According to one NHL prospects expert, Liam Greentree needs to improve a key specific area of his game before he becomes a complete player who can impact the New York Rangers lineup.
"He's an incredibly intelligent forward. He's a really good goal scorer too. He puts himself in really good positions, he was an absolute beast at Windsor this year, and I think he's got the opportunity to be a really good player," Chris Peters of FloHockey told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast this week.
So, where's the rub with the 6-foot-2, 207-pound forward, who led Windsor of the OHL with 38 goals and 79 points in 52 games this past season, his third as team captain?
"The feet need to come a little more, and I also think that when he plays at his most competitive, he is really, really effective. But he can come in and out of it," Peters explained. "He needs to dialed in and find that level of consistency. Because when he is, he can be physical, he can be mean, he can do those things. And when he is, I think he's a more impactful player."
The Rangers acquired Greentree from the Los Angeles Kings this past February in the Artemi Panarin trade. He was L.A.'s top prospect and the No. 26 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. After the trade, his game picked up at Windsor, whre he recorded 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in the final 17 games of the regular season and earned OHL Player of the Week honors on March 4. He also tied for the team lead with 14 postseason points (seven goals, seven assists), helping Windsor reach the third round of the OHL playoffs.
In 2024-25, Greentree played on the same line with Washington Capitals top prospect Ilya Protas and exploded with 49 goals, 70 assists, and 119 points in 64 games. In his draft year, Greentree scored 36 goals and totaled 90 points in 64 games.
The 20-year-old turns pro this coming season, and that's when the real test comes for him. He's projected most often as a middle-six forward, but the Rangers hope he can be a top-six threat one day. If he makes the Rangers out of training camp, it's likely as a third-line wing. Should he start the season with Hartford of the American Hockey League, he'll get more minutes and responsibility in the top six.
"Greentree's going to have the added pressure of coming in the Panarin trade, but I do believe he's a guy that's got a really, really good opportunity to challenge for a spot in camp," Peters said. "I think it's more likely he'll spend some time in Hartford, [however]."
It should be noted that Gabe Perreault , New York's top prospect a year ago, began his rookie pro season in Hartford before joining the Rangers, where he played 49 games in 2025-26, finished on the top line, and recorded 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists).
Greentree must find that consistent drive and motor, and avoid the confidence issues which buried Brennan Othmann, another high-scoring, rugged OHL star, though one who flamed out in the NHL and the Rangers subsequently traded to the Calgary Flames in March.
"I think he's a guy that's fascinating for me in terms of what he'll be," Peters summed up about Greentree. "I don't think that he's going to be a difference-making, high-impact guy immediately, but he can grow into that. He's got the size, he's got the ability. Just a tremendous junior player, now he's got to take that to pro."
Related Headlines
