Top Rangers prospects Spence, Emery eliminated in NCAA Frozen Four
Two of the top prospects in the New York Rangers organization had their collegiate seasons end Thursday night in Las Vegas at the NCAA Frozen Four. Malcolm Spence and top ranked Michigan lost a 4-3 heartbreaker in double overtime to Denver; and No. 2 North Dakota, featuring EJ Emery, dropped a 2-1 decision to Wisonsin.
Spence was New York’s top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, selected in the second round, No. 43 overall. Emery was a first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in 2024. It appeared that they were on a collision course to meet in the National Championship Game on Saturday, considering Spence and Emery played for the teams ranked 1-2 in the polls.
And the Rangers would’ve loved that. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Spence finished a solid freshman season with a strong game Thursday. His ability to get to the net and be a handful once there was on display throughout, and helped Michigan grab a 3-2 lead midway through the third period. The 19-year-old forward screened Denver goalie Johnny Hicks just enough for Perron to zip a power-play goal past him with 8:58 remaining in regulation.
However, Denver tied the score at 17:14 of the third period, and won it 12:35 into the second overtime on Kent Anderson’s goal.
Spence also recorded three shots on goal and finished his first NCAA season eighth on the Wolverines with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 40 games.
Earlier Thursday, North Dakota allowed Wisconsin to score twice in the first period, and never caught up, scoring its only goal in the final minute of play. North Dakota, which won by shutout in each of its games in the NCAA regionals, generated 21 shots on goal, though only four in the first period and five in the third. Wisconsin also killed off all five North Dakota power plays, a major reason behind its impressive victory.
Emery recorded two shots on goal, each in the second period, and was minus-one in his role as a shutdown defenseman for North Dakota. The 20-year-old ended his sophomore season with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 38 games, and tied for third on North Dakota with a plus-17 rating.
The wide-spread belief is that it makes sense for Emery and Spence to each play another season in college before turning pro.
The dual losses Thursday means that no Rangers prospect will participate in the championship game this season. A year ago, forward Ty Henricks scored the championship-winning goal for Western Michigan; and in 2024, Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue helped Boston College reach the national title game, where they lost to Denver.
Will Rangers pursue college free agent T.J. Hughes?
One player who’s NCAA career ended Thursday who should intrigue the Rangers is free-agent center T.J. Hughes. A finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s player in college hockey, Hughes led Michigan with 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) and was the Wolverines captain as a senior this season. Undrafted in the NHL, Hughes totaled 179 points (69 goals, 110 assists) in 156 NCAA games with Michigan.
The rub here is that Hughes is already 24 years old. So, is he a late bloomer? Or a skilled older college player taking advantage of younger, less mature opponents?
No matter which side you’re on, there are a slew of NHL teams lining up trying to sign Hughes, who, perhaps not so coincidentally, attended development camp with the Rangers last summer.
Remember, the Rangers seek to add talented younger NHL players, or NHL-ready players, — think Tye Kartye on one hand, Liam Greentree on the other — during this retool. They already have a relationship with Hughes, so you’d think the Rangers have a good feel who he is and what type player he might be in the NHL.
Let’s see where this goes.
