The New York Rangers put three players in The Athletic’s latest top-100 NHL prospects ranking, and the headliner is defenseman Alberts Smits at No. 9.
Forward Gabe Perreault landed at No. 19, while forward Liam Greentree checked in at No. 91.
Smits and Perreault both made Scott Wheeler’s second tier of prospects, a group that ran from No. 5 through No. 28.
Greentree was slotted into Tier 6.
Wheeler’s eligibility rules for the list require a player to be under 23 and not already an established NHL player. At the very top, Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ivar Stenberg of the San Jose Sharks took the first two spots after going in that same order at this year’s NHL Draft.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone, the No. 6 overall pick in 2025 who put up 10 points in nine NHL games this past spring, came in at No. 3.
Sharks center Michael Misa rounded out the top tier.
Smits, the Rangers’ No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, is expected to battle for a spot on the left side of New York’s blue line in training camp. Wheeler ranked Chase Reid four spots ahead of him, even though both defensemen were available when the Rangers were on the clock early in the first round. New York went with Smits, while Reid went No. 7 overall to the Seattle Kraken.
Wheeler still had plenty of praise for Smits, describing the 18-year-old as a big, mature, physical, two-way defenseman who spent last season playing against men in two European pro leagues and also represented Latvia in the Milan-Cortina Olympics and 2026 IIHF World Championship.
“He plays with a ton of confidence against his peers and has played with similar boldness even against men at times, while still defending to positive result,” Wheeler wrote.
He also noted that Smits “possesses underrated puck skill for a defender his size. He has legit hands, both pulling pucks laterally and protecting them out wide, often with one hand on his stick,” and pointed to his skating as another strength.
Wheeler did acknowledge there’s still development ahead, but he still sees a high ceiling.
“I think he has legitimate first-pairing upside.”
Perreault, meanwhile, may be nearing the end of his time on prospect lists. The 21-year-old already logged 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 49 games as an NHL rookie last season, and he finished the year on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. He should be in New York’s top-six forward group again this season, wherever the Rangers slot him.
Perreault was the third-ranked left wing on Wheeler’s list, behind McKenna and Tij Inginla of the Utah Mammoth. Wheeler made it clear he’s not buying the idea that Perreault’s production is somehow misleading.
“I view him as one of the most talented and offensively intelligent prospects in the game, and when the points pile up as they have, and they happen while making the kinds of plays that he does, I think you downplay his player type at your own risk at that point.”
Wheeler called Perreault “an incredibly clever facilitator and playmaker,” and praised the way he processes the game, describing him as a “highly-intuitive player” who “problem-solves his way out of trouble.”
His closing thought was the kind of line Rangers fans will love.
“I still think he has a chance to be a star, and I thought about ranking him higher.”
Greentree’s place at No. 91 barely got him onto the list, but he did make the cut. The Rangers acquired the 20-year-old from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade, and he’s expected to turn pro this fall, likely in Hartford.
Wheeler liked Greentree’s “pro-ready size (6-foot-2, 207 pounds),” but he also laid out the concerns that kept him near the bottom of the ranking. In Wheeler’s view, Greentree needs to play with more pace, and there’s a question about whether his skill set has already plateaued.
“He finds his way onto pucks inside the offensive zone, can stay on them, can win battles, and when he keeps his feet moving, he plays an opportunistic style with above-average talent in multiple areas (shooting, handling, first touch for a player his size),” Wheeler wrote.
But Wheeler added, “I haven’t seen a dynamic quality, though, and his skating needs work, but he has pro size, a good toolkit offensively, individual skill and a growing statistical profile. He’s not ultra-competitive, but he has played harder over time.”
Some around the game believe Greentree may have simply grown bored at the OHL level, where he piled up more than 300 points, and that the pro game could bring out another level. The Rangers are about to find out.
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