NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Rangers made a single trade Thursday to move up just one spot in order to land a player they had targeted during the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft, in addition to adding strength and size to their current prospect pool with their later selections.
After they sent the No. 91-overall pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder to Pittsburgh, the Rangers then used the No. 90 pick they acquired in exchange to draft Drew Fortescue.
The 6-foot-2 defenseman is the second United States National Team Development Program product the Rangers drafted in a span of 24 hours.
The club selected right wing Gabriel Perreault with the No. 23-overall pick in the first round on Wednesday.
Fortescue and Perreault helped Team USA win a gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championship at the end of April. Both players are also committed to playing at Boston College next season.
Fortescue, who is from Pearl River, N.Y., grew up an Islanders fan.
“It’s pretty awesome to be drafted by the Rangers, I know it’s a rival,” he said. “I can tell you I’m a Rangers fan now.”
A left-handed shot who is defense-minded, the 18-year-old had a goal and two assists in seven games at the international tournament, but he is known for being a steady presence on the back end.
There is familiarity between Fortescue and the Rangers. Fortescue played with president and general manager Chris Drury’s son, Luke, with the Mid Fairfield Rangers when he was a teenager.
“Another player that we saw a lot of,” said John Lilley, the Rangers’ director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting. “Our staff had passion [for him]. He played a lot in Europe, so European scouts right through all the North American guys had seen him. Really liked him, really value what he brings.
“He’s a really solid defenseman. He can move a puck, he can add to the offense, has a little bit of an edge to his game.”
Lilley said the Rangers traded up to ensure that they were able to acquire Fortescue. The 2024 seventh-round pick they gave up to make it happen wasn’t viewed as a big price to pay in comparison to losing the blueliner.
At 6-2 Fortescue was the shortest prospect the Rangers drafted on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
The Rangers took left-handed defenseman Rasmus Larsson, who is listed at 6-3, in the fifth round at 152nd overall.
Larsson is coming off a relatively strong year with the Vasteras of the Swedish Junior League, in which he accumulated 34 points in 50 games with a plus-23 mark. The Swede is currently committed to playing for Northern Michigan in 2024-25.
The size of the prospects the Rangers drafted just inflated from there.
The Rangers took Dylan Roobroeck with the first of their two sixth-round selections, at No. 178. Standing at 6-7, Roobroeck collected 15 goals and 38 assists in 68 games last season with the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League.
Ty Henricks, a 6-5, 201-pound left winger, rounded out the Rangers’ 2023 draft class when they picked him at 183rd overall. This past season, Henricks scored nine goals and dished nine assists in 47 games while playing for two teams in the United States Hockey League.
In the fall, Henricks will head to Western Michigan University for his first collegiate season.
“A little bit of both,” Lilley said when asked if size was an emphasis or just how it worked out. “You want to be big, you want to be heavy for playoff-style hockey. There was a little bit of an emphasis on size, yes.
“The size guys happened to be in the spots we were picking so we were happy to get them. They’re heavier, bigger guys. Maybe they take a little more time, but we feel confident that they’re good prospects.”
