The New York Rangers have drafted forward Gabe Perreault No. 23 overall. Perreault last played for the United States National Team Development Program.
Perreault was a member of the ultra-dominant line on the U.S. National U18 Team that featured draft prospects, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard. The Sherbrooke, Quebec product notched 53 goals and 132 points, an individual player high for the program. The previous record belonged to Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews.
Perreault represented the United States at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championship in Switzerland. He recorded a team-leading and tournament-leading 13 assists and added five goals for 18 points in seven games, second-best in the tournament helping the United States capture gold. Perreault’s 18 points are the seventh-highest point total in the tournament’s history.
Perreault is a high-octane offensive forward with the ability to read the ice and make key passes to teammates; he has incredible vision and keen playmaking abilities.
He is committed to Boston College for the 2023-24 NCAA season. He is the son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, he played in 859 NHL games throughout his career.
“Perreault’s greatest concern this season was perceived reliance on his teammates to get stuff done. But you don’t break the 100-point barrier by accident, especially when so few players have managed to do so,” Daily Faceoff’s prospect analyst Steven Ellis said. “The biggest hangup is his skating, but he plays a similar skilled offensive game to Lucas Raymond’s.”
Perreault joins a Rangers prospect pool that features the likes of Brennan Othmann, Bryce McConnell-Barker, and more. The last first-round pick the Rangers possessed was in the 2021 NHL Draft where they selected Othmann No. 16. Perreault will join the Boston College Eagles for 2023-24.
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