The Rangers’ prospect pipeline is taking on a much more North American feel heading into 2026-27, and the shift is already showing up in where the organization’s young players are headed this season.
By the time training camp is over, the club expects to have at least 15 prospects playing in North America, with two more likely to join that group. For a system that has leaned heavily on European development in recent years, that’s a notable turn - and one that points to a push to get young players used to the smaller ice and faster pace earlier.
One of the clearest examples came this week when defenseman Zeb Lindgren said he will head to Red Deer of the WHL. The Rangers took Lindgren in the fifth round, 139th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft, and he spent last season with Skellefteå AIK’s under-20 team in Sweden. Red Deer drafted him in June’s CHL Import Draft, but the move wasn’t finalized until Thursday.
Red Deer’s setup gives Lindgren a strong landing spot. The franchise is owned by former New York Islanders captain Brent Sutter, a two-time Stanley Cup champion who serves as the Rebels’ president and general manager, and former NHL forward Marc Habscheid is the coach.
“He’s a real heady player, a smart player who was an NHL draft pick of the Rangers last year, so he fit what we were looking for,” Sutter explained. “He speaks good English and has leadership abilities as he was captain of his team in Sweden. That kind of character is nice.”
Lindgren is a left-shot defenseman who checks in at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds. Last season, he put up 19 points, with six goals and 13 assists, in 36 games.
Scouts have praised his skating and puck-moving game, pointing to the way he gets play moving up ice either by carrying it or making a clean outlet pass. His two-way game is already considered well-rounded, and his skating is consistently described as his top asset.
At 19, Lindgren is expected to spend one year in the WHL before either signing a pro contract or moving on to the NCAA.
Another Sweden-born defender from the Rangers’ 2025 draft class is also crossing over. Felix Färhammar will play for Muskegon of the USHL in 2026-27, and he is committed to UMass Amherst for 2027-28.
The Rangers’ seventh-round pick brings a similar puck-moving profile, though with more physical bite than Lindgren. The Stockholm native produced 33 points, including five goals and 28 assists, in 36 games with Orebro in the same league where Lindgren played last season. The organization sees him as a longer-term project, but one with offensive upside, competitiveness and a willingness to absorb contact.
“It’s so amazing to be drafted by the Lumberjacks,” Färhammar said back in May. “I’ve heard great things about the organization, and it will be fun and exciting to come over next year.”
The Rangers like the idea of both defensemen developing on this side of the Atlantic. The smaller North American surface forces quicker reads, tighter gaps and more physical play, all of which can be a real adjustment for young European defensemen. Getting Lindgren and Färhammar over early gives the club a better chance to speed up that process and better gauge where each one stands long term.
There’s still more movement to sort out. Thomas Chrenko reportedly committed to Muskegon, but his 2026-27 plans remain unresolved for now.
Chrenko was the Rangers’ fifth selection in this year’s draft and the third player taken in the third round at No. 81 overall. The 18-year-old center from Slovakia is highly skilled and ranked No. 10 on our top-10 list of Rangers prospects.
He already has pro experience in Slovakia, where he totaled 31 points - nine goals and 22 assists - in 44 games a year ago. He also made noise at the 2026 World Junior Championship, scoring five goals and eight points in five games for Slovakia and finishing with a hat trick. All of that suggests he’s ready for the next step.
Mikkel Eriksen is also still sorting out where he’ll play. The Rangers’ 2025 fourth-round pick, No. 111 overall, has not finalized his plans, though the expectation is that he’ll land in the USHL as well, with Green Bay the likely destination.
The Oslo native had a quiet season in the SEL, going pointless in 15 games, but he was far more productive at the junior level in Sweden, where the 18-year-old forward scored 19 goals and totaled 44 points in 25 games.
If Chrenko ends up in the USHL, the Rangers could have as many as 17 prospects developing in North America this season, including six players born in Europe. That would also mean eight of nine 2026 draft picks are in North America, assuming No. 5 overall pick Alberts Smits is either with the Rangers or developing with Hartford of the American Hockey League. Defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev, a seventh-round pick at No. 193 overall, remains in Russia and is set to play in the KHL in 2026-27.
Between the major junior, USHL and NCAA levels, there’s going to be plenty to track in the Rangers’ prospect world this season.
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