2026 New York Rangers Full Mock Draft, Rounds 1-7
With 11 picks and a mandate to retool, the Rangers have a lot of ground to cover this draft. Three full mock draft simulations, a consistent case for Caleb Malhotra (if available), and a deep dive on who fills out the rest of the board.
The New York Rangers hold a total of 11 draft picks in this year's NHL Entry Draft: Two first rounders (5 and 26), one second rounder (63), four third rounders (67, 77, 81, and 92), one fifth rounder (131), two sixth rounders (162 and 163), and one in the seventh round (193).
After missing the playoffs for a second year in a row and issuing a second Letter indicating the start of a team reformation, it's beyond obvious just how important it is that this draft goes well for them.
Strategy
As we've mentioned extensively the last couple of months, the Rangers priority needs to be centers and defensemen. Ideally with their first three picks, they focus on those needs. With the four third rounders, the priority needs to be a mix of best player available and who has the most upside. Lastly, with at least one, if not two of the remaining picks, the Rangers need to prioritize goaltending.
In order to land on these picks, I used PuckPedia's mock draft feature to do three separate full seven round simulations and played the role of GM following the aforementioned strategy.
Without further ado, let's get right to it.
Round 1: 5th and 26th overall
Drafts 1 & 2
Caleb Malhotra was available with the fifth overall selection in each of the three mock drafts I did. I still have a difficult time imagining Vancouver passing up on him, but in the event he falls to fifth overall, the Rangers will have an easy decision on their hands. He's the best center in the draft, plays a style that best fits the team identity they're looking to build, and could very well turn into a franchise piece for them long term.
With the 26th overall pick, Nikita Klepov was available the first time around, so I went with him. Following a 97 point season with Saginaw in the OHL, he's a player you don't pass up on that late in the draft making him an easy choice. The second time around, Xavier Villeneuve was on the board so I went with him. A dynamic offensive defenseman with untapped potential, Villeneuve has some boom-or-bust to him, but fills a position of need and has too much raw talent to pass up this late in the draft. Is that a pick the Rangers would be willing to make? They haven't shied away from drafting players out of the QMJHL in the past, not to mention that Villeneuve will head to Boston University in the fall, which is Mike Sullivan, Dvaid Quinn, and Chris Drury's alma mater).
Draft 3
Even though Malhotra was still available, I took Carson Carels just to shake things up. In a world where both are available, you have to go with the center over a defenseman, but realistically the Rangers can't go wrong drafting either of these players. Carels has top-pair potential, plays an all around game, and can be a future leader in this league. The same goes for Malhotra, and it just all depends on what you view as the more pressing need for the Rangers. Both players are at least a year or two away from sniffing an NHL job, both have the potential to be top players from this class for years to come.
Third time around with the 26th pick, University of Miami Forward Ilia Morozov was still on the board, so following a similar logic that went into taking Klepov, I went with Morozov. One of the youngest players in the NCAA last season, Morozov has size, speed, versatility, and the potential to be an effective top nine NHLer.
Realistically, if I had to make my best educated guess outside of PuckPedia's mock draft feature, I'd say the Rangers likely end up with either Carson Carels or Keaton Verhoeff fifth overall, and one of Jack Hextall or J.P. Hurlbert at 26th.
Round 2: 64th Overall
This was the first round I had a different selection each time. One thing I would like to note with the 64th overall pick is that I would definitely look to trade up here. The Rangers have four third rounders and a very late second rounder. If there is anyway they can package picks 64 and 92 to move up to a top-50 pick, they should be all over that, especially if names like Ben MacBeath, Brooks Rogowski, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, or Jakub Vanacek, among others, begin to fall.
