Breaking Down the New York Rangers 2025 NHL Draft Class

Despite the New York Rangers conceding their first round pick this year to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was an eventful draft for Blueshirts. The organization selected eight new players this year, the most selections the team has made since 2021. It comes at a fitting time as the club sits at a crossroads. There is essentially one last chance for the team to bounce back in 2025-26 before the front office probably throws the towel in and begins a larger rebuild. Since his contract extension and increased freedom to make decisions this season, Chris Drury is beginning to construct the Blueshirts in his own image, and the choices he makes now weigh heavily on the future of this team.

Let’s take a look how the general manager did.

Pre-Draft Moves

Prior to June 27, Drury tied up a handful of loose ends on the roster. He re-signed three of the team’s pending RFAs—Matt Rempe, Matthew Robertson, and Adam Edstrom. Those contracts were fairly easy cases considering the kids’ lack of experience and restricted bargaining rights. The Twin Towers of Rempe and Edstrom carried the larger price tag, with both set to earn $975,000 annually on two-year bridge deals. Robertson, who only played two games at the NHL level last season, is making league minimum ($775,000) on a two-year extension, which remains a two-way situation for the first year. While it’s not the Robertson everyone was hoping the Blueshirts would sign this summer, it does guarantee some defensive depth as the team struggles to reconstruct its blueline.

Nothing materialized for pending RFAs K’Andre Miller and Will Cuylle, unfortunately. There was talk of Miller facing a trade ahead of the draft to get the team more picks, but no move came to fruition. The defenseman has reportedly been made a qualifying offer of $4.646 million annually, but the Rangers' limited cap space and free agency ambitions don’t seem to align even with that lower rate. There’s ample rumors about Drury and co.'s interest in Los Angeles Kings free agent Vladislav Gavrikov, which could force their hand with Miller in the next few days.

The Draft

The Rangers spent their eight picks this year on five defenseman and three forwards. It’s a relief considering the continued concerns on the backend. Drury has only drafted five defenseman since 2021, so doubling that number helps keep the shelves stocked better than they’ve been in a hot minute.

We also saw the Blueshirts take the least amount of Americans since Drury took over. This is a particularly interesting development, considering that Drury usually acts like he owns stock in the U.S. National Team Development Program. Twenty-five percent of New York's draftees were Canadian and 25 percent were Swedish. The remaining four were American, Czech, Norwegian, and Russian. 

The Canadian selections also saw a change in the trends of years previous. The Rangers haven’t take two OHL players since 2009, when they selected Daniel Maggio and Scott Stajcer. The front office has often favored the Western Hockey League as of late. A majority of Canadian junior players drafted in the past decade have come from the WHL or the Quebec Maritime Junior League. Perhaps this suggests a shift in the organization’s scouting strategy. It is a fitting move considering how many NHL stars the OHL produces. There is more of a guarantee with regard to these players’ pedigree from the jump.

Second Round

43rd Overall: Malcolm Spence - LW, Erie Otters, OHL

New York’s first selection in the draft came during the second round: Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters. I believe this may be the first time the organization has selected a player from Connor McDavid’s alma mater, but don’t quote me on that. Spence was projected to go in the first round, ranked 14th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting, so the Rangers are counting this pick as a bit of a steal.

“Malcolm is an excellent winger, power play, PK, plays the game the right way,” John Lilley, Director of Player Personnel, told the media. “He doesn't cheat the game. We’ve valued him for a few years now… I think he was projected to go quite a bit higher, so when the opportunity presented itself, we were thrilled to get him in that spot, and we think he's got a lot of potential and a high character player.”

Born in 2006 (anyone else contemplating their own mortality?), the Mississauga native is listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds. He’s been described by scouting reports as a physical forward with two-way capabilities. He’s has a powerful slapshot and a knack for disrupting plays. His offensive upside might be questionable, but it doesn’t appear to be a huge issue right now. Several reports suggested that when he’s at his best, he is easily the best skater on the ice. This past season with the Otters, he put up 32 goals, 41 assists for 73 points in 65 games, while serving as an alternate captain.

Spence has committed to play for the University of Michigan next season, thanks to the shifting of amateur status rules between the CHL and the NCAA. UMich has produced some of the league’s top young players in recent years between Quinn Hughes, Adam Fantilli, Zach Werenski, Owen Power, and Mackie Samoskevich, so Spence choosing to hone his skill here bodes well for his development.

On the personal side of things, Spence is treading familiar ground in New York City. His sister just graduated from college here and he has family in the area. He’s also quite close with Carey Terrance, this team’s most recent acquisition from the Chris Kreider trade. Terrance served as captain of the Otters this past season alongside Spence.

Spence also has connections with another New York-bound draftee. Matthew Schaefer, another Otter alum, was selected first overall by the Islanders in a moving and emotional display. Spence is looking forward to taking the ice just 19 miles away from his former teammate, though the newfound rivalry will take some getting used to.

“He’s one of my closest friends and you want to have your buddies succeed, but [it’s] a little awkward now with the Rangers and Islanders,” Spence said. “...It’s a little rivalry now, but I know with 'Schaef', we want to be competitive so it’s going to bring the best out of each other. I’m really excited for both of our careers.”

It’ll be fascinating to see those new tensions play out in the coming years. 

Spence is set to join Terrance, as well as his fellow 2025 draftees, at Development Camp this week.