Drew Fortescue becomes Rangers fan favorite even before making debut

The New York Rangers abandoned their playoff pursuit early in the new year and began their process of retooling. With this, it meant that the Rangers could give their younger players a chance at some increased playing time. We've seen Gabe Perreault thrive in a top six role as of late, while other players like forward Jaroslav Chmelar and goalie Dylan Garand getting shots as of late

In the past week, the Rangers officially signed defenseman prospect Drew Fortescue to an entry level contract. They intend to play him in the final stretch of the season while burning a year off of his contract. Based on head coach Mike Sullivan's comments, it seems Fortescue will make his debut in the coming days.

On Monday while meeting with reporters, Fortescue was asked if he grew up a Rangers fans, since he is from Pearl River, N.Y. Fortescue revealed that he was originally an Islanders fan, but he quickly ended it after he was drafted in the third round by the Rangers in 2023.

"My dad was an Islanders fan, so I grew up an Islander fan. But as soon as I got drafted, that switched pretty quick," said Fortescue. "I'm in New York, being from New York, and playing for the Rangers, its just something that I've always dreamed about. I'm so excited to be here and I can't be more happy."

Drew Fortescue dumped Islanders fandom after being drafted by Rangers

That's one way to ingratiate yourself to Rangers fans. In the New York Metropolitan area, there are multiple teams to choose from, with the Rangers and Islanders being two of those choices. Fortescue chose to be an Islanders fan because of his father. But once he was drafted to the Rangers, the Islanders fandom is officially no more.

Fortescue recently finished his third season with Boston College, and signed on with the Rangers. Through three seasons, Fortescue recorded a eight goals and 25 assists through 112 games.

As for when he could make his debut, Sullivan said that he would like the rookie to log some practice reps beforehand. But on Tuesday, the Rangers hinted that Fortescue's debut could be as soon as Wednesday, March 25 for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's because the Rangers sent Connor Mackey down to the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack after calling up forward prospect Adam Sykora.

With Fortescue being a left-shot defenseman, it will be interesting to see which defenseman he'll pair up with in his eventual debut.

Given how poorly this season has gone for the Rangers, as highlighted by their embarrassing effort on Monday against the Ottawa Senators, the team should be prioritizing giving some of their top prospects and young players some opportunities in this final stretch of the season. That opened the door for Fortescue, who appears a matter of days away from making his pro debut.