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Why Rangers may buck recent trend to select WHL prospect in 1st round of draft
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- Why Rangers may buck recent trend to select WHL prospect in 1st round of draft
The New York Rangers haven't selected a single player from the Western Hockey League in the past four NHL drafts. And the last time they selected a WHL prospect in the first round of the draft was 2020, when the Rangers landed defenseman Braden Schneider with their second first-rounder that year, No. 19 overall.
But that could change in a big way this year.
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Very likely, there could be three highly-regarded talented defensemen from the WHL available when the Rangers are on the clock with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round. Assuming that forwards Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra, and defenseman Chase Reid are off the board — no matter what order they are selected — the Rangers could be looking at five excellent defensemen as options to select at No. 5 — with three of them from the WHL.
That's a great spot to be in, especially considering how coach Mike Sullivan emphasized on break-up day the need for the Rangers to find another solid puck-mover on the blue line, behind Adam Fox .
So, there's Alberts Smits from Latvia and Keaton Verhoeff, a rising sophomore from the University of North Dakota. Smits is a left-shot, and the No. 2 ranked international skater per NHL Central Scouting. Verhoeff is a righty, and the No. 4 ranked North American skater , and third-ranked defenseman. Each is a solid pro prospect, and would be a strong pick by the Rangers.
So, too, are three options from the WHL: defensemen Carson Carels, Daxon Rudolph, and Ryan Lin.
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"I think in that regard, when you look at the three guys that are probably going to be there at five — Rudolph, Lin, Carels — they all fit the archetype of guys that can move pucks really well, and guys that are really good blend defensemen," Casey Bryant, broadcaster for the 2026 WHL champion Everett Silverstips, told Forever Blueshirts.
"They go about it in different ways. I think Ryan Lin is more of a finesse guy; Daxon Rudolph is more of a pure offensive talent; and Carson Carels is kind of in between, he's head and shoulders better defensively than the other two — and I'd put Carels ahead of Keaton Verhoeff as well."
Carson Carels stands out among options for Rangers with No. 5 overall pick
Carels is emerging as a favorite to go in the top-5 of this draft. And in some circles, the No. 3 ranked North American skater is viewed as the best overall defenseman, who could be gone by time the Rangers are on the clock.
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"If you were to ask if you dropped a prospect into the NHL tomorrow, who's going to sink, who's going to swim as an 18-year-old, Gavin McKenna's going to swim and Carson Carels is going to swim," Bryant explained. "[Carels has] got a very sturdy adult frame. He chewed up 30-35 minutes a night at Prince George and did so basically without breaking a sweat. There's no clear hole in his game. I think he protects the puck extraordinarily well. He is one of those guys where he generates a lot of offense without sacrificing any defensive acumen. He's just very complete. And I think when you look at NHL defensemen, they ask to you to be complete"
Carels scored 20 goals, totaled 73 points, and accumulated 66 penalty minutes in 58 games with Prince George. The left-shot defender also represented Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where he was the youngest player on their roster.
Prince George general manager and coach Mark Lamb, who played 403 games in the NHL, told The Hockey News recently that Carels is "very confident without the puck. He looks poised because he's comfortable there. A lot of kids aren't comfortable in their own end."
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That comfortable vibe carries over when he has the puck and is under duress, too, according to Bryant.
"Carson Carels is a real good breakout guy, where if he's in the corner in his own zone, he'd be able to navigate to the neutral zone without having any difficulty, which I think the New York Rangers are in dire need of someone other than Adam Fox to do that."
Rangers could break from recent form and draft at least one WHL prospecvts in first round of draft
Daxon Rudolph in 2024 — USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In his first draft as Rangers general manager in 2021, Chris Drury oversaw the selections of three WHL players — centers Jayden Grubbe (No. 65 overall) and Ryder Korczak (No. 75) in the third round, and goalie Talyn Boyko (No. 112 overall) in the fourth round. They've combined to play zero NHL games.
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Of New York's 23 picks the past four years , not one was used on a WHL prospect. Which makes Bryant, a longtime Rangers follower, laugh now considering the Rangers could have interest in a WHL prospect with the No. 5 pick, and could target one of the Ruck twins later in the first round with their No. 26 overall selection.
"That'd be crazy if they get two WHL players in the first round, much less one!"
Another intriguing option at No. 5 is Rudolph, who was third among WHL defensemen with 28 goals this past season. The No. 5 ranked North American skater led Prince Albert to the WHL Finals and tied for the league lead in postseason points (27) and assists (18). The right-shot defenseman is a stud offensively, though not without warts in other aspects of his game.
"The hardest one for me to read is Daxon Rudolph because Daxon Rudolph is so clearly talented and when he has the puck on his stick he is a really talented player with a booming shot, great release, good instincts on when to join the rush," Bryant explained. "But I do think he played really soft in the finals against the Everett Silvertips. I don't think he had a real good series at all. He had a lot of giveaways, didn't like the body contact, and I think that he was very quick to be goaded into penalties and into things he didn't want to do.
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"If he gets a little bit tougher and adds a little bit more of an edge to his game, he's going to be a special defenseman. If the Rangers got him at five, I would not complain at all."
It'd likely be a leap to take Lin, anther righty and the No. 16-ranked North American skater, with the fifth overall pick. But his point-per-game prowess (57 points in 53 games) on the blue line with Vancouver this past season shouldn't be completely overlooked.
We'll see how things play out first with the top-four selections in the draft, and see where that leaves the Rangers. But there's a good chance that Drury and the Rangers could look out west to find their man at No. 5 this spring.
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