New York Rangers March Prospect Pipeline Scouting Report

Every month since the start of the season, we’ve focused on three prospects in the New York Rangers’ system to see how their season has been going and what the future could hold for them. While this month won’t be the end of these reports, it will be the final edition of initial check-ins as we take a look at Sean Barnhill, Felix Farhammar, and the Rangers newest addition, Jacob Battaglia. 

Of course, before we dive in, let’s do a round-up on the Rangers’ prospects but it’s going to look a little different this time around as they’ll be placed in different categories, starting with the graduates. 

The Graduates: Brody Lamb and Drew Fortescue 

Both of these players are on the brink of no longer being considered prospects as they’ve both signed their entry-level contracts upon their NCAA seasons coming to an end. Brody Lamb is off to a fabulous start in Hartford as he’s collected two goals and four assists in seven games played. As for Drew Fortescue, he reported straight to the New York Rangers and now has two games under his belt, picking up his first career assist along the way. This is great progress for both of these players who could play important parts to the organization's future.

Next Men Up: Liam Greentree, Nathan Aspinall, and Raoul Boilard

Liam Greentree should be looking to compete for a full time job with the Rangers at the start of next season, but before he gets there he’ll look to lead his Windsor Spitfires to the postseason where they can hopefully compete for their first championship in close to a decade. Up to 38 goals and 36 assists on the year, Greentree is having a solid final season in the OHL, despite coming nowhere close to the 119 point season he had last year. The Spitfires currently lead their first round playoff series 2-0 against the Guelph Storm. 

As for Nathan Aspinall, the Flint Firebirds lead the Owen Sound Attack 3-0 in their opening round playoff series, as he finishes a truly remarkable 2025-26 campaign. Aspinall has 33 goals, 61 assists for 94 points in 65 games—and three goals and four assists in three playoff games—and could very well be an important prospect for the Rangers down the road, and will surely be a name to watch in next season's training camp. 

Lastly, Raoul Boilard has had a pretty disappointing season in the QMJHL with just 37 points to show for it. Drafted back in 2024, Boilard was due to sign his ELC but announced at the start of this month that he would be joining Lake Superior State at the start of next season to play collegiate hockey in the United States. How much time that buys the Rangers for making a signing decision with him is still to be determined. That’s not nothing, as the school has produced some NHL talent (namely Doug Weight, Brian Roloston, and Bates Battaglia). However, there's been a very small handful of names in recent years to make the NHL coming out of that program. I had hoped a strong fifth year in the QMJHL would help Boilard earn his ELC, but now I’m not confident he has any NHL future whatsoever.  

Hidden Gems: Mikkel Eriksen, Artem Gonchar, Evan Passmore 

These three prospects could turn into something down the road. They're all mid-later round draft picks that resulted in a sort of intriguing reaction from scouts and fans alike. Eriksen and Gonchar have pretty decent upside long term as they were both drafted young and have a ways to go, which could benefit their development.

Artem Gonchar is coming off a real impressive rookie season in the OHL as he collected 51 points in 65 games with the Sudbury Wolves. They trail their playoff series against the Brantford Bulldogs 2-0 in the first round of the OHL playoffs. 

Mikkel Eriksen, on the other hand, has received all sorts of experience playing in three different levels of hockey in Sweden. He appeared in 15 games with Farjestads’ top team, five games in the Swe-1 league, and spent most of the season with their junior team where he collected a total of 44 points. Not bad for an 18-year-old center. 

As for Evan Passmore, ten points in 66 games may not sound like much, but it's good work for a stay-at-home defenseman. He’s currently helping the Barrie Colts take on the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL playoffs—the series is tied 1-1— nd could be nearing the end of his time in the OHL, as he’ll turn 20 in December. With so many CHL players making the jump to the NCAA, I do wonder if there’s any consideration to a player like Passmore choosing this path. This has been his third full season in the OHL, so you do have to wonder how much he has left to learn from playing in this league. He’s not quite AHL-ready, so a college hockey stint—even if for a smaller program—may not be the worst course of action for his development. 

Bottom-of-the-Barrel: Rasmus Larsson, Rico Gredig, Zeb Lindgren, and Samuel Jung

I’d love to be proven wrong here, but I wouldn’t expect much from any of these guys. Larsson struggled to be a regular at Robert Morris University, finishing the season with just two points in 16 games. I had some interest in Rico Gredig, but after leaving Davos HC I can’t see his stock going up any higher from there. Perhaps Zeb Lindren, who has 19 points in 36 games in Sweden’s junior league could be something down the road, but expecting that is counterproductive. And if anybody has any information on Samuel Jung, I strongly encourage you to go off in the comments below because there is practically zero information on him doing much of anything this season.

Jacob Battaglia - Right Wing, Flint Firebirds, OHL

In case you missed it, my initial reaction to what the Rangers were getting in Jacob Battaglia—acquired from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Brennan Othmann—came shortly after the trade was announced at the end of deadline day. This is a player that was once viewed as a potential steal from his draft class on account of the 90 point season that followed his draft year. While he may be a below-average skater (par for the course for the Rangers), he is a versatile winger with a great work ethic that has high-level goal-scoring and play-making abilities. Currently a top forward alongside Nathan Aspinall with the Flint Firebirds, Battaglia looks to lead his team through their post-season against the Owen Sound Attack.

Battaglia's 2025-26 season was split between the Kingston Frontenacs—where he spent most of his junior career—and then with the Firebirds. He started the season strong with 27 points in 36 games with Kingston, and put up another 21 points in 28 games after being dealt to the Firebirds. Those aren't extraordinary numbers by any means—especially in comparison to that 90 point season the year prior—but still a productive season for a player ready to graduate from the OHL.

His most impressive stretch in juniors came in the seasons before and after his draft year. Leading up to the 2024 draft, Battaglia collected 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 67 games. That was enough to convince the Calgary Flames to select him 64th overall in the second round, and helped drive Battaglia to record 40 goals and 50 assists in 68 games the following season.

Another thing he really excels at is shooting the puck, which was on full display in a hat-trick outing he had earlier this season. Right off the rush, Battaglia doesn't hesitate to shoot the puck, as he roofs a quick wrist shot top shelf to extend the Frontenacs lead in the first period. That game became quite the blow out but Battaglia's skill level continued to impress throughout the outing. On a two-man advantage in the third period, his poise and puck handling were on full display prior to ripping a one timer for his second of the night. He completed the hat-trick in the final ten seconds of play as he was left wide open right at the doorstep.

More recently, Battaglia has continued to be a key performer with the Firebirds. Throughout the month of March, he's registered two goals and five assists across eight games played. One of which, included a three assist outing against the Saginaw Spirit. Earlier in the month, Battaglia had a pair of goals in back-to-back games with the first of which coming on another cross-crease pass that resulted in a one-knee one timer—something that seems to be another strength of his.

Three days later against the Soo Greyhounds, Aspinall and Battaglia led an odd man rush for the Firebirds as Aspinall fed Battaglia with a nice back hand pass he was able to tap it home, giving his team a 3-2 lead in the third. The Firebirds went on to drop the game in a shootout. Battaglia had the chance to keep it alive in the later rounds but was shut down by Los Angeles Kings prospect Carter George.

As mentioned, the Firebirds are taking on the Owen Sound Attack in the first round of the OHL Playoffs. Game one took place on Thursday, Marc. 26th and Battaglia had a monstrous six point outing. Midway through the first, Flint went on the power play as Nathan Aspinall moved the puck down low to Jimmy Lombardi as Battaglia created some time and space for himself in front of the net, resulting in him picking up the first goal of the game.

That would be the first of three power play goals all involving that trio of Lombardi, Aspinall, and Battaglia as he assisted on both of the next two goals. At the end of the first, Battaglia picked up his fourth assist, winning a face-off that allowed for Christopher Thibodeau to walk into the slot and finish on a pretty move, making it a 4-0 game. Battaglia's second goal came late in the second on a partial breakaway as he snuck a shot through the goalie's legs, extending his team's already dominant lead.

The Firebirds went on to win the game 8-1 as Battaglia had two goals and four assists with Aspinall picking up a goal and three assists. If there was one single team to keep an eye on during the OHL Playoffs, it would definitely be the Flint Firebirds.