New York Rangers Draft Radar February Scouting Report

As we check in for the February edition of the Draft Radar Scouting Report, the New York Rangers are currently projected to land the third overall pick according to Tankathon. Which, in my opinion, could be the trickiest position this summer for them to make a selection. Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, in some order, will surely be picks one and two. But at three, things will really open up.

Do the Rangers take the next best player available in defenseman Keaton Verhoeff? Or do they “reach” for a center in Tynan Lawrence or Caleb Malhotra? Or is winger Viggo Bjorck a guy they really like? 

Nevertheless, we’ve covered a good portion of projected first round picks so far in this series. The three names we’re going to focus on today are currently all projected to go in the top 20 and could be of high interest to the Rangers. There’s a winger with ties to Liam Greentree, one of the best defenseman available who would fit a team need, and another center/wing option who could be available with the pick from Carolina.

With that, let’s take a look at Ethan Belchetz, Mathis Preston, and Carson Carels. 

But first, a quick update on last month's prospect report. 

Viggo Bjorck: Bjorck continues to gain experience in a men’s league as he’s up to five goals and six assists for 11 points in 35 games with Djurgardens IF in the SHL. Jimmy Hamrin of Elite Prospects spoke very highly of Bjorck in a recent feature, indicating:

Björck has been one of the best players on Djurgården since coming back from the World Juniors. He plays big minutes and leads one of the top-lines night after night. Even if his point production isn’t remarkable, he impacts the game at a high level every game. 

Adam Novotny: Since last month, Novotny has hit the 30 goal mark for the Peterborough Petes as he now has 29 assists for 59 points in 48 games played. He’s been hot recently and he’s currently on a two-points-per-game pace in his last six games. 

Tynan Lawrence: Numbers wise, not a ton has changed for Lawrence since last month. He’s since added an assist to his stat sheet which leaves him at two points in 13 games played. That’s nothing to write home about but he is only 13 games into his collegiate career. I can’t imagine the jump from the USHL to NCAA midseason is the smoothest transition for a player. Still, an impressive playoff can do wonders for his draft stock. 

Alberts Smits: I also wanted to quickly circle back to Smits (who I covered back in November) since he just got done playing in the 2026 Winter Olympics. First things first, the fact that you had an 18 year old competing in these games, specifically in a sport that is pretty well represented by professional talent, is remarkable in itself. But the fact that few minor defensive mistakes aside, he didn't look out of place, is all the more impressive. Smits finished the Olympics with two assists in four games played and is up to 13 points in 38 games with Jukurit of SM-Liiga. As a result, his stock price just went up and if the Rangers are going to prioritize a defenseman, he could be their guy.

Ethan Belchetz - Left Wing, Windsor Spitfires, OHL

I’m a bit conflicted on Ethan Belchetz being a fit for the Rangers because if they manage to come out of the 2026 draft with multiple picks and not having selected a center, it’s going to be a colossal failure. At the same time, Belchetz is another top forward in this class and has built in chemistry with the Rangers newest top prospect, Liam Greentree. If the Rangers manage to address their center needs elsewhere, there could be a vision for the future involving Ethan Belchetz. 

Scouts have referred to him as a wrecking ball, a unicorn, the type of guy you don’t want to go up against in the corners, as well as a prototypical power forward in this new-aged NHL. As you can see from this play earlier in the season, Belchetz just commands possession of the puck and holds onto it with such strength and calmness. The shot he lets go to find the back of the net, too, is just beyond lethal.

In 54 games for the Windsor Spitfires this season, Belchetz has collected 32 goals and 25 assists for a total of 57 points in 54 games played. At well over a point-per-game pace, Belchetz has been counted on alongside Liam Greentree to be one of Windsor’s top players. It's paying dividends for them, as Windsor is currently up there with Nathan Aspinall’s Flint Firebirds as one of the top teams in their conference, as well as the OHL as a whole. 

In his last ten games, Belchetz has recorded 11 points. In a two-goal outing against the Sarnia Sting in mind-February, he picked up his first goal of the game on a perfect little one touch reflection off a saucer pass from his linemate. Belchetz helped lead the rush out of his own end and went straight to the slot where he had time and space to make something happen. His second goal of the night came on the power play to make it 5-3 as he continued to command play and finished on a nice one timer on the right wing side of the ice. 

By all accounts this is a player who, by definition, is the type of player the Rangers are looking to shape their retool around. He plays the game hard, he competes, and he’s quite physical. But, above all, he puts up points, scores goals, has great hands, an even better shot, and can be dangerous in front of and around the net. He's not regarded as a playmaker, but that doesn't mean he can't make incredible plays as you'll see in the clip below. Just an outstanding move to dish it over to Jack Nesbitt.