For the first time in nearly three months, the Rangers are back to organized on- and off-ice work at the MSG Training Center in Westchester, and the annual development camp opens Monday with 33 players in the mix.
That group includes all but one member of the Rangers’ 2026 Draft Class. Of the 21 players the club has selected over the past three drafts, 20 will be in camp this week. The lone exception is defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev, the seventh-round pick at No. 193 overall this past weekend, who is still back home in Russia and won’t make it to New York in time.
The camp skews heavily toward forwards, with 18 of them on hand, along with 12 defensemen and three goalies. Three players who were in the Rangers system last season are also back in the mix: defenseman Drew Fortescue, who played nine games with the Rangers after his junior year at Boston College; center Carey Terrance, who spent his entire rookie pro season with Hartford of the American Hockey League; and goalie Callum Tung, who split time between Hartford and Bloomington in the ECHL.
There’s also a familiar OHL connection worth noting: Nathan Aspinall, Jacob Battaglia and Darian Anderson all arrive after skating together in Flint last season.
With so many names worth tracking, these are the five prospects that stand out most at this week’s camp.
Alberts Smits is the one everyone will watch first. The 18-year-old defenseman went No. 5 overall in this year’s draft, and the talk around him already includes a possible entry-level contract this summer and a push for the Rangers’ opening-night roster at training camp.
At 6-foot-3, he has already handled himself well against older competition, playing professionally in Finland and Germany and representing Latvia at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. He arrives with a reputation as one of the most NHL-ready players in his class, so this week is all about the first look: how he handles the ice, and how he carries himself away from it.
Liam Greentree is next on the list, and this is his first real Rangers introduction. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade in February, the 20-year-old has not yet worn a Rangers sweater, even in practice.
He’s coming off a 38-goal season at Windsor, where he served as captain for three years, and he’s set to turn pro this season. The Rangers will use camp to gauge where he stands against NHL and AHL competition, with a real chance he sees some games with New York next season.
EJ Emery is back for his third development camp, and there’s a different feel to his visit this year. The 2024 first-round pick at No. 30 overall is headed into a key junior season at North Dakota, a team with National Championship aspirations.
Rangers director amateur scouting John Lilley said at the time of the pick that the organization would not rush Emery, and the club still appears committed to his long-term path. At age 20, he should be one of the more composed players in camp, and it will be interesting to see whether he takes on more of a leadership role.
Tomas Chrenko could be the most entertaining forward on the ice. The Rangers took the 18-year-old in the third round at No. 81 overall this weekend, and he brings plenty of skill.
Chrenko had five goals and eight points in five games for Slovakia at the 2026 World Junior Championship, and he also posted 31 points, including nine goals and 22 assists, in 44 games in Slovakia’s top pro league a year ago. He can line up at center or wing, which should make his usage in drills and scrimmages especially interesting.
A spot alongside other skilled prospects like Liam Greentree, Malcolm Spence, Aspinall and/or Battaglia would give him a chance to show off everything he can do.
Danai Shaiikov rounds out the group, and the Rangers made a notable move by taking a goalie in the third round at No. 67 overall. New York hadn’t drafted a goaltender since Talyn Boyko in 2021, so this was a meaningful addition.
Shaiikov, 19, moved from Kazakhstan to North America and handled a heavy load for Gatineau in the QMJHL, playing 50 games last season. His numbers were strong enough to stand out - he finished 10th in the league in save percentage at .903 and in goals-against average at 2.78 - even if the season came with some inconsistency.
With Igor Shesterkin and Dylan Garand in place, and with Boyko and Hugo Ollas unlikely to be re-signed this offseason, Shaiikov has a clear opening to grow into an important prospect for the organization.
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