The Rangers 2026 NHL Draft has come and gone, with the Rangers making 9 total selections, one on Day 1 and 8 on Day 2. There was a clear theme to their draft approach, as the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft focused on speed, skating, and high ceiling skill. It was a welcome change from past years of drafting for floor and big guys that might be able to play fourth line minutes. The change in approach at the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft was great, with some minor quibbles.
1. For all intents and purposes, the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft was a refreshing change, adding high ceiling talent that can skate. From Alberts Smits down to their 7th round pick Ivan Patrikhayev, all their selections were incredibly athletic. Even the goalie selected, Danai Shaiikov in the third round, was the most athletic goalie in the draft. Toolsy players that can have their natural skill sets refined to be effective in the NHL were severely lacking in the Rangers farm system.
2. The focus of the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft was on skills, speed, and high ceiling, but not on position. The Rangers desperately need center prospects, and they landed just one–Tomas Chrenko in the third round. Five of their picks were defensemen, including three of their first four picks. That’s one minor quibble with the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft approach, was not taking any forwards until late in the third round.
It’s a minor quibble because the Rangers still swung for high ceiling with Alberts Smits, Ben MacBeath, and Charlie Morrison, all left defensemen who can really move. Smits is the best of the bunch, but MacBeath has a very high offensive ceiling. Morrison seems to be more of a stay at home guy with a great first pass in transition. Will is writing up a detailed analysis of the picks, hoping to have that ready early this week.
3. Chrenko is the steal of the draft for the Rangers. Initially projected to be a late first round pick, he slipped to a late second round pick as the draft got closer. In Scott Wheeler’s final mock draft for rounds 1-2, MacBeath went 56th and Chrenko went 57th. Getting Chrenko at 81–MacBeath at 64 and Morrison at 77 (ranked 50th)–is great value for his ceiling.
Chrenko finished his second season in Slovakia’s Extraliga, putting up 9-22-31 in 44 games as an 18 year old. His 5’11, 172 lb frame was not an issue for him, routinely using his speed and skill to work his way around much older and much more mature players. He was 7th on his team in scoring, including third in assists. This kid has 1C potential, and he’s already thinking about coming over to the AHL next season.
4. Taking a goalie in the third round wasn’t the best approach for the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft, but it didn’t impact their ability to take Chrenko or Morrison later in the round. Shaiikov is very athletic and is unique in the sense that he was developed in the KHL’s system with Avangard before being drafted by Gatineau in the CHL import draft. InGoal Magazine noted that Shaiikov stole the starting role with his strong play, which bodes well for the kid.
Goalies take 4-5 years to develop, so it seems the Rangers are hoping he’s the heir apparent to Igor Shesterkin. There’s no need to rush him.
5. Since I’m not well versed in prospect evaluation–I leave that to Will and Hope–I’m focusing more on approach for the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft. There are some great positives: A focus on skill and skating, a few steals in the third round, and an influx of raw talent with high ceiling into a barren farm system. The minor quibbles are just that, minor. Not taking a forward until their fifth pick in the draft (3rd round) is minor. Drafting a goalie in the third round is a minor quibble.
6. The other minor quibble is with the Rangers drafting Alberts Smits in the first round over Chase Reid. The quibble isn’t with Smits, it’s that Reid was the best player available on the board and was perceived as a gift to the Rangers at 5th overall. I can’t tell you why the Rangers passed on Reid, nor where he was on their board. Many pundits are stating there’s a solid chance Smits becomes the best defenseman in the draft. That’s the thing with drafting defensemen, they are very hard to predict.
We will need to see how this plays out over the next few years.
7. John Lilley, the new Director of Amateur Scouting who came on board with Chris Drury, has had some solid drafts. His first real draft was in 2022, where he landed Adam Sykora and Noah Laba. In 2023 he got Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue. In 2024 it was EJ Emery and Nathan Aspinall. In 2025 the highlights were Malcolm Spence, Mikkel Eriksson, and Artyom Gonchar. It’s looking like the Rangers 2026 NHL Draft was a very strong one too.
It’s too soon to tell with most of these drafts, but he’s been a solid Director of Amateur Scouting. It’s hard to trust Drury, but Lilley is earning trust right now.
More About:Draft