New York Rangers draft Hank Kempf 208th overall

With their final pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers selected defenseman Hank Kempf, who is committed to Cornell University. Kempf was the 208th selection of the draft and the only defensive prospect selected by the Rangers in this year’s draft.

Kempf, a 6-foot-2, 190 lb left-handed shot defenseman, has played for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks for the past three seasons. He had four goals, six assists, and 27 PIM in 26 games for the Lumberjacks in the 2020-21 season. Kempf finished second among Lumberjacks defenders in goals despite playing in half as many games as most of his teammates.

In his USHL career, Kempf has 28 points and 71 PIM in 81 games.

Kempf is an Illinois native who had an assist in four games with Team USA at the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Last June, he was named to the USHL All-Academic team, putting him among the top five students in the league.

There aren’t many scouting reports on Kempf out there but the general picture here is that he has plenty of toughness and good size. He also has a fight from this past season in the USHL on hockeyfights.com you can watch if that’s your thing.

Data courtesy of EliteProspects.com.