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Rangers NCAA prospects preview: Ty Henricks eyes championship repeat
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- Rangers NCAA prospects preview: Ty Henricks eyes championship repeat
Jeff Curry-Imagn ImagesJeff Curry-Imagn Images
As the calendar turns from September to October, the NCAA men’s ice hockey season is set to begin. The New York Rangers have seven prospects currently playing at the collegiate level, continuing their paths in hopes to one day make it to the professional ranks.
A sixth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2023 draft, sophomore Ty Henricks played 41 games for the Western Michigan Broncos last season, scoring 13 points (eight goals, five assists). Highlights from his freshman campaign included a goal in his NCAA debut against Ferris State on Oct. 11, and scoring the game-winning goal in the National Championship game against Boston University.
After spending the majority of his freshman year in a limited depth role on the fourth line for the Broncos, Henricks is poised for a breakout season in an elevated spot on the depth chart and will be relied on to produce more offensively. Western Michigan is ranked first overall in the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll , receiving 29 first place votes. The Broncos host an exhibition game against the U.S. National Under-18 Team on Saturday to begin their quest to repeat as national champion.
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Drafted in the third round in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Sean Barnhill of Michigan State spent the 2024-25 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound defenseman tallied four goals and eight assists for 12 points and had a plus-8 rating in 54 games. According to EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide, “With a deep, balanced stance and quick feet, Barnhill denies rushes and then jumps up into the play. He matches the footwork of smaller, high-skill attackers with ease, and he rarely overextends. The skating appears most in his rush defense, where he makes some high-level stops with his feet moving after taking away the middle.”
Barnhill fits the mold of a towering prospect the Rangers front office seem to like. He is a good, mobile skater, which complements his long reach, and has the ability to move the puck well. He is viewed as a solid two-way defenseman, “an animal,” per the NHL Network analysts at the draft. He’ll have plenty of time to fill out and develop at the NCAA level, being part of a strong Michigan State team.
The Spartans were chosen as the top team in the 2025 Big Ten preseason coaches poll and are ranked No. 3 overall nationally, receiving 14 first-place votes. Michigan State hosts an exhibition against Windsor on Friday.
After watching teammate Gabe Perreault turn pro with the Rangers and skate in five NHL games last spring, defenseman Drew Fortescue chose to return to Boston College for his junior season. The 6-foot-2 left-shot blueliner skated in 36 games for the Eagles in 2024-25, registering 11 assists and 29 blocked shots. His plus-28 rating was tied for seventh-best nationally and second-best in Hockey East.
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Fortescue also helped the United States win a second consecutive gold medal at the 2025 World Junior Championship. Despite recording no points in the tournament, Fortescue tied for 3rd among all defensemen with a plus-6 rating, and played on the top pairing for the Americans. During the semi-final against Czechia, the TSN broadcast said this about Fortescue “Sometimes you don’t notice him in a game and it’s because he’s doing everything right. He’s a Rangers draft pick – a good, solid, reliable defender coming your way pretty soon.”
Boston College ranks fifth in the Hockey East Men’s Preseason Coach’s Poll and sixth in the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll. They kick off the season against Quinnipiac University on Friday.
Senior forward Brody Lamb was named as one of three captains at the University of Minnesota for the 2025-26 season.
The Byron, Minnesota, native is back on campus as the Golden Gopher’s highest returning scorer, after he posted a career-best 17 goals and nine assists for 26 points. He also led the team in power-play goals with eight. Lamb’s been named Big Ten Conference Star of the Week four times in three seasons, and skated in 117 career games.
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Minnesota is ranked eighth in the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll, and third behind Michigan State and Penn State in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. They host a weekend series against Michigan Tech this Friday and Saturday.
Related: New York Rangers 2025 NHL Draft tracker: Selection, analysis for each pick
2 top Rangers prospects playing in NCAA this season
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
EJ Emery , the Rangers first-round pick in 2024, returns to North Dakota for his sophomore season, looking to round out his game after recording a lone assist in 31 games with the Fighting Hawks. The 6-foot-3 right-shot defenseman blocked 29 shots as a freshman and finished with a plus-3 rating. After being a late roster cut from the United States World Junior Championships team in 2025, Emery hopes to crack the lineup for the 2026 tournament.
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Despite a lack of offensive production, Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer believes that Emery’s development is on the right track and he showed flashes of promise at the NCAA level.
“He had a really good year. He’s one of the youngest defensemen in college hockey as a true freshman,” Ortmeyer said this summer . “It’s a tough league he was playing in. He was able to step in and have a big role and play big minutes for them. I think his development is heading in the right direction and he’s on a great path at a great school. We are excited about what he’s doing and where he’s going.”
The Rangers don’t want Emery to rush through his development process. Ortmeyer feels Emery is not only making strides as a player, but his mind is in the right place.
“I can’t put a timeline on it, everybody develops at their own pace,” Ortmeyer said. “He’s growing into his body. He’s put in a lot of work with the nutritionist and everybody to make sure he’s developing as best as he can, as fast as he can. He’s great to work with. He’s eager to get better. Again, he’s in a great situation in North Dakota and we are excited to keep working with him.”
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North Dakota was picked third in the NCHC preseason media poll, receiving five first place votes. The Fighting Hawks rank 11th in the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll and open the season Saturday with an exhibition against Manitoba.
The Rangers may have gotten a steal during the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft selecting Malcom Spence . The 6-foot-1 forward was a projected by many to be a first-round pick. Serving as an assistant captain this past season with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, Spence recorded 32 goals and 41 assists for 73 points in 65 games.
New York ultimately selected Spence with the No. 43 overall pick, and the Rangers love his speed and strong skating abilities.
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“His speed is a weapon,” Ortmeyer explained. “His skating ability too. He’s tenacious with the puck. He’s been able to produce at the junior level. I think it’ll be a good spot for him to develop.”
The 18-year-old forward is set to play at the prestigious University of Michigan this upcoming season.
“I know to play in the NHL, you have to be physically ready,” Spence said. “Maybe there are parts of my game skill-wise that may be ready, but physically I’m not. I know going to Michigan is going to give me more runway time. For me to jump in as an impact player, that’s what I want to do.”
Michigan is ranked 12th in the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll, and picked fourth in the Big Ten hockey preseason coaches poll. The Wolverines host Mercyhurst for a weekend series Friday and Saturday to begin the 2025-26 season.
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Swedish defenseman Rasmus Larsson transferred to Robert Morris University after skating in 29 games for the Northern Michigan Wildcats last season as a freshman. Larsson ranked second among NMU defenseman with three goals and 60 blocked shots. A fifth-round selection in 2023 by the Rangers, Larsson is the first NHL Draft pick to join Robert Morris University men’s ice hockey program. The Colonials open the season Saturday at Bowling Green.
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