The New York Rangers are getting closer to finalizing their roster for the start of the 2025-26 NHL season, and on Saturday they trimmed the camp group by one player. The team announced that 6'7" winger Nathan Aspinall has been assigned to his OHL club the Flint Firebirds.
Aspinall appeared in 62 games last season for Flint in the regular season, and the behemoth winger scored 17 goals while adding 30 assists for 47 points. He also appeared in five games for the Hartford Wolf Pack on an ATO, but he failed to tally a point. The 2024-25 season was an improvement for Aspinall, as he finished with 13 more points while appearing in three fewer games.
He's not the flashiest of players, and it adept at using his size to screen goaltenders and create havoc in the slot. Aspinall is decent when it comes to tipping pucks, and is a half decent passer as well. In terms of his future potential, we know that the Rangers will try and get the most out of him in due time. We've already seen the opportunities they have afforded Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom, and they also have Dylan Roobroeck in Hartford who will look to build off his strong 2024-25 season in hopes of getting a chance in the NHL sometime soon.
Aspinall has been in the OHL for three seasons, and each year he has gotten better. He appeared in 29 games as a rookie, and tallied a goal and three assists for four points. He took a big jump in his sophomore season, and a smaller one the following year, and the hope is that he can make his mark in what should be his final year in the OHL. If things go right for Aspinall, he could rejoin Hartford at the end of the season, and then start the next step of the development process which could potentially lead to playing games in the NHL. It is way too soon to tell, but Aspinall can make things possible by having a strong "senior" season with Flint.