2026 Rangers Report Card: Vincent Iorio

This article is part of an ongoing series of Rangers Report Cards, grading the performance of each member of the 2025-26 New York Rangers. To view more report cards in this series, go here.

Expectations

Considering Vincent Iorio began the season with the Washington Capitals and ended up in San Jose before joining the New York Rangers, there weren’t many expectations for him, at least from a Rangers perspective. As I mentioned in the news piece when the Rangers claimed him off waivers from the Sharks, Iorio was a former second round draft pick who comes with size, reliability, and the ability of shooting right handed. Those are three enticing enough qualities that, with the right development, could be the foundational tools for building an effective NHL defenseman,.

The problem is, the Rangers really did not give him enough of a window to show whether or not he can be that for them. Since he was claimed, he spent more nights in the press box than on the ice with the team.

Performance

6 GP—0 G—0 A—0 PTS

While those numbers don’t look particularly great, Iorio finished without a point but also finished with an even plus/minus rating. Most nights, he saw roughly 10-12 minutes of ice time, but saw as much as 14-16 minutes other nights. To be frank, I don’t understand why the Rangers didn’t give him more opportunity to prove himself in a Rangers jersey. I understand—yet whole heartedly disagree with—the fact that Mike Sullivan and this coaching regime does not prefer to play guys on their offhand. At the same time, you have to be willing to adjust given the circumstances. 

Iorio is a young, higher-drafted player who, more likely than not, has not come anywhere near his ceiling as a professional. At 23, he’s already won a pair of Calder Cups, put up consistent points at the AHL level, picked up three assists in 21 games played with the San Jose Sharks earlier in the season. And, in his small sample size with the Rangers, did not look out of place in the slightest. He’s not a guy who is going to quarterback your power play or eat up big minutes, but he can match up against a variety of opponents, kill penalties, and has all the tools to play a reliable two-way game. 

Grades

Author Grade: Incomplete

Banter Consensus: Incomplete

Final Evaluation

At the end of the day, we're talking about a waiver wire pickup. There’s little to no risk when it comes to taking a chance on those players. I personally thought Iorio looked good enough to warrant more of a tryout but it certainly seemed like the Rangers felt otherwise. I still believe the fact that the Rangers would rather play Connor Mackey in the year 2026 than a 23-year-old who could have a future in this league is one of the major organizational flaws we see with this team. But at the end of the day, the world will continue to spin if they decide a player like Iorio isn't for them.