Carey Terrance has already built an impressive hockey resume at age 20. But the New York Rangers ' prospect should just be scratching the surface for what he'll be one day in the NHL, his Team USA coach believes.
Terrance was the primary asset acquired by the Rangers in the June 12 trade that sent veteran forward Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks.
A second-round pick (No. 59 overall) by the Ducks in 2023, Terrance has already captained the Erie Otters in the OHL, scored 79 goals in three seasons playing major junior — and helped the United States win gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship.
But what most impresses David Carle, who has coached Team USA to back-to-back WJC titles, is that Terrance is also a complete player on both sides of the puck. Carle recently compared him to longtime NHL center Nate Thompson , though believes the youngster has plenty of upside as well.
"I think that's the lowest floor and his highest ceiling is a 200-foot borderline star," Carle told NHL.com . "He's what everyone is searching for right now. I think Carey is going to be that coveted guy."
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Carle saw firsthand how Terrance thrives in different situations. At the 2025 World Juniors , he was a bottom-six forward, penalty killer and face-off specialist despite being a top-six center with Erie.
"He's very competitive, team-first oriented," Carle said. "It goes to him communicating to coaches and accepting roles and doing it to the best of his ability. He's got a 200-foot element, and I think he thrives in playoff hockey."
Terrance scored two goals in seven games at the '25 WJC. In 2023, he had six points (two goals, six assists) in seven games to help the United States take home the gold at the Men's U-18 World Championship.
Whether he's producing offense, shutting down an opponent's top line or taking important face-offs, Terrance has convinced Carle that he'll do whatever it takes to be part of a winner.
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Terrance signed his entry-level contract on April 9, per PuckPedia.com , making him eligible to turn pro in 2025-26. The expectation is he'll start in Hartford of the American Hockey League, where he can fine-tune his game before pushing for an NHL role. At 20, he has plenty of time to develop.
"I can skate up and down the ice very well," he explained in July at Rangers prospects development camp. "I can play in all situations, whatever the coach needs me to play that game or that shift. If he needs me to play on the penalty kill or on the power play. I think I'm a versatile player and I can play up and down the lineup.
"Defense wins championships. That's the thing the past two years playing at the World Juniors and the U18s, playing on the PK, win face-offs and be reliable. That's something I've taken pride in my four years of junior and tournaments like that."
Terrance will likely join fellow center prospects Noah Laba, Dylan Roobroeck, and Brendan Brisson in Hartford this season. They'll be teammates — and also compete with one another for positioning on the Rangers' organizational depth chart.
But if Carle is right about Terrance's upside, the upstate New York native might soon move past his more experienced competition in the organization.
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