Story by
Rangers coach impressed with rookie: ‘he plays smart hockey’
- Story by
- Rangers coach impressed with rookie: ‘he plays smart hockey’
Mike Sullivan said that he didn't know too much about Drew Fortescue before the rookie defenseman joined the New York Rangers two weeks ago, following his junior season at Boston College. But the Rangers coach is very much impressed with what he's seen so far from the 20-year-old New York native.
And it's not necessarily the numbers jumping off the page at the veteran coach. It's what he sees with his eyes when watching how Fortescue fits into the NHL game.
Advertisement
"He doesn't just play safe hockey, he plays smart hockey. He doesn't play reckless hockey. There's a difference between those three," Sullivan explained after practice Friday . "I like the fact that he's trying to play smart hockey. He's not just trying to play safe hockey."
A big part of that is the calm he exudes with the puck, particularly in his own end of the ice. There really haven't been glaring mistakes made by Fortescue in his first four games, mostly paired at even strength with Braden Schneider .
"I am really impressed with his puck poise, his vision," Sullivan said. "He keeps it simple, but he's not just an off-the-glass-and-out guy. He's looking to go tape-to-tape. He has the composure and confidence to find, say, the middle play on a breakout."
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Fortescue had a rollicking NHL debut on March 27 in front of 200 friends and family, mostly from his hometown of Pearl River, New York. He zipped a shot off the post, just missing his first NHL goal, but did pick up an assist and logged more than 17 minutes TOI in the 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks .
Advertisement
He hasn't recorded a point since, and his ice-time dipped the past three games, including a low of 13:48 in the 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. His expected goal share 5v5 is 42.42 percent, per Natural Stat Trick .
Fortescue's been on for 31 scoring chances against and 18 for 5v5, but the Rangers outscored the opposition 3-1 with him on the ice. And the won three of four games since he joined the lineup.
It's easy to envision him playing a top-four role on the left side of the Rangers defense corps in coming years. Fortescue just looks the part of an NHL defenseman out there. That shouldn't be a big surprise since the 2023 third-round draft pick played a shutdown role for three years at BC and for the United States when they won the World Junior Championship in consecutive years (2024 and 2025).
"My understanding of it coming in was his core competency was his ability to defend. He has a good stick, but he also has some puck skills, and can make an outlet pass, he sees the play pretty well," Sullivan stated. "And that's what we've witnessed when we got him."
Advertisement
The coach also sees something else he likes in the 6-foot-1, 195-pound defenseman.
"He has the opportunity to develop physically, just getting stronger. He has a little edge to his game. He's willing to engage in the physical aspect of the game."
Related Headlines
