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The Athletic, specifically, Corey Pronman, did their yearly rankings of organization prospect pools for players under the age of 23. This ranking has become an annual late-summer tradition, giving us hockey fans another debate, not that we have Raneproblem creating our own, to discuss. Seeing San Jose and Anaheim first and second in the list is of little surprise, as most view those two teams as the ones to watch in the future. This year, the New York Rangers placed 18th, according to Pronman.
For those who are xenophobic and only concerned with our team, the Rangers moved up six spots from 24th to 18th. Pronman ranked 14 Rangers hopefuls. includes all 14 players covered by Pronman The bad news, or one that has drawn the ire of many, is how those players at the top of that list are ranked.
Smits leads the list
Alberts Smits at 1 is understandable. Then the argument starts. Cole Beaudoin, acquired in the Vincent Trocheck deal, and Liam Greentree, who came over for Artemi Panarin, are two and three. Nathan Aspinall is four while Malcolm Spence, New York’s first selection in the 2025 draft, is fifth. Finally we get to Gabe Perreault, who Pronman ranked sixth. Yes, that’s correct, sixth.
The case for Perreault to prove pundits wrong
Pronman has never been a big fan of Perreault, raising concerns about his skating speed and size. While both concerns are valid, contrast that opinion with Pronman’s The Athletic colleague, Scott Wheeler, who is exceedingly high on Perreault, sometimes over the top. Pronman has a type he likes and Perreault doesn’t fit that type. In fairness, a significant number of NHL scouts agree with Pronman. However, a growing percentage disagrees.
The knock: He can score but he doesn’t contribute much else. Moreover, skeptics believe he won’t score enough at the NHL level to compensate for other deficiencies. That’s why he fell in his Draft class. Doubters still say the same things now. They passed judgement right away and aren’t about to back off.
Perreault showed last season that his hockey sense and smarts can help make up for his lack of speed and size. Questions may persist about his long-term profile but to rank him sixth is a massive disservice to the player and puts the entire list In question.
Frankly, taking the rest of Pronman’s rankings seriously has now also gotten much more difficult. Perreault should be first or second, in my opinion. At least give him the benefit of the doubt and put him, say, third. Sixth is ridiculous.
18th feels like a pretty interesting spot for the Rangers, especially with so much attention on San Jose and Anaheim at the top. Prospect rankings can always spark debate, but the real test will be which young players actually develop into NHL contributors. It should be fun to watch how this group looks over the next few seasons. For something completely unrelated, I also came across https://rockyspin.com.gr/ while browsing online.