With their first third round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers selected defenseman Sean Barnhill 70th overall. Barnhill, a 6’6 205 lb right defenseman, put up 4-7-11 with Dubuque in the USHL this year. Barnhill is committed to Northeastern next season, a strong program to help him develop. The strong two-way defenseman is a decent skater given his size, but is more of a stay at home guy still developing his physical game.

Barnhill is strong in all three zones, but he’s more of a defensive defenseman if you had to put a specific type to his game. He’s good in the home plate area, which checks out given his size, but he’s also pretty good with the puck and doesn’t really make any panicked decisions.

Sean Barnhill is going to be a project pick with a ceiling as a bottom four defenseman. He plays a low-event game, which again checks out with what the Rangers prefer on the blue line, for better or for worse. His reach and his straight line skating are his clear strengths as he develops.

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