Surprising Rangers prospect Aspinall earns latest honor: ‘like found money’
Since 2020, under two different front office regimes, the New York Rangers have done a pretty good job unearthing mid- to late-round prospects in the NHL Draft. And Nathan Aspinall just might be the best of that group.
Aspinall, New York’s fifth-round selection (No. 159 overall) in the 2024 draft, just earned CHL Third All-Star Team honors Wednesday, capping a breakout season with Flint in the Ontario Hockey League. The 20-year-old forward doubled his point total from the prior season, jumping from 47 to 94. He was second among OHL skaters in points and third with 61 assists, and was a finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the OHL.
The CHL All-Star recognition is significant because it encompasses all major junior leagues in Canada, not solely the OHL. So, yes, Aspinall was that good this past season. And the Rangers will pay close attention to him at their prospects development camp next week and in training camp this fall, when the hulking 6-foot-7 forward begins his rookie pro season. Aspinall signed his entry-level contract this past October.
“I’d love to see him go to Hartford (of the American Hockey League), probably start in a middle-six role and then kind of see where he can from there,” FloHockey’s Chris Peters told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast this week. “I don’t know necessarily he’s going to be a 60-point scorer at the NHL level, even though he had this tremendous season, but I think there’s a lot more to him than we saw before. And I think that’s got to be a player you’re way more excited about being able to continue to develop because that’s a big guy, with skill, with a scoring ability. Really impressed with where he’s at. That’s like found money at this point.”
Aspinall scored 18 goals in his draft year, followed up with 17 the following season, and then potted a career-high 33 in 2025-26. The Flint captain then exploded in the OHL playoffs this spring with 10 goals and six multi-point performances in eight postseason games.
“As far as Aspinall goes, hugely surprising season. And it wasn’t really the regular season that I was most impressed with, it was the playoffs,” Peters explained. “He was an absolute beast in the playoffs — 17 points in eight games.”
Rangers hope to continue later-round success in upcoming 2026 NHL Draft
Back in 2020, the Rangers landed goalie Dylan Garand in the fourth round (No. 103 overall), forward Brett Berard (No. 134) in the fifth round, and 6-foot-9 forward Matt Rempe in Round 6 (No. 165). That was Jeff Gorton’s final draft class as general manager of the Rangers.
Under Chris Drury, New York already hit on fourth-round center Noah Laba in 2022, and fifth-rounders Jaroslav Chmelar (2021) and Victor Mancini (2022) — the latter of whom was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2025 as part of the package to acquire J.T. Miller. Defenseman Drew Fortescue has the makings of being a blue line staple in the near future for the Rangers, and was a third-round pick (No. 90 overall) in 2023.
Marinating in Hartford are later-round prospects like forwards Bryce McConnell-Barker (third round, 2022), Brody Lamb (fourth round, 2021), and Dylan Roobroeck (sixth round, 2023). Forward Ty Henricks scored the NCAA championship-winning goal for Western Michigan in 2025, two years after he was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, five picks after Roobroeck.
That’s all to say that the Rangers have a huge opportunity to restock their prospect pool this week at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. New York has 11 picks, including Nos. 5 and 26 in the first round, and seven selections in the first three rounds.
Hitting big on the first rounders, especially at No. 5, is critical for Drury and Co. But don’t overlook what happens on Day 2 Saturday.
