The Rangers may have landed one of the better value picks of the 2026 NHL Draft when they grabbed Ben Macbeath at 64th overall, and the Calgary Hitmen defenseman’s season makes it easy to see why. He was ranked 22nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, sat 44th on Scott Wheeler’s final list, showed up at 23rd overall in a Craig Button mock draft, and in one final mock had him going 30th to the Calgary Flames. Instead, he was still there in the second round for New York.
Macbeath had already been flagged as a name worth watching for the Rangers before the draft, and the case only got stronger once his 2025-26 season played out. In 67 games with Calgary, he put up seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points, finishing as the Hitmen’s top-scoring defenseman and fifth on the team overall. He also got a taste of international competition with Team Canada at this year’s U-18 World Juniors.
His season got rolling quickly. In Calgary’s third game, against the Edmonton Oil Kings, Macbeath scored his first goal of the year with 6:30 left in the third period and the game tied 3-3.
After taking a pass at the point, he carried the puck through the slot and beat the goalie glove side in what became the deciding goal of a 5-3 win. Two games later, he posted his first multi-point night, picking up a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
He also assisted on a power-play goal that was waived off early in the first period, then tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second by taking a drop pass and driving to the net for a shot that slipped through.
Offense showed up in bunches after that. Macbeath closed October with a goal and an assist in back-to-back games, then carried a four-game point streak into November. Over a 12-game stretch from late October through late November, he had points in nine of them, piling up three goals and nine assists.
What stands out most is the way he keeps plays alive. Against the Swift Current Broncos, he pushed the puck up the boards, cut into the slot, and kept firing until he buried his own rebound to make it 3-0.
He also did damage on the power play, with nearly half of his points coming with the man advantage. One example came against the Regina Pats, when he controlled things from the point, moved into position, and finished off a smart shot from the right slot.
Macbeath stayed productive down the stretch, too, entering the playoffs on a six-game point streak. Calgary’s postseason ended in the second round with a loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers, and Macbeath finished with two assists in seven playoff games. Even with that ending, his next step is already set: he’ll head to Denver University next season, where he’ll be one of the more intriguing Rangers prospects to track.
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Beaudoin was taken No. 24 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft and has already built a reputation for physicality, work ethic and a strong 200-foot game. Analyst Russ Cohen sees him as a promising future fit at center, though not one who is expected to jump into the NHL picture immediately, which leaves the Rangers waiting to see just how quickly this quiet part of the deal can become the most important one. [Read more 🡒]
Jackson Blake Is Starting To Feel Like A Hurricanes Core Piece
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That is part of why the broader league piece lands with Rangers fans, even though it is centered on Carolina and Jackson Blake. The Hurricanes winger is being cast as the kind of young player who can grow into a core piece while still giving a contender real value, and his playoff run only sharpened that impression. For a Rangers team trying to keep its own core intact and efficient, it is another reminder of how much the right contract can shape the margins. [Read more 🡒]