NY Rangers Make Impressive Jump up Prospect Pipeline Ranks

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers Make Impressive Jump up Prospect Pipeline Ranks

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 18, 2026 11:00 AM ET

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If there is one gripe that New York Rangers fans have had since Chris Drury took over as the team president and general manager, it is that they have failed to develop young talent.

It certainly hasn’t been from lack of opportunities. From 2017 through 2021, they had nine first-round selections. Only two of those players, winger Alexis Lafreniere and defenseman Braden Schneider, remain with the franchise.

Drury has been with the franchise since Sept. 4, 2015, in a number of different roles and now oversees the entire operation. Improving the development of the young players is imperative for the team to get back on track.

Slowly but surely, the franchise is moving in the right direction in that regard. In the prospect pipeline rankings put together by Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required), the Rangers have shot up the rankings.

Where did Rangers land in prospect pipeline rankings?

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Last year, the team was ranked No. 24. This year, with the help of a 2026 NHL Draft class that received a B- grade, New York has jumped up to No. 18. Four players from this year’s draft class are part of the rankings already.

Sitting atop their rankings is defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Regarded as the most NHL-ready blueliner in this year’s draft class, it shouldn’t be too long before he is playing in the league.

With top-pair upside, the Rangers have turned a position of weakness in recent years into one of their long-term strengths. His mobility and hockey IQ are incredibly impressive, and he has a high-end shot to round out his game.

The next two players on the list were both acquired via trade. Cole Beaudoin, a center prospect selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, came to New York this summer via the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade.

Rangers have acquired intriuging young talent to develop

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His development will be key in determining if that deal was a win for the franchise. If he can become a reliable middle-six center, it will have been a great move. Incredibly hard-working, Beaudoin is hard to bet against reaching his potential.

Beaudoin can score, but doesn’t have the creativity or hockey sense normally seen from a top-flight center. But he will provide steady two-way play and projects, at the very least, to be a third-line center.

Coming in at No. 3 on the list is winger Liam Greentree. He was the centerpiece of the return package from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade. Like Beaudoin, he was a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Also projected to be a middle-six winger, Greentree could see action with the Rangers this season.

This article first appeared on New York Rangers On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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