In addition to the recall of Sammy Blais that was reported Saturday, the Rangers have plucked another forward from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Will Cuylle has been called up to the team’s active roster, having been sent down from the NHL on January 28 as the Rangers prepared for a lengthy break.
Cuylle, 21, made his NHL debut on January 25 and has played in two NHL games. He didn’t see many minutes in those two games, averaging around six minutes per night. Accordingly, he didn’t make much of an impact, save for when he registered his first career fight in a bout against Vegas Golden Knights grinder Keegan Kolesar.
At the AHL level, Cuylle has been more effective. Ranked as one of the Rangers’ better prospects since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Cuylle has done well in his pro debut. He’s scored 21 points in 42 games, just four points off of the team lead. He also leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 14.
Cuylle was a prolific scorer at the OHL level, scoring 80 points in his final junior season serving as captain of the Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers are hopeful that he can become an impactful physical presence with some goal-scoring touch at the NHL level.
The recall of Cuylle and the prior recall of Blais give the Rangers a full 23-man roster. That has some significance, as if the Rangers opted to keep a bare-minimum roster, they could bank more cap space to be able to use at the trade deadline. They currently stand to have over $6M to work with at the deadline, but that number could be impacted by the Rangers using more cap space to fill a full roster.
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