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Three NCAA Free Agents the Rangers should target

By Conor Power

LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 30: Danny O'Regan #65 of the Hartford Wolf Pack skates against the Laval Rocket during the third period at Place Bell on October 30, 2019 in Laval, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 30: Danny O'Regan #65 of the Hartford Wolf Pack skates against the Laval Rocket during the third period at Place Bell on October 30, 2019 in Laval, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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OSHAWA, ON – NOVEMBER 22: Austen Swankler #21 of the Erie Otters skates during an OHL game against the Oshawa Generals at the Tribute Communities Centre on November 22, 2019, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
OSHAWA, ON – NOVEMBER 22: Austen Swankler #21 of the Erie Otters skates during an OHL game against the Oshawa Generals at the Tribute Communities Centre on November 22, 2019, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) /

Austen Swankler

As you will notice, Austen Swankler may be a little different from some of the other people you will read about coming out of college. He had an entire season in the OHL with the Erie Otters before moving to Bowling Green State ahead of last season. While that means he is still eligible for the Falcons for the foreseeable future, this is a player that teams will be enquiring about to no end.

Swankler is 21 and at 6’0, 180 lbs, he’s not got a ton of growing to do. While that still likely isn’t big enough for the NHL, it’s in the neighborhood where one good summer could have him getting closer to the strength and size that you’d want on an NHL roster. As a centerman, you do want a player like this to be a little on the stronger side wherever it is possible and it would help him in the faceoff dot.

Not to say that 4th line center is all this player can do. Swankler recorded 19 goals and 25 for 44 points as he was nestled amongst the top producers in the NCAA. If the Rangers were able to land his signature and get him to AHL Hartford for some development, not only would it make the Rangers prospect pool, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and the Rangers’ future brighter, but also the career path of Austen Swankler.

For those wondering why I didn’t include Akito Hirose, he’s getting extremely close to landing with the Vancouver Canucks so I wanted to attempt to keep some form of realism. He’s a great prospect just as Swankler, Graf, and Livingstone could be if the Rangers were to land them but since it is likely he has already found a home, I wanted to stay away from that area.

Question for Blue Line Station readers: What NCAA Free Agents do you want to see the Rangers go after?

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