Two of the New York Rangers top prospects helped their teams advance to the NCAA Frozen Four this past weekend and could be on a crash course to meet in the National Championship Game on April 11.
2025 second-round pick Malcolm Spence assisted on the game-winning goal Sunday, when top-ranked Michigan edged Minnesota-Duluth 4-3. And New York's first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, defenseman EJ Emery, was plus-4 in a 5-0 win by No. 2-ranked North Dakota over Quinnipiac the day before.
Michigan faces off against Denver, the 2024 National Champion, on April 9, the same day North Dakota skates against Wisconsin. The winners then meet in the NCAA title game.
Needless to say, the Rangers hierarchy must be thrilled that their top picks in the past two drafts are thriving in college, lineup regulars for two of the best teams in the nation, and thriving in big roles on the biggest stage of the NCAA season.
Spence, a freshman forward, made a neat little pass in the neutral zone Sunday and Carolina Hurricanes prospect Jayden Perron did the rest, taking off and eventually burying a drive to the net at 3:07 of the third period. That made it 4-1 Michigan, but the Wolverines had to withstand some nervous moments after Q-Pac scored at 10:24 and 16:56.
The 19-year-old Rangers prospect is eighth on Michigan with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 39 games this season. He played on the top line in place of injured forward Michael Hage on Friday, when the Wolverines knocked off Bentley 5-1 in the Sweet 16 matchup. Two weekends ago, Spence had a goal and an assist when Michigan defeated Ohio State to win the Big Ten Championship.
With Emery playing his usual top-pair shutdown role on defense, North Dakota had a pair of shutout wins in the NCAA regionals, They also blanked Merrimack 3-0 on Thursday, before shutting out Quinnipiac.
The 20-year-old has the second-best plus/minus mark (plus-18) for North Dakota this season, and also has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 37 games.
Two other Rangers prospects were eliminated in the regionals this past weekend. Ty Henricks and defending National Champion Western Michigan lost to Denver 6-2 on Sunday. And Sean Barnhill and Michigan State lost an overtime heartbreaker, 4-3 to Wisconsin, on Saturday.
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Another day, another feel-good win for the Rangers, plus another strong performance from their kiddie corps. Here are our key takeaways from the Rangers' 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers at MSG.
With two straight wins, the Rangers continue their season-long seven-game homestand with four more contests at The Garden this week. Our John Kreiser breaks down what to look for in his latest Week Ahead column.
Analyzing why Dylan Garand's making a serious push to be Igor Shesterkin 's backup next season Broadway.
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Forever Blueshirts: Holy Guacamole! The Vegas Golden Knights fired coach Bruce Cassidy with eight games left on their schedule and the playoffs looming … and replaced him with former Rangers bench boss John Tortorella .
The Athletic ($$): Jesse Granger does a great job diving into the "relentless culture" of the Golden Knights, and how this stunning coaching change went down.
NHL.com: In his latest column, Mike Zeisberger details why Cassidy shouldn't be unemployed for long
Sportsnet:The Toronto Maple Leafs are "fired up" to face Radko Gudas and the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, that is if the injured Gudas is healthy enough to play. It was Gudas' knee-on-knee hit that kayoed Toronto captain Auston Matthews for the rest of the season.
Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers signed top prospect Porter Martone to an entry-level contract. Like Drew Fortescue with the Rangers, Martone will join the Flyers and burn the first season of that three-year deal.
Philly Hockey Now: Speaking of the Flyers, William James dives in on their playoff chances after a huge 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars .
New Jersey Hockey Now: Sure, it's too little, too late, for the Devils. But they poured in five goals in a win against the Chicago Blackhawks , with Jack Hughes chalking up a four-point night.
Daily Faceoff: Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov might be done for the season with a fracture in his hand.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now:The Penguins play a hugely important game against the Islanders on Monday, but will Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin be able to play? Shelly Anderson sheds some light on the injured pair's chances of getting back in there.
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