Gabe Perreault earns prospect of the month from Rangers
Once again, prospect Gabe Perreault stands head and shoulders above the rest of his peers earning New York Rangers prospect of the month for February.
As the calendar turns to March, eight Rangers’ prospects were in NCAA action over the weekend as their respective collegiate teams play out their remaining regular season conference schedules.
Let’s take a closer look.
Latest: Rangers need fix for top line
Gabe Perreault earns Rangers prospect of the month
In Hockey East action, 2023 1st Round Pick Gabe Perreault remained sidelined for the Boston College Eagles. The freshman was on fire in February with 15 goals with 35 assists for 50 points in 30 games played.
Teammate and fellow 2023 draftee Drew Fortescue was scoreless during Friday’s 5-3 win against New Hampshire. The Eagles wore their “Frozen Fenway” jerseys for Senior Day on Sunday as they clinched the 2024 Hockey East Regular Season Championship with a 1-0 victory. Boston College has a 27-5-1 record and will conclude Hockey East regular season play on Saturday, March 9th when they travel to Merrimack College.
New York Rangers Prospect Update
Defenseman Hank Kempf (2021 7th) and the Cornell Big Red would be the first team out if the NCAA tournament started today, as the team is currently 16th in PairWise rankings. The junior had one shot on goal and one blocked shot with a +1 rating during a 3-2 loss to Union on Friday before picking up an assist to go along with four blocked shots during Saturday’s 3-1 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic University on Saturday. Kempf now has one goal and five assists for six points in 29 games played this season. Cornell will host the second-lowest remaining seed during a best-of-three series in the Quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey Championships March 15th through March 17th.
Harvard captain Zakary Karpa (2022 6th) earned an assist on the game-winning overtime goal as the Crimson defeated archrival Yale Bulldogs 2-1 on Friday. The junior center was 12-7 on faceoffs with a +1 rating. He had one shot on goal and one blocked shot while going 11-7 on faceoffs during a 1-1 tie against Brown University Saturday. Karpa has four goals and four assists for eight points in 28 games played this season. Harvard has a 6-17-6 overall record and will host Princeton University on Friday, March 8th in a single elimination game of the ECAC playoffs.
Forward Brody Lamb (2021 4th) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrapped up Big 10 Conference regular season play with a split against the Michigan Wolverines. The sophomore winger had three shots on goal during Friday’s 6-2 victory. During Saturday’s 6-5 loss, Lamb recorded his 12th goal and 11th assist to go along with one blocked shot and a 1-1 faceoff record.
Minnesota finished the regular season with a 20-9-5 overall record. The team is 7th in PairWise Rankings and will host the Penn State Nittany Lions in a Best-of-Three series of the Big Ten Tournament March 8th through March 10th.
Center Noah Laba (2022 4th) and the Colorado College Tigers moved up to number 11 in the PairWise Rankings after a 2-2 tie on Friday and a 4-1 victory Saturday against Minnesota Duluth. The sophomore had a goal and an assist with two shots on goal Friday while going 13-9 on faceoffs.
The goal was Laba’s 17th of the season. He would add two assists Saturday to bring his total to 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points in 31 games played on the season. The Tigers have a 19-10-3 overall record and will battle Denver University for The Gold Pan on Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th in their regular season finale.
A pair of prospects faced off against each other Thursday night on a special “Leap Year” contest, as Jaroslav Chmelar (2021 5th) and the Providence College Friars defeated Hugo Ollas (2020 7th) and the Merrimack College Warriors.
Chmelar was scoreless with three shots on goal during the 4-2 win while Ollas allowed three goals against while making twenty eight saves in the loss. The Swedish netminder would get a measure of revenge with a standout performance on Friday night though, making a career high forty six saves in a 2-1 victory. This was the fifth straight start for the junior goalie, who improved his record to 7-10 with a 2.64 goals against average and .914 save percentage. Merrimack’s final regular season game will be against Boston College on Saturday, March 9th. The team has a 13-19-1 overall record.
As for Chmelar, he was held to two shots on goal with one block and a -1 rating Friday. The sophomore sits at five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 23 games played on the season after missing time due to wrist surgery. Providence College has a 18-11-3 overall record and will host the Boston University Terriers on Thursday, March 7th before their final regular season game against the Northeastern University Huskies on Saturday, March 9th. The team is currently in the NCAA Tournament field, sitting 10th in PairWise Rankings.
Elsewhere in NCHC, Victor Mancini (2022 5th) and the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks improved to a tie for 16th place in PairWise Rankings following a pair of victories over Miami RedHawks. The junior defenseman had two shots on goal along with one blocked shot and a cross-checking penalty during the 4-3 win Friday before finishing Saturday’s 2-1 win with one shot on goal and two blocked shots. Mancini has three goals and six assists for nine points in 32 games played this season. Omaha has an 18-10-4 overall record. The team will conclude their regular season with a pair of games against Penrose Cup champions North Dakota on Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th.
More About:New York Rangers Features