New York Rangers January Prospect Pipeline Scouting Report

We're back at it for the January edition of the Prospect Pipeline Scouting Report, and we’re going to dive into three newer names in the New York Rangers prospect pool.

But before we do that, let’s revisit the players we’ve covered so far. 

Brody Lamb: Lamb is still close to a point-per-game with 24 points in 26 games, but the most interesting development is that he’s recently been getting looks at center with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. That would be huge for him if he can prove capable of playing both wing and center, especially if the plan for him is to join the Hartford Wolf Pack at the end of the NCAA season. 

Nathan Aspinall: Now up to 64 points in 45 games with the Flint Firebirds this season, I don’t see that there is anything left for Aspinall to prove in the OHL, as he is ready to make the jump to professional hockey. Before he does, though, he would surely like to lead his team—currently the top team in the OHL’s Western Conference—to a championship before he officially moves on.  

Malcolm Spence: Spence continues to learn the ropes of the NCAA as he’s now up to 14 points (eight goals and six assists) in 25 games at the University of Michigan. He had a nice goal off a quick shot in the slot on a 4-on-4 earlier this month against Norte Dame.

Raoul Boilard: In what is likely his least season of junior hockey, Raoul Boilard has actually been traded to the Cape Breton Eagles. Boilard had 23 points in 33 games with the Shawinagan Cataracters, and now has five points in eleven games with Cape Breton. 

Ty Henricks: The Western Michigan sophomore is up to 19 points in 25 games, which is pretty great, especially for a sixth round draft pick. The Rangers have lots of potential fourth liners with size in their pipeline, and Henricks could be a bit of a diamond in the rough as he's having a fantastic year.

EJ Emery: Up to five points with North Dakota, Emery also got into four games with Team USA at the World Juniors. As Roberto mentioned in his story on Emery, his biggest strength is always going to be his defending. It's not flashy, but it's effective.

Mikkel Eriksen: The Rangers most recent fourth round draft pick has added seven goals and two assists since last month and continues to be a top player in Sweden's junior league. He is currently with Farjestad BK's team in the SHL as he slotted in on their fourth line this week.

Rasmus Larsson: Good news: He has five more games under his belt. Bad news: He's still pointless with a -5.

Drew Fortescue: The BC defenseman has tied his career high with 11 points in 23 games played. Roberto's deep dive on him will be out later in February.

Rico Gredig - Left Wing, Davos HC, Swiss-A

Lost in the shuffle of the Rangers’ prospect pool is their sixth round (194th overall) draft pick in 2024, Rico Gredig. A 6-1, 180 pound left winger who can fill in at center, Gredig was an overage draft pick at the time the Rangers selected him and will turn 21 on Feb. 1.

A Chur, Switzerland-native, Gredig has spent the last three seasons with HC Davos in the Swiss-A League where he has made slow and steady progress. A former captain on Davos’ U20 team, Gredig collected four points in 28 games his first season in the A-League, five points in 40 games last season, and currently has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 40 games played this year. While he may not be an avid point producer, he did have three points in 10 playoff games with HC Davos last season, so in that regard, perhaps he can be a Barclay Goodrow-lite, so to speak. 

A couple of interesting tidbits before really getting into this player: Gredig is surrounded by several former Rangers and other NHL talents on this HC Davos team. Former third round draft pick in 2013 Adam Tambellini spent three seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack and has been with HC Davos the last two seasons. Brendan Lemieux, who spent parts of three seasons in New York, joined the club for 15 games last year and has remained with them through this season. Former fourth round draft pick defenseman Nico Gross, who never signed with the Rangers, has spent the last two seasons there, as well. Calle Andersson, a fourth round pick in 2012 who spend two seasons in Hartford, is also with HC Davos.

Beyond Rangers ties, former fringe NHLers Rasmus Asplud and Joakim Nordstrom are both a part of their roster. Nashville Predators prospect Simon Knak is also on the team, but most notably, former sixth overall draft pick Filip Zadina has spent the last two seasons there and is currently operating at a point per game pace. (Wonder if a NHL comeback will ever be in the cards?) Needless to say, Gredig is in good company. But how is he actually playing? 

One of Gredig’s three goals on the season came at the beginning of this month in his team’s 5-1 win against Lausanne HC. In the clip below, you’ll see him build up speed as he swings through the defensive zone and after catching a pass on the breakout, makes a nice chip pass ahead to himself for what became a partial breakaway. Wasting no time, Gredig opted for the simple wrist shot and beat the netminder to extend Davos’ lead to 3-0.

Gredig has had a great start to the new year as just this weekend, he picked up another goal in HC Davos’ 5-2 win over HC Ajoie, In a similar effort as his other goal, Gredig uses his speed to lead the rush and retreats to make a pass as he doesn’t have a shooting lane. Once the puck makes its way to a teammate, Gredig goes right to the net where he is able to cash in on a rebound to seal the deal for his team late in the game. 

While this is still a player who has a ways to go in terms of development, Gredig is showing some improvements this season and is having an impact on a talented HC Davos team that leads the Swiss League in the standings. This will, however, be his last season with the club, as it appears he has agreed to a two-year deal with EV Zug, a different team in the same league. 

Gredig is a very interesting prospect for the Rangers as it doesn’t appear that he’ll be signing anytime soon, but is making productive progress overseas. The Rangers have until the summer of 2028 to offer him his entry-level contract, and as we know by his age, he can technically play with Hartford in the AHL at any point. He plays a responsible two-way game, has some speed, and good hockey sense. As we learned during the Rangers prospect scrimmages last September, he doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game either, and could be a valuable depth player down the road. It all depends on if and when the Rangers decide to sign him.