Ty Henricks among 2 Rangers NCAA prospects to take home holiday hardware
NCAA action resumed for three New York Rangers prospects last week, when several college teams returned from the break to compete in holiday tournaments. Ty Henricks and Sean Barnhill each helped his respective team take home holiday hardware in separate tournament wins.
Henricks skated on the top line for Western Michigan, when the defending national champion Broncos took on Drew Fortescue and the Boston College Eagles in the opening round of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee on Sunday. The sophomore forward earned the primary assist on Western Michigan’s third goal in a 5-3 non-conference victory. The assist was his seventh of the season. Henricks was also called for a minor penalty for direct contact to the head at 9:19 of the first period.
Western Michigan defeated second-ranked Wisconsin 4-1 in the championship game to earn one last trophy in 2025. Henricks did not record a shot on goal and was held off the score sheet. The Broncos are currently ranked No. 7 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey polls with a 12-6-0 record, and face Notre Dame in a non-conference matchup this Friday.
Boston College was without key forwards James Hagens and Teddy Stiga, and defenseman Luka Radivojevic, as well as head coach Greg Brown Each was taking in the World Junior Championship.
Fortescue had a quiet night in the tournament opener, but played a key offensive role for Boston College in the consolation game against Lake Superior State, earning secondary assists on each of its first-period goals.
The Lakers rallied with three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead before Will Vote scored the tying and winning goals for BC. Fortescue was called for tripping at 18:18 in the third period, giving Lake Superior a 6-on-3 advantage with their goaltender pulled, but Jan Korec stood tall in net to ensure the 4-3 win for Boston College.
The Eagles (11-6-1) are 13th in the both polls. Their next game is Friday, Jan. 9 against Stonehill.
Barnhill had one shot on goal and took a minor penalty for roughing, when the Michigan State Spartans defeated Ferris State 5-2 on Sunday in the opening round of the Great Lakes Invitational. The freshman defenseman recorded one shot on goal and a minus-1 rating in a 4-1 victory against Michigan Tech on Monday night to help Michigan State win the tournament for the second consecutive season, becoming the first team to capture back-to-back titles since Michigan in 2014 and 2015.
Michigan State improved to 14-4-0 and is No. 3 in both polls. The Spartans host the US National Team Development Program in an exhibition game on Sunday, before resuming Big Ten play against Ohio State on Jan. 9 and 10.
Rangers 2024 top pick EJ Emery represents United States at 2026 World Junior Championship
After being scratched for the first game of the 2026 World Junior Championship (a 6-3 win over Germany), 2023 first-round pick EJ Emery played three straight games for the United States this past wek. The defensive-minded defenseman is pointless, playing a third-pair role for Team USA, which closed out the prelim round with a 6-3 loss to Sweden on New Years Eve. The United States plays Finland on Friday in the medal round of the World Juniors, seeking a threepeat after winning the gold medal in 2024 and 2025.
Emery made his WJC debut for Team USA in a 2-1 victory over Switzerland on Saturday. The 19-year-old was scoreless and did not record a shot on goal in 11:21 TOI. The defenseman had 12:52 time on ice Monday night in a wild 6-5 win against Slovakia, when Team USA improved to 3-0 in the preliminary round. He logged 12:59 TOI in the loss to Sweden
Through 17 games with North Dakota, Emery’s impressed coach Dane Jackson with nuanced defensive play. He also has two goals and two assists for 4 points. The Fighting Hawks are 14-4-0 and ranked fourth in both polls. NCHC play resumes for them Jan. 9 and 10 against Colorado College.
