Failure to Thrive: Brett Howden

Now that we’re past July 1 and the Rangers, for once, aren’t waiting on any contract negotiations via arbitration, we’ve officially entered the dog days of summer. Instead of counting down the days until training camp, we decided it was the perfect time to explore the Rangers’ past. Specifically, those Rangers who have passed on—not literally, of course, but those whose careers on the Rangers didn’t work out and then moved on to their new teams where they became effective players.

Introducing our “Failure to Thrive" series: Was it us? Was it them? Was it both? What happened, and why does this seem to happen so often in New York?

Howden’s Early Promise in Moose Jaw

In 2024, the Moose Jaw Warriors won their first WHL Championship. But nearly ten years earlier, many believed they had their best chance to take home a title. Brett Howden was a major reason for that level of confidence in the Warriors. During the 2015-16 season—his draft year—Howden scored 64 points in 68 games while wearing the “A” for his team and playing alongside future NHL star Brayden Point. He and Point excelled in the postseason, with Howden tallying 15 points in 10 games. They fell to the eventual 2015-16 WHL champion, the Brandon Wheat Kings, but not before scaring them with a dominant 7-1 game three routing. Howden’s postseason performance was what caught the attention of many NHL teams and made him a serious first round prospect.

Athleticism runs in the Howden family, as he mirrored his brother in almost every aspect of his early career. Brett, like his older brother Quinton, played for the Moose Jaw Warriors, wore the same number, and even stayed with the same billet family. He proved himself to be a legitimate pro prospect in the WHL. He was as complete a prospect as you could find. He had an aura of leadership among his peers, played defensively responsible hockey, and possessed a scoring touch to complement it. Howden was seen as a low ceiling, safe bet to be a bottom-six NHL player someday. On June 24, 2016, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Brett Howden with the 27th overall pick, following in his brother’s footsteps once again by being drafted in the first round and attending NHL training camps in Florida.

Howden rewarded the Lightning’s faith in him by scoring 81 points in 58 games the following season for the Warriors. Their playoff dreams ended earlier than expected, but Howden’s offensive skill was more evident than ever. The following season, he gained experience in professional hockey, playing five games for the AHL Syracuse Crunch and recording three goals and an assist. He returned to Moose Jaw for his final junior season, serving as captain and scoring 75 points in 49 games. Although they were the top seed, they were once again eliminated in the second round by the eventual WHL champion, the Swift Current Broncos. Howden’s stock as an NHL prospect was on the rise. Even before his impressive postseason, where he scored 15 points in 14 games, he was moving up the list of top NHL prospects. Because of this, he was targeted as an asset to be included in the blockbuster trade that brought him to New York City.