New York Rangers: Five thriving late picks from the last two drafts
By Josh Lipman
Morgan Barron, sixth round, 174 overall in 2017
Center Morgan Barron is off to a surprising start in his freshman campaign at Cornell. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Barron offers some serious size, but he was something of a mystery when New York chose him in June. Prospect writers mostly labeled him “raw” before shrugging and moving on.
Some of the questions surrounding Barron come from his odd route to the draft. Despite hailing from Halifax in Canada, Barron did not play any level of Canadian junior hockey. Instead, he skated for an all-boys boarding school called St. Andrew’s College.
Since the draft, Barron posted nine points in his first 12 NCAA games. In an early season highlight, Barron tallied two points to lead Cornell over Boston University at Madison Square Garden in late November.
The Rangers don’t have a ton of prospects in the NCAA ranks. They only hold the rights to Barron, goalies Adam Huska and Tyler Wall, and defender Tyler Nanne. Barron’s hot start gives Ranger fans a welcome excuse to follow college hockey this season.