Alberts Smits and Cole Beaudoin headline a stacked Rangers rookie camp roster

The start of a new NHL season is quickly approaching, and on Wednesday the New York Rangers released a highly anticipated roster of players who will be participating in rookie camp. The list includes some familiar names, some recently added names, and a pair of players who are looking to earn a contract. With that being said, here's a quick list of things to know about the Rangers' rookie camp roster.

Rangers release 2026-27 rookie camp roster

The rookie camp roster is missing some notable names such as EJ Emery, Malcolm Spence, Ty Henricks, Sean Barnhill, Ben Macbeath, Charlie Morrison, and Raoul Boilard among others. The reason for this is each of these players are NCAA athletes, and they are already back at school. Even if they weren't back at school yet, eligibility rules would prohibit them from taking part in a professional NHL camp.

Of the names who are attending, Hope (@nohopeleague on Twitter) has a handy cheat sheet to break down the names on the list.

Names to keep an eye on

Of this list, there are certainly a few names fans will pay close attention to, and that includes those names who will try and earn a job in the NHL at some point this season. The top names in that regard include Alberts Smits, Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, Nathan Aspinall, and Drew Fortescue.

In addition to that group, Jacob Battaglia is a new name acquired in the Brennan Othmann trade, Brody Lamb joined the Hartford Wolf Pack late last season, Adam Sýkora skated with the Rangers for 11 games last season, and then you have returning youngsters like Dylan Roobroeck and Bryce McConnell-Barker.

Players fans may not be as familiar with

The beauty of these camps is that there always bound to be a player, or two, who grab the attention from the better known names. Rookie camp is a competition of sorts, and even though many of these players will return to their previous team or will get assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, it's an opportunity to put themselves on the radar of the major decision makers.

From the above list, Tomas Chrenko, Artem Gonchar, and Danai Shaiikov are three names of interest.

Chrenko was selected 81st overall in June, and he's a center with some decent upside that doesn't quite know where he's going to play this season. He spent last season with HK Nitra in Slovakia, and had an impressive season in which he had 31 points in 44 games. There's always the chance he plays for Kitchener in the OHL, but a return overseas remains possible.

Gonchar was a 2025 third round pick by the Blueshirts out of the MHL in Russia, and he made the jump to the OHL this past season. After tallying 25 points in 50 MHL games in his draft year, he skated in 65 games with the Sudbury Wolves and scored 15 goals while adding 36 assists for 51 points. He's the nephew of the great Sergei Gonchar, and it will be interesting to see how his career continues to develop.

Lastly is another 2026 pick, and Shaiikov is a goaltender who may just be the next diamond in the rough for New York. His limited experience in Russia included a record of 75-19-0, and a 1.95 goals against average and .927 save percentage if you look at his time in the MHL, Russia U16, U17, and U18 level. He also had a 2.78 goals against average and .903 save percentage in 50 games in the QMJHL. He remains a work in progress at age 19, but remains an exciting prospect to have in the system.

Rangers also invited two free agents

What would camp be without a few players looking to find their place? The two UFA invites, courtesy of Hope's handy cheat sheet, are Dayne Beuker and Michael Suda. Beuker is the more familiar name, as he was invited to development camp after the draft.

Beuker is a 5'10" and 170 pound center who just went undrafted, and was ranked 76th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He spent this past season with the US National U-18 team and the USNTDP Juniors squad, and is set to play with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL this year with a commitment to attend the University of Denver starting in 2027. Long term he is a projects, and how he performs in the WHL and later the NCAA will determine if he's able to make it to the NHL.

Suda is a 24-year-old defenseman from Cheektowaga, NY, and stands 6'1" and weighs 207 pounds. He spent 65 games last season in the ECHL with the Worcester Railers and had 39 points in 65 games. Prior to joining the ECHL, He attended Cornell and finished with a line of 1-22-23 in 107 NCAA games.

When does everything start?

Rookie camp is a pretty quick process, and it will open on Friday in New York. Saturday and Sunday will see the Rangers participate in an annual set of scrimmages against the Philadelphia Flyers in Allentown, PA.

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