Rangers sign 2021 draft pick Brody Lamb to 2-year contract
Brody Lamb signed a two-year entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on Thursday, one day after his NCAA career ended at the University of Minnesota. The contract begins next season, but Lamb is expected to join Hartford of the American Hockey League on an Amateur Tryout (ATO) to finish out this season.
Lamb was a fourth-round pick (No. 104 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Rangers, and becomes an intriguing option down the middle for the organization now that he’s turning pro. He’s taking the same path as Noah Laba did a year ago, after his collegiate career ended at Colorado College.
Laba, a 2022 fourth-round pick, signed an ATO and played 11 AHL games with Hartford last spring. He’s now in his rookie season as the regular 3C with the Rangers.
Certainly the Blueshirts would love a similar trajectory for Lamb, a skilled right-shot center, who played four seasons with the Golden Gophers and was Minnesota’s captain this season. The 22-year-old was second on Minnesota with 14 goals this season, and tied for second with a career-high 30 points in 35 games. Minnesota lost 6-2 to Penn State in the Big 10 Conference Tournament, ending its season with an 11-22-3 record.
Lamb scored a career-best 17 goals as a junior in 2024-25, and helped the Golden Gophers reach the 2023 National Championship Game as a freshmen, when they lost to Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime.
“The key for Brody Lamb is improving his skating, as well as his consistency,” The Prospect Park’s Jess Rubenstein told Forever Blueshirts. “He can score from anywhere and he’s got a nasty selection of shots. But if he doesn’t fix those two things, he won’t reach the NHL. Not the biggest dog, but he has a strong bite.”
He was held off the score sheet against Penn State on Wednesday, and was without a goal in his final six games, after a three-game goal streak Jan. 31 – Feb. 7. Lamb also opened his senior season by scoring goals in each of his first three games.
The Rochester, Minnesota, native stands 6-foot-1, and weighs 179 pounds. He totaled 91 points (47 goals, 44 assists) in 152 NCAA games, and also had 17 power-play goals, eight game-winners, and one short-handed tally.
New York’s 2021 draft class has been in the news quite a bit recently. The Rangers traded Bennan Othmann, their first-round pick in that draft, to the Calgary Flames last week for forward prospect Jacob Battaglia. And Jaroslav Chmelar, their 2021 fifth-round selection, scored his first NHL goal with the Rangers in a 6-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 5.
