NY Rangers Player Surprisingly Left off NHL Prospect Tiers

Aug 2, 2024; Plymouth, MI, USA; Canada forward Cole Beaudoin (29) turns up ice against Finland during the second period of the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers Player Surprisingly Left off NHL Prospect Tiers

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 4, 2026 2:00 PM ET

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The New York Rangers did an excellent job of improving the talent on their NHL roster this summer after a last-place finish last season.

There is certainly enough on the roster to compete for a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. But there are still some long-term question marks surrounding the franchise, especially after they traded away three first-round picks this offseason.

Easily the biggest is down the middle. The Rangers are lacking true difference makers at center, and with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller both 33 years old, it is something that has to be addressed soon.

One player the team is hoping can help fill that void in the near future is Cole Beaudoin. Acquired as part of the trade package from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Vincent Trocheck, he should have a chip on his shoulder based on the recent NHL prospect tiers released by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required).

Cole Beaudoin didn't make NHL prospect tier rankings

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The top 145 young players were ranked and placed into five different tiers. In a surprising turn of events, Beaudoin wasn’t among the players who landed in a tier. Instead, he was one of 28 players who drew consideration for the 5C tier, but ultimately fell short of the projections.

That is certainly a disappointing outcome because Beaudoin was the biggest piece in return for Trocheck, who was one of the best trade assets available around the league. A first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, there is a lot of pressure on Beaudoin to develop to make this a winning trade for the franchise.

The No. 3-ranked prospect in the organization by Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required), he is a tireless worker who is going to give it his all whenever he is on the ice.

Beaudoin is confident in his abilities and believes that he is NHL-ready. New York is going to have him at training camp in a few weeks, and he will be able to prove that to be true, battling for a spot in the bottom six of the opening night lineup.

Cole Beaudoin has the tools to become NHL regular

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Unseating veteran Joe Veleno, who was signed in free agency to be the No. 4 center, will be easier said than done. Starting in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack seems likely, but a little more development certainly isn’t the worst thing for him.

Beaudoin stuffed the stat sheet with the Barrie Colts in the OHL last season, recording 88 points with 33 goals and 55 assists in 54 games, helping the team to be runner-ups in the league. There is some work to do fundamentally, such as with his skating, but it is still surprising he wasn’t viewed as one of the top 145 prospects in the sport.

He is easily projectable as an NHL player in the future; the question is, how high up the lineup will he go? Beaudoin will, at the least, be a solid bottom-six option, but the Rangers need him to push into being a middle-six option to make dealing away Trocheck worthwhile.

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

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