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Rangers development camp: 5 most intriguing prospects, including Greentree, Smits
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- Rangers development camp: 5 most intriguing prospects, including Greentree, Smits
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For the first time in nearly three months, there'll be organized on- and off-ice workouts held by the New York Rangers at the MSG Training Center in Westchester this week. The Rangers annual development camp begins Monday with 33 players participating, including all all but one member of their 2026 Draft Class .
In fact, out of the the 21 players selected by the Rangers in the past three drafts, 20 will be on hand this week. Defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev, seventh-round pick (No. 193 overall) this past weekend, remains back home in Russia, unable to get to New York in time for the camp.
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There are 18 forwards, 12 defensemen, and three goalies taking part, including three players who were in the Rangers system last season. Defenseman Drew Fortescue played nine games with the Rangers after completing his junior season at Boston College; center Carey Terrance spent his entire rookie pro season with Hartford of the American Hockey League; and goalie Callum Tung split time between Hartford and Bloomington in the ECHL.
Interestingly, the same number of prospects attending — three — were teammates at Flint in the OHL last season: forwards Nathan Aspinall , Jacob Battaglia , and Darian Anderson .
Though there are plenty of prospects to keep an eye on at development camp, let's narrow the list to the five most intriguing players attending this week.
5. Danai Shaiikov
The Rangers hadn't drafted a goalie since 2021 (Talyn Boyko), so selecting Shaiikov in the third round (No. 67 overall) this year is a pretty big deal. The 19-year-old from Kazakhstan moved to North America and took on a heavy workload, playing 50 games for Gatineau in the QMJHL last season. His play was inconsistent at times, but he's got good size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) and plenty of talent, evidenced by finishing 10th in the Q in save percentage (.903) and goals-against average (2.78). The Rangers are set between the pipes for years to come with Igor Shesterkin and Dylan Garand , but they're unlikely to re-sign Boyko nor Hugo Ollas this offseason. So, Shaiikov is a pretty important prospect — one with plenty of time to grow. Let's see what kind of first impression he makes at development camp.
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4. Tomas Chrenko
Chrenko just might be the most skilled and fun forward to watch at dev camp this year. The Rangers scooped up the the 18-year-old, who had five goals and eight points in five games for Slovakia at the 2026 World Junior Championship, with another third-round pick (No. 81 overall) this past weekend. He's not big (5-foot-11, 172), but Chrenko is elusive, [productive, and super confident on the ice. He totaled 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) playing 44 games in Slovakia's top pro league a year ago. Chrenko can play center or on the wing, so let's see where the Rangers line him up during drills and scrimmages this week It'd be cool to see him out there on a line with other highly-skilled prospects like Liam Greentree , Malcolm Spence , Aspinall, and/or Battaglia, to let him best showcase his vast skill set.
3. EJ Emery
Photo courtesy USA Hockey
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When the Rangers selected Emery in the first round (No. 30 overall) in 2024, their director amateur scouting John Lilley said they wouldn't rush the defenseman's development, conceding it would take time for him to grow and mature as an all-around player. This will be Emery's third dev camp, and it comes before a very important junior season at North Dakota, which has National Championship aspirations. There are concerns about how he's coming along, though the Rangers remain supportive and confident about his growth. At this stage, he should be among the most poised prospects in dev camp, and it'll be interesting to see how much of a leader he is here as a bit of an elder statesman (20), not to mention one with first-round pedigree.
2. Liam Greentree
Photo courtesy OHL Images
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This is Greentree's first Rangers moment if you will, so you better believe the 20-year-old wants to put his best foot forward. The Rangers acquired Greentree in the Artemi Panarin trade with the Los Angeles Kings in February, and has yet to wear a Rangers sweater — even a practice one — as he finished his impressive junior career with a 38-goal season at Windsor. The 6-foot-2 forward turns pro this season and will get a long-look in training camp to see just where he's at in comparison to NHL and AHL players, with a good chance he plays at least some games with the Rangers next season. But this is his first impression in a Rangers sweater, so the former first-round pick by the Kings faces high expectations at dev camp, where he should stand out as one of the best players, as well as a leader, considering his three years as captain at Windsor. Similarly, Aspinall enters his first pro season, and the Rangers would love to see him be a dominant player here at dev camp, after his breakout 94-point season in the OHL
1. Alberts Smits
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Speaking of first impressions and high expectations, everyone's going to be watching Smits' every move at dev camp. How he plays on the ice, and acts off it. Though just 18, Smits was the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft, and there's already plenty of talk that the 6-foot-3 defenseman will sign his entry-level contract this summer and try to win a spot on the Rangers opening-night roster at training camp. So, simply, he should absolutely stand out in every imaginable way during development camp, especially after more than holding his own with and against more experienced players and grown men in 2025-26. Smits represented Latvia at the Milan-Cortina Olympics and played professionally in Finland and Germany. He's considered among the most NHL-ready players in his draft class. Let's get a taste of what he brings to the Rangers this week, and then watch him battle for a spot on the left side of New York's defense corps this fall.
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