Assessing the New York Rangers 2023 NHL Draft
The New York Rangers came into the 2023 NHL Draft with five picks and made those selections. Aside from a little excitement by moving up one spot in the third round via a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chris Drury and his staff didn’t do anything shocking.
Let’s take a look at the Rangers draft picks.
Editor’s Note: Article has been updated
New York Rangers 2023 NHL Draft
| Rd, Pick | Player | Pos | Team | Ht/Wt |
| 1, 23 | Gabriel Perreault | RW | USNTDP | 5-11, 165 |
| 3, 90 | Drew Fortescue | D | USNTDP | 6-2′, 176 |
| 5, 152 | Rasmus Larsson | D | Västerås IK J20 | 6’3, 201 |
| 6, 178 | Dylan Roobroeck | C | OHL | 6-7′, 205 |
| 6, 183 | Ty Henricks | LW | USHL | 6-5′, 205 |
Gabriel Perreault 18 y/o (63 GP, 53 G – 79 A – 132 PTS)
Perreault scored 53 goals and 79 assists for 132 points in 63 games to set a single-season scoring record for the USNTDP. So whose record did he break? Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Mattews mark of 117 points set in 2014-15.
“At 23, we’re thrilled to add him to our prospect pipeline,” Director of Player Personnel and Director of Amateur Scouting John Lilley said. “He thinks the game one step ahead with a great stick and vision.”
Perreault was born in Quebec but has dual citizenship. He’s committed to play next season at Boston College.
Drew Fortescue 18 y/o (62 GP, 1 G – 25 A – 26 PTS)
The Rangers grabbed one of Perreault’s teammates in left-handed defenseman Drew Fortescue. This was accomplished by giving up a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Penguins to move up from 91 to 90. While his size is a plus, it’s his ability to breakout of his own zone that makes him an attractive pick.
“We didn’t want to lose him,” Lilley said about the trade to pick Fortescue. “He’s a really solid defenseman that can move the puck and to the offense. He has an edge to his game and defends hard.”
Fortescue will be joining his teammate at Boston College next fall.
Rasmus Larsson 19 y/o (50 GP, 16 G – 18 A – 34 PTS)
The only European selected by the Rangers in the draft was this Swedish defender, who is an excellent skater known for breaking out of his zone and leading the rush. On top of that he has a big shot from the point. Larsson was drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers in Phase 2 of the USHL 2023 Draft. He’s committed to playing at Northern Michigan University starting in 2024-25.
Dylan Roobroeck 18 y/o (68 GP, 15 G – 38 A – 53 PTS)
Tipping the scales at a whopping 6-7′ and 205 lbs, Roobroeck is a beast of a prospect. This past season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, he was a force to be reckoned with and finished sixth in team scoring. Size isn’t his only advantage, as he’s already showing excellent playmaking ability which is always nice for a center.
Ty Henricks 18 y/o (47 GP, 9 G – 10 A – 19 PTS)
Another big forward, this time out of the USHL where he split time between the Fargo Force and Muskegon Lumberjacks last season. Multiple scouting reports say he’s an offensive talent with upside. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s got some size to go with his skill. Henricks will play for Western Michigan University beginning in 2025-26.
“We take the best player with the most skills a lot of times,” Lilley explained. “But the size guys ended up being in the spots where we were picking. Maybe they’ll take a little more time but we’re confident they’re good prospects.”
Assessing the Rangers draft
At the end of the day, the Rangers made five picks with four of them being from North America. This is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Chris Drury’s drafting history, who has now taken 14 players born in the U.S. or Canada out of his 19 total selections.
Additionally, size really matters for this scouting staff. Of those 19 picks, all but 5 are under 6′ tall. Furthermore, 12 of those players are 6-2′ or bigger.
While the Rangers did not have a lot of high picks, this draft was a great one for Drury and company. Simply for the fact that Gabriel Perreault landed in their laps at pick 23 and they didn’t blow it.
Note: HockeyDB and Elite Prospects was also used as a reference for this article.
More About:New York Rangers Features