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New York Rangers: Good news from NCAA prospects

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Cornell Big Red forward Morgan Barron (27) skates during the 2018 Frozen Apple College Hockey game between the Cornell Big Red and the Harvard Crimson on November 24, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Cornell Big Red forward Morgan Barron (27) skates during the 2018 Frozen Apple College Hockey game between the Cornell Big Red and the Harvard Crimson on November 24, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Zac Jones #24 of the Massachusetts Minutemen
Zac Jones #24 of the Massachusetts Minutemen /

Zac Jones (D) – 2019  3rd round – #68

Zac Jones was the other Ranger prospect who played for Team USA at the WJC.  He missed three games for U Mass, a win at RPI and two losses to seventh ranked Denver on the road.   A freshman, Jones is the top scoring defenseman for the Minutemen with three goals and 14 points.

Jones was one of the impressive players at the WJC, excelling on defense for Team USA.  Since returning he has played in two games without a point.    In his first game back, Jones was scoreless in a 3-1 win at  Boston College and the same in a loss to BC in Amherst.

Tenth ranked UMass is tied for second place in a very competitive Hockey East conference.  They have a 7-4-1 conference record and are 14-7-1 overall.  They travel to Vermont for two games this weekend.

Tyler Wall (G) – 2016 6th round – #174

Ranger goalie prospect Tyler Wall  is one of the top collegiate goaltenders.  He has a record of 12-3-4 with a .947 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.81. He is a senior this season so look for him to sign a pro contract as soon as UMass-Lowell’s season is over.

He continued his excellent play through the holidays.  Wall played one period in an exhibition against the CCHL All Stars that Lowell won 3-1.  On January 4, Lowell was victorious at Merrimack as Wall had 24 saves in a 3-1 victory.  He allowed one late third period goal.

The Hockey East schedule got going with two game this weekend at RIT.  Lowell won the first game 6-4, but dropped the second game 3-2.   Wall got the night off the second game.  When he won the first game it was Wall’s 52nd career win, breaking Dwayne Roloson’s record of 51.

Lowell is back in action this weekend with home games against fifth ranked Boston College and unranked Merrimack.  They are currently tied for second place in Hockey East with a 6-2-3 record and are 12-5-4 overall. UMass-Lowell is currently ranked 13th in the nation, in no small part due to the play of Tyler  Wall.

Riley Hughes (F) – 2018 7th round – #216

Riley Hughes is a freshman forward at Northeastern. In 21 games he has scored only one goal, his only point.  While that number is tough, you have to consider that this is his first year in college and he is playing on one of the better teams in the NCAA.  The good news is he is playing regular minutes as a freshman and we should look for more offensive output as his collegiate career progresses.

Northeastern got back into action on January 3 with a 5-2 win at UConn.  Hughes was scoreless with three shots on goal.  Monday, January 6 the followed  up with a 4-2 win over Bentley.

Hughes was again held off the scoresheet this weekend when Northeastern was edged 5-4 by New Hampshire.

.The Huskies play the Huskies next weekend as they take  on UConn in Boston. Northeastern is in a three-way tie for second place in Hockey East with UMass and UMass-Lowell. Their record is 7-5-1 in the conference and 13-6-2 overall and they are ranked 12th nationally.

The final conference with any Rangers prospects is the Big Ten.  That’s where K’Andre Miller, the top defensive prospect for the Blueshirts, plays for Wisconsin.

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