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Rangers Sign Anton Blidh To Two-Year Extension

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The Rangers announced today they’ve agreed to terms with depth winger Anton Blidh on a two-year, two-way extension. PuckPedia reported yesterday the deal carries a league-minimum $775K NHL salary and cap hit with a $350K AHL salary and a $385K guarantee each season.

Blidh’s extension is identical to the two-year, two-way deal he signed to join the Blueshirts as an unrestricted free agent in 2023. The 30-year-old Swede was a sixth-round pick of the Bruins back in 2013 and is now in his 10th professional season in North America. He’s seen AHL action in nine of them, spending all of this year on assignment to AHL Hartford, aside from a brief emergency recall last month that didn’t result in any playing time.

A high-energy, defensively responsible winger, Blidh has 85 NHL games to his name. Seventy of those came with the Bruins, where he played a limited call-up role and appeared in six straight campaigns from 2016-17 to 2021-22. He has 4-8–12 with a -14 rating over his career, which also includes a brief stop with the Avalanche in 2022-23.

He’s never been a big point producer in the minors either, but Blidh has done well as a secondary scorer in Hartford this year while logging heavy shorthanded usage. He’s put together a career-high 17-13–30 scoring line in 66 games, sitting third on the club in scoring alongside 80 PIMs and a plus-one rating.

Blidh was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer but will now wait until 2027 to test the open market again. He’s a likely candidate to pass through waivers next fall and return to Hartford.

Rangers’ Drew Fortescue Remaining With Boston College For 2025-26

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According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers must wait another year for one of their top defensive prospects to play games for the organization. Despite encouraging him to turn pro over the past few weeks, Drew Fortescue will return to Boston College for a junior season. 

The Rangers selected Fortescue with the 90th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. He had just completed a season with the U.S. National U18 Team, scoring one goal and 26 points in 62 games, and had already committed to the Eagles’ program before the draft.

Fortescue wasn’t much of a point producer in his first year with Boston College, recording only four goals and eight points in 40 games. However, his defensive awareness was impressive, and he emerged as the most efficient breakout passer on the team. He played a crucial role in the Eagles’ victory at the Hockey East tournament at the end of the season, also helping lead the team to the National Championship game against the University of Denver Pioneers.

He improved nearly every metric of his game in 2024-25 and finished with 11 assists in 36 games with a +28 rating. Still, despite finishing with the best record in the Hockey East Conference, the program itself took a step back from his freshman campaign. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Conference tournament to Northeastern University and were ousted by the Pioneers again in the National Tournament, also in the quarterfinals.

The Rangers arguably have a solid case for Fortescue turning pro, but he wouldn’t have had access to meaningful hockey upon signing. Despite qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs the past two seasons, the Hartford Wolf Pack don’t appear poised to return this year. New York theoretically could have had Forescue join the NHL squad for the rest of the regular season, but he doesn’t offer an upgrade to any of their other options at the time.

Poll: Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2024-25?

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A contract signing frenzy has broken out across the NHL as the NCAA season draws to a close. Teams are in a mad dash to lock up their star prospects, or sign impactful free agents who slipped through the cracks of the draft. The range of outcomes for these fresh pro recruits will stretch across the hockey world. Some will finish their seasons on amateur try-out contracts in the minor leagues, while others have earned a proud AHL shot, and even more find themselves suddenly thrust into the NHL lineup. The group of signees is headlined by prospects with years of anticipation behind them, joining teams with important games left on the docket. Those big additions lead to the natural next question – which college signing will make the biggest impact through the remainder of the year?

University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud may be an easy top guess. The 20-year-old right-wing has joined a St. Louis Blues team in the midst of a nine-game win-streak that’s propelled them into a confident playoff spot. St. Louis’ success has come in no small part thanks to rookie Zachary Bolduc, who has 16 goals and 31 points in 65 games this season. He’s been backed by other thriving young forwards, like Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The Blues have leaned into their youth movement by promoting top AHL scorer Dalibor Dvorsky to the top flight, after he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 57 minor league games. Now, St. Louis also adds the snappy shot of Snuggerud after he managed a dazzling 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games of his junior season. Snuggerud doesn’t shy away from physicality and plays a cool, calm, and collected game that should blend well with a Blues offense that’s firing on all cylinders since the calendar turned over.

But St. Louis’ Central Division rivals have a pair of new faces who could find their way to a big splash. The Chicago Blackhawks may be well outside of postseason contention, but they’ve received their own injection of young potential by signing Snuggerud’s UMN teammates, centerman Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel. Both players filled top-end roles for the Gophers this season, to dazzling results. Rinzel took home the Big Ten’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ honors this year, after recording 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games of his sophomore season. Moore just narrowly outscored him, potting 12 goals and 33 points in 38 games of his own. The pair have already made their NHL debuts – and while neither scored, they were both instantly noticeable amid a Blackhawks offense that’s slowed down as of late. Chicago is looking towards the future as the season draws to a close, and strong performances out of Moore or Rinzel could go a long way towards cementing their top-of-the-lineup role through next season. It seems Rinzel’s spot may already be locked up – after he recorded over 20 minutes of ice time and four shots on net in his debut.

There’s even more to watch from Gopher alums in the Central Division – with Matthew Wood inking a deal with the Nashville Predators after completing his junior year at UMN. Wood ranked second on the Gophers in scoring behind Snuggerud, with 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games this season. It was an impressive performance for the fresh-transfer – but perhaps even more impressive, it was Wood’s first time not leading his team in scoring since he made his junior hockey debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s a fierce shooter, with the heft and skating to push his way into space, even against top competition. He could quickly find a role on a Predators team that lost Mark Jankowski at the Trade Deadline – and one that’s in desperate need of a booming top prospect to spark hopes.

While the Gophers look to take control of the Central Division, the Metropolitan Division could soon be controlled by Eagles. Boston College stars Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault have inked their first pro deals, signing with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers respectively. The duo are absolute top prospects who have spent the vast majority of the last four seasons playing on the same line. Leonard is a beefy sniper capable of driving down the boards with speed and getting the puck on net quick. Perreault is a bit more nimble – and uses a strong drive to overwhelm opponents on the forecheck and quick hands to beat them in his paths to the net. Both have done nothing but sparkle with their individual efforts, and seem fully capable of translating at least some of their upside to the NHL right away. Leonard will join the best team in the league, while Perreault will join a squad currently in tight contention for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. Both roles should lead to major roles that could lead the top names to quick scoring.

Plenty of other signings across the hockey world could pay off sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t, the chance to watch top prospects finally donning their NHL jerseys is hard no to be excited over. Who do you think will make the biggest impact? Vote below:

Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Mark In 2024-25?
Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) 33.41% (303 votes)
Ryan Leonard (WSH) 32.19% (292 votes)
Gabriel Perreault (NYR) 15.77% (143 votes)
Sam Rinzel (CHI) 10.36% (94 votes)
Oliver Moore (CHI) 5.07% (46 votes)
Matthew Wood (NSH) 3.20% (29 votes)
Total Votes: 907

For mobile users, click here to vote.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Rangers Sign Callum Tung

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4/1: The New York Rangers have officially signed Tung to a three-year, entry-level contract. Tung will turn pro after just one season in college. Tung will report to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for the remainder of the season, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

3/31: Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Flames were interested in undrafted goaltender Callum Tung.  It turns out they weren’t the only team seeking his services as Friedman reports (Twitter links) that the Rangers are closing in on signing the netminder with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old took over as the starting goalie at UConn down the stretch, playing in their first ever tournament games in school history in recent days where he beat Quinnipiac and lost to Penn State.  On the season, he only suited up in 15 games, posting a 2.01 GAA and a .933 SV%.  That earned him a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

That’s Tung’s only NCAA experience as he spent last season with Alberni Valley of the BCHL where he put up a 2.80 GAA and a .917 SV% in 38 regular season games while recording a 2.11 GAA and a .940 SV% in 18 postseason contests.  He seemed to be positioned to apprentice behind Florida prospect Tyler Muszelic for a year or two and then take over as the starter but Tung played his way into that role quicker than expected.

It’s rare for a goalie to make the jump after one college campaign, particularly one who played in fewer than half the games in that lone season.  Knowing that, there’s a bit more risk-reward at play for New York.  If this was just a late-season hot streak, New York will be committing three years largely based on that short stretch of games.  On the other hand, if Tung is a later bloomer, they could have an intriguing prospect on their hands.

While Igor Shesterkin is entrenched as the starter for the long haul after signing an eight-year extension earlier this season, New York’s future second-string option is more up for grabs.  Dylan Garand is the current favorite for that spot should the Rangers eventually promote from within once Jonathan Quick calls it a career.  They also have Hugo Ollas and Talyn Boyko under contract but they’re more long shots to contend for an NHL spot.  That should give Tung a chance to work his way up their depth chart over the next few seasons although that was the plan at the college level and he wound up beating that timeline well in advance.

Rangers Sign Gabe Perreault

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4:00 PM: The Rangers have made this signing official. They’ve added their top prospect with eight games left on the schedule.

11:30 AM: Boston College star winger and top Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault will join teammate Ryan Leonard in turning pro. After reporting earlier Monday that the latter will sign his entry-level deal with the Capitals, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds Perreault is also expected to sign his ELC with New York and make his NHL debut this week. PuckPedia reports his deal will carry a $942K cap hit with the following terms:

2024-25 (prorated): $830K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $25K games played bonus
2025-26: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $350K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus
2026-27: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus

Perreault, the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, has formed one of the most formidable duos in the NCAA with Leonard over the last two years. A product of the U.S. National Development Team Program, the 5’11” Perreault has thrived as one of the best playmaking wingers in college as a teenager. He’s the younger of the duo, still 19 years old. He’ll turn 20 in May.

Like Leonard, Perreault’s sophomore season was a tad quieter than his freshman campaign. He still finished second on the team in scoring behind his now-divisional rival, posting 16-32–48 in 37 games to tie for 11th in the country in scoring. Nonetheless, his 73 assists over the last two years are still tied for second in the NCAA behind star Denver defenseman and Wild prospect Zeev Buium’s 74.

Perreault is the top jewel in a slightly below-average Rangers prospect pool and sits as the No. 9 prospect in the NHL, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic – one spot behind Leonard. The son of ex-NHLer Yanic Perreault and brother of Oilers minor-leaguer Jacob Perreault has won back-to-back gold medals with the United States at the World Juniors, posting 6-14–20 in 14 tournament games in 2024 and 2025.

He joins a Rangers team that’s still in a very legitimate playoff hunt. Despite going 4-5-1 in their last 10, no other team in the race for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference has won more than four out of their last 10. That means their playoff odds still remain at 32.8%, second behind the Canadiens’ 38.6%, per MoneyPuck. However, the Blueshirts have the second most difficult remaining schedule in the league behind the Red Wings, including four games against the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Panthers. They sit tied with Montreal at 77 points and would win a tiebreaker with any other team in the race with 32 regulation wins, but have one less game to play than the Habs.

Perreault should enter a Rangers top-nine, potentially even top-six, that’s been pedestrian offensively in 2024-25. He could very well get a trial on the top line opposite Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. Their current right-winger, 2021 first-rounder Brennan Othmann, has just two assists in 16 NHL appearances this season. Barring a prohibitively difficult showing down the stretch, Perreault is an overwhelmingly likely inclusion on their opening night roster for 2025-26.

Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.

Rangers’ Matt Rempe Out Week-To-Week

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The Rangers announced that forward Matt Rempe is out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury (via Larry Brooks of the New York Post). A corresponding recall is unlikely because Sam Carrick has rejoined the team after a brief personal leave, Brooks adds, giving the Blueshirts 13 healthy forwards. With less than a month to go in the season, the injury could end his campaign if New York doesn’t make the playoffs.

Rempe, 22, now carries an injury designation for the first time in his brief NHL career. Most of his unavailability over the past two years has been due to suspensions – first, a four-gamer for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler last year, then an eight-game ban earlier this season for boarding Stars defender Miro Heiskanen.

While the depth enforcer was ferried between New York and AHL Hartford many times in the early going of the season, he’s remained on the NHL roster since being activated from his suspension. He’s made 36 appearances in 2024-25, more than doubling his 2023-24 total, posting 2-3–5 with a plus-four rating and 63 PIMs. He’s averaging just under eight minutes of ice time per game and ranks sixth on the team with 103 hits.

The 6’9″, 255-lb forward entered the season with one goal – stay on the ice. Penalties and suspensions have overshadowed any upside he has as an effective bottom-six checking presence since he entered the league last season. He’s made some progress in that regard, averaging 1.75 PIMs per game compared to a ridiculous 4.18 last year.

Rempe put up 3-2–5 in 18 games with the Wolf Pack earlier this year. A pending restricted free agent, he should be in line for a sub-$1MM AAV on an extension as the Blueshirts navigate a cap crunch this summer.

Rookie Brett Berard will re-enter the lineup tomorrow against the Ducks in Rempe’s absence. He’d sat as a healthy scratch for the past two games. He’s been a more effective depth scorer than the latter in limited minutes, notching 4-4–8 in 28 games. New York selected Berard, 22, in the fifth round in 2020.

Rangers Recall Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

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Per a team announcement, the Rangers have recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from AHL Hartford. He could make his Blueshirts debut tomorrow against the Kings, but it’s far likelier he’s an extra body for injury insurance on their California road trip.

Aubé-Kubel, 28, was acquired from the Sabres in the trade that sent defenseman Erik Brännström to Buffalo before the deadline. After being waived by the Sabres on Jan. 27 and subsequently reassigned to the minors, he’s posted a combined 5-4–9 scoring line in 15 games between the two organizations’ AHL affiliates this year, including one goal in three games with Hartford since the swap.

A second-overall pick by the Flyers back in 2014, Aubé-Kubel was an NHL regular on a championship-winning team with the Avalanche three years ago. His stock has tumbled since, though, leading to multiple waiver placements and a handful of AHL stints for the first time since the pandemic.

He was a strong piece on the Capitals’ fourth line last season, posting 6-10–16 in 60 games with a plus-four rating and 159 hits. That landed the grinder a $1.5MM commitment from the Sabres on a one-year deal last summer, but he wasn’t nearly as effective in Buffalo. Injuries limited him to a goal and an assist in 19 games for the Sabres before he landed on waivers.

The 6’0″, 207-lb winger still counts $350K against the cap when he’s in the minors because of his salary checking in above the maximum buriable threshold, so the Rangers only add $1.15MM to their books with the recall. New York now has an active roster of 25 players, including the injured Arthur Kaliyev, who’s done for the year. Aubé-Kubel is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Rangers Sign Jackson Dorrington To Entry-Level Contract

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Defenseman Jackson Dorrington is officially turning pro after his junior season at Northeastern University ended a few days ago. The New York Rangers announced they’ve signed Dorrington to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season, and he’ll report to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on an amateur tryout agreement for the remainder of the season.

Dorrington was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the 176th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Before ever registering a game in the Canucks organization, Vancouver traded Dorrington alongside Erik Brännström and J.T. Miller to the Rangers on the last day of January for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick.

Unfortunately, Dorrington’s junior year at Northeastern University concluded similarly to the others, being knocked out of the difficult Hockey East conference tournament. Since joining the Boston-based academic institution for the 2022-23 NCAA season, Dorrington and the Huskies did not advance past the conference tournament semifinals. They qualified for the National Tournament during his freshman year but were eliminated in the regional semifinal by Western Michigan University.

He wasn’t much of a point-producer at Northeastern, finishing his collegiate career with eight goals and 33 points in 105 games. Still, Dorrington displayed an abundance of poise on the defensive side of the puck, evidenced by his +17 rating.

Outside of the statistics, Dorrington proved effective at defensive positioning. Although he’s not a replica by any means, Dorrington’s playstyle is similar to former Ranger Ryan McDonagh, who has excelled at defensive positioning for much of his NHL career. He’s unlikely to become a powerplay candidate at any point in his professional career, but Dorrington could become a useful arrow in the quiver in the Rangers’ penalty kill for years to come.

Rangers Reassign Anton Blidh

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March 21: The Rangers’ PR department announced they’ve assigned Blidh back to Hartford today. Since his services weren’t required in last night’s game, he has to be returned to the minors on off days to qualify as an emergency recall.

March 20: As expected, the New York Rangers have recalled depth forward Anton Blidh from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Multiple reports this morning indicated the Rangers could have multiple players out tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but forward Matt Rempe is the only one as he’s out with an illness.

Blidh wasn’t included in tonight’s lineup and likely won’t be during the call-up. The Molnlycke, Sweden native is in his third season with the Rangers organization but has only suited up in one contest since being acquired from the Colorado Avalance in 2023.

Still, he’s been productive in the AHL with Hartford. The career bottom-six talent has scored 31 goals and 56 points in 131 games with the Wolf Pack, making for the best stretch of his career since playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins in the late 2010s. He’s already earned a career-high 28 points this season with 11 games remaining in Hartford’s schedule.

Meanwhile, Rempe is absent from New York’s lineup for the first time in 29 games. The young enforcer has scored two goals and five points, delivering 87 hits, and earning 30 penalty minutes. Rempe’s 29 consecutive games are relatively impressive given he’s had considerable issues with suspensions and injuries through the first two years of his NHL career.

Rangers, Noah Laba Agree To Entry-Level Contract

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The Rangers announced they’ve agreed to terms with center Noah Laba on a two-year entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He will finish the 2024-25 season on a tryout with AHL Hartford.

Laba, 21, was the Blueshirts’ fourth-round pick (No. 111) overall in the 2022 draft. An engaged, well-rounded offensive center with a 6’2″ frame, he was coming off a 39-point campaign in 50 games with the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars in his draft year, adding 115 PIMs to boot.

After being selected by the Rangers, Laba jumped to the NCAA with Colorado College. He’s stayed in Colorado Springs for the last three seasons, reining in the penalty trouble and dialing up the offense. A breakout sophomore campaign in 2023-24 saw him take home NCHC Best Defensive Forward honors, leading the Tigers with 20 goals, 37 points, and a +20 rating in 36 games.

Laba didn’t manage to crack the point-per-game threshold for a second season in a row in 2024-25 but still had a respectable 10-16–26 scoring line in 29 games for CC. With his season over following their loss to Denver last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey in Hartford over the next few weeks.

Laba’s collegiate resume makes it a probable bet that he’ll see NHL ice at some point before his rookie deal expires in the summer of 2027. Whether that means a full-time role for the Michigan native in the next two years remains to be seen, but he’s one of the brighter spots in a pedestrian New York prospect pool. He ranked No. 7 in the system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s 2025 rankings.

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