (45) in action during a prospect development camp at the NY Rangers practice facility in Elmsford on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In an incredibly small sample size, it is hard to draw too many hard and fast conclusions. Most of these players haven’t taken the ice together prior to showing up for the start of rookie camp last week, so there is going to be some hiccups along the way.

However, the Rangers were at a few disadvantages heading into the scrimmages against the Flyers. For starters, there wasn’t much balance on their blue line, with only one right-handed defenseman at rookie camp: 2025 sixth-round pick Evan Passmore.

That created some challenges for New York on the ice in breakout situations. They weren’t always crisp getting the puck out of the defensive zone, with Alberts Smits, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, taking some turns on the right.

Fortescue and Felix Färhammar were asked to play on their off-hand side the most. While the results were underwhelming as a whole, gaining that kind of experience can only help the youngsters down the line, improving their versatility when it comes to roles with the NHL club in the future.

Rangers were at talent disadvantage against Flyers

May 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Porter Martone (94) during the warmups before the game \against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Playing out of position while attempting to stop a highly talented group of Philadelphia players at rookie camp is no small task. Cole Knuble, Ale Bump, Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey and Porter Martone were running circles around the Rangers.

New York’s lack of high-end talent, especially down the middle at center, was on full display given how outmatched they were matching up against the Flyers.

It is something the organization has to improve upon in the near future to have any hope of making the most of the retool Chris Drury started this summer.