Here’s what the Rangers have with ‘happy-go-lucky’ Vincent Iorio
Two days after he was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers, Vincent Iorio closed his first practice with his new team Monday by skating through a gauntlet of players slapping their sticks on the ice to welcome him to Broadway, or more specifically, Tarrytown, where the training facility is.
It was a fitting moment for the affable newest Rangers defenseman.
“It was cool. I don’t know who started that. They all started tapping their sticks and asked if I wanted to do a gauntlet, so I really can’t say no,” Iorio told reporters with a smile on his face.
Get used to that smile. The 23-year-old maintains it as best he can, even during a season when he’s now on his third team and claimed twice on waivers.
“For me, it’s just to continue having that positive mindset and just be the happy-go-lucky kid that I am,” he explained. “I pride myself on smiling coming to the rink every day and just being happy, and I’m going to continue doing the same thing here.”
A 2021 second-round pick (No. 55 overall) by the Washington Capitals, Iorio was snatched up the San Jose Sharks in October and played 21 games with them before they lost him on waivers to the Rangers this past weekend. Not surprisingly, Iorio only had good things to say about his time with the Sharks, for whom he registered three assists and averaged 16:30 TOI
However, he’s clearly happy to be with the Rangers now.
“I was obviously really excited. This is such a storied franchise. So, I’m just excited,” he said. “First practice was good. I know a couple of the guys, so that it made it a little bit easier. … It’s just nice to have a couple familiar faces.”
Interestingly, two of the players he knows are fellow defensemen Braden Schneider and Scott Morrow. Iorio was teammates with Schneider in junior at Brandon in the Western Hockey League, and in prep school with Morrow at Shattuck St. Mary’s.
Each is a right-shot defenseman, ahead of Iorio on the depth chart. But Schneider’s name is attached to a bunch of trade rumors what with the Rangers beginning to retool their roster. Morrow’s had an uneven rookie season, so the Rangers could pivot to Iorio to play ahead of him on the right side of the third defense pair.
There’s time to let this play out, though. The Rangers have three days of practice this week before their next game, Thursday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. After that comes the three-week Olympic break.
What Rangers can expect from Vincent Iorio
Iorio brings 30 games of NHL regular-season experience to the Rangers. He also played in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round playoff series against them in 2024, and helped Hershey of the American Hockey League win consecutive Calder Trophy championships in 2023 and 2024.
“I thought he looked good today. First time seeing him up close, he looks like he has decent puck skills, he’s got good size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds). So, I thought for a first practice, it’s not an easy thing just jumping into a brand-new team like that, I thought he executed pretty well in some of the drills we were doing,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said Monday. “Maybe the biggest thing that jumped out at me was his ability to move the puck. That skillset certainly will help us.”
Indeed. The Rangers struggled mightily in that area without the injured Adam Fox in the lineup most of the past two months. It’s worth noting that Fox skated in a no-contact sweater Monday, but the Rangers don’t expect him to play until after the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Fox missed 12 games so far with a lower-body injury — after missing 14 games in December with an upper-body issue.
So, what does Iorio believe he brings to the Blueshirts?
“Solid two-way defenseman,” he explained. “I just want to break pucks out, play hard defensively, try and contribute and join the rush as much as I can. … I try and pride myself trying to close as hard as I can in the D-zone. Obviously, you want to be as physical as possible and I want to continue to build on that.”
This is partly what this retooling phase the rest of the season is about for the Rangers. Identifying young players with upside, giving them an opportunity, and deciding whether they’re part of the answer moving forward. It’s a big opportunity for Iorio, who fits that mold.
“He’s a young guy that’s been fairly sought after. I know his name has come up in a few discussions throughout the course of this season with our hockey operations, and so we’re looking forward to getting to know him and watching him up close,” Sullivan concluded.
