Welcome back to my New York Rangers prospect ranking for the month of January. These rankings are based on the play of Rangers prospects from January 6th to February 2nd. Just like the previous month, no goalies are included in this ranking; it solely ranks skaters in the organization who are under the age of 23 and have played less than a full season in the NHL.
Two prospects who made the top ten in December (Ryder Korczak, Victor Mancini) were traded to Tampa Bay and Vancouver, respectively, within the past month. They have been removed from the prospect rankings.
1. Noah Laba, Colorado College (7 GP: 5G, 4A) [+9]
After a tough December that saw Noah Laba return from injury and his team going on a losing streak, it was like night and day for the Tigers assistant captain in January. Laba was not only able to stay healthy this month after getting a nice break for the holidays, but getting some rest also helped him reset and get back to his game.
Despite his ejection from Colorado’s last game, Laba has been the difference maker in a lot of the team’s games this month. He not only controlled play in most games, but in a couple of them, he was one of the only skaters having a positive impact. This is the type of play that we should expect from Laba, and it was nice to see him play much better in what has been a frustrating season for him thus far.
2. Gabe Perreault, Boston College (8 GP: 2G, 7A) [-1]
When Gabe Perreault returned to the Eagles after being away for World Juniors, we saw a change in the lineup and the end of the Perreault-Hagens-Leonard line. Eagles head coach Greg Brown elected to move Teddy Stiga to Perreault’s line in Ryan Leonard’s place. This has been a great move not only for the team, but for the players as well.
Perreault has been playing really well with his new winger, and he stills gets to create magic with Leonard on the team’s first powerplay unit. The change in the lines helps quiet the doubters who claimed Perreault wouldn’t be the same player without Smith or Leonard because this move gives him the opportunity to show that he is very good no matter who he plays with. It’s clear that Perreault is not only the Rangers’ best prospect overall, but he is also their most consistent as well.
3. Drew Fortescue, Boston College (7 GP: 4A) [+6]
It might seem like this is a large jump for Drew Fortescue between last month and this month’s rankings, but he has recently been playing some of the best hockey I have seen from him since the Rangers drafted him. Not only has Fortescue matched his freshman year point total in 17 fewer games, he is also a noticeably stronger skater and has improved his puck handling.
Over the last few weeks, I have seen him control play whenever he is on the ice, and that is no easy feat on a team full of stars. He plays big minutes on the penalty kill and has done an outstanding job. At World Juniors, Team USA’s head coach David Carle made a point to mention that while you might not see him on the scoresheet, Fortescue is vital to the success of the team because of how steady he is. He is the definition of a defensive defenseman and he has an extremely bright future if he continues to develop as he has since the draft.
4. Brett Berard, Hartford Wolf Pack/New York Rangers (8 GP: 1G, 3A) [-2]
In a surprising decision, we saw the Rangers send Brett Berard back to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the middle of the month after he had struggled somewhat over the previous few weeks. Upon his return to the Wolf Pack, he had some difficulty readjusting to the systems and players he hadn’t played with in almost two months, but then, like a missing puzzle piece, he found the place he fit and has started to look like himself again.
Berard had three really solid games before the game against the Rochester Americans, during which he was involved in a line brawl at the end of the second period and subsequently ejected from the game. Unfortunately he was injured in that brawl and has missed Hartford’s last four games with what is being reported as a day-to-day upper body injury. It is a big loss for the team, and hopefully he can return to play soon.
5. Brennan Othmann, Hartford Wolf Pack (12 GP: 5G, 1A) [=]
After a decent return from his injury at the end of December, Brennan Othmann had a rough stretch of games to begin the month of January, where he seemed to pass the puck by default, even when he had the best chance to score. I’m unsure if he was dealing with any lingering issues from his injury, but he has finally been able to turn it around.
In his last six games, Othmann has scored five goals and he looks more like himself with the puck. The team has struggled in general, but Othmann has played well on the top line and the top powerplay unit. I would like to see more of the defensive responsibility come back into his game that we saw when he first returned from injury, but he has looked miles better in the last two weeks of the month than he did the first two — a great sign heading into an important time of the season.
6. Matt Rempe, New York Rangers (12 GP: 1G, 2A) [NR]
Matt Rempe has had a rough season; he was in and out of the Rangers’ lineup for a couple weeks and then was sent back to the Wolf Pack. He was called back up in December and only managed to play in one game before he landed himself a hefty 8-game suspension. January saw the end of his suspension and the chance for a fresh start, and thankfully it looks like Rempe has taken it.
In the 12 games since returning from suspension, he has played far more responsibly than he had previously this season. If he can continue to play in a productive and effective way on the fourth line, he will carve out a more permanent spot in the lineup for himself.
7. Raoul Boilard, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (7 GP: 2G, 4A) [NR]
After missing some time with what his team listed as an injury/illness, Raoul Broilard finally got back into games in January. Since his return, his production has dipped a little, but without knowing exactly what he was returning from, it’s hard to tell if he was just slow to get back to his normal level of play or if there might be some lingering issues from what has been ailing him.
While his total production hasn’t dropped much, Boilard’s goal scoring and 200-ft game have taken a hit this season. That is something to keep an eye on going forward. With one of Boilard’s biggest weaknesses being his skating, it’s a little concerning to see a decline in some of his strengths this season, but he is still young enough to turn it back around.
8. Nathan Aspinall, Flint Firebirds (10 GP: 4G, 5A) [NR]
Nathan Aspinall is currently on pace to have the best season of his career, on a team that at times this season was one of the worst in the OHL. He is a great skater, he has a pretty decent shot, and his puck handling is good. These are the exact things you want to see from your late draft picks, but one area of Aspinall’s game that brings me some concern is his competitiveness.
In a few games this season, I have seen him give up on plays or check out of games where the team is down by a lot and clearly not going to come back. It isn’t a super high-level concern for me right now, but it is worrying to see from him and is a trend I hope we won’t see continue.
9. Dylan Roobroeck, Hartford Wolf Pack (12 GP: 2G, 2A) [-3]
Dylan Roobroeck continues to be one of the most fun prospects to watch this season. He isn’t the most skilled or the most flashy, but he is one of the steadiest prospects this team has. His game is by no means perfect, but when he is out on the ice for the Wolf Pack, he will make you notice him by doing all the little things right, like winning faceoffs or breaking the puck out of the defensive zone. Lately he has been playing a more defensive role in the bottom six and done really well.
I would still like to see him moved to the top six more permanently because we know he is a good 200-ft player; he just hasn’t gotten as much of an opportunity to show it this season. Roobroeck has been playing big special teams minutes lately, and every game he looks more comfortable in the AHL.
10. Bryce McConnell-Barker, Hartford Wolf Pack (12 GP) [NR]
When you look at the statistics for Bryce McConnell-Barker’s last 12 games, you’ll note that there aren’t any goals or assists, but what you will see is that in a purely defensive fourth line role, he has been exactly what the Wolf Pack need him to be.
The past month has been rough for Hartford; their record over the last 12 games is 3-7-2 and despite this record, McConnell-Barker has been on the ice for only two goals against in that whole span while playing on the team’s penalty kill as well. Hopefully he will be moved up the lineup at some point soon so we can see some more offensive production from him, but he is doing exactly what the team asks of him — and doing it really well.
Honorable Mentions
As I am once again only ranking the top ten players, I will also name players that I believe were close to making the list this month, but fell just a little short.
For January only one player played well enough to be highlighted here, and that is E.J. Emery. Since his freshman year began at the University of North Dakota, he has struggled somewhat to adjust to the pace of college hockey. His team started the season with some significant injuries, so he was playing top pairing minutes and seemed a little overwhelmed before settling into the role.
Once the team got healthy again, he was moved down to the bottom defense pairing and struggled to adjust to that as well, but over the last month he has looked much more comfortable. He also looks more motivated, which might have more to do with being cut from Team USA right before World Juniors, but whatever the reason, he has looked more like the player the Rangers drafted, and that is a really good sign.
As a defensive defenseman, Emery was always going to need more time to develop, but it’s been nice to see that he didn’t let a rough start to his college career spiral into anything worse. He has just worked hard and now he is proving that he can play well in whatever role his team needs him in.
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