The New York Rangers let a future Star slip right through their fingers

The 2025 NHL Draft came and went on Friday and Saturday as 224 players from 15 countries were selected during the seven round ordeal. The New York Rangers made eight selections at the draft (five defenseman, two wingers, and one center) and it certainly appears that they went into the draft with the objective of beefing up the prospect pool by adding players with size. Defenseman Sean Barnhill (6'6", 214 lbs.) at No. 70 overall is a great example of this. This potential directive may explain why the Rangers opted to ignore a certain speedy sniper at the end of the third round. Although any pick this far removed from the first round only has a slim odd of turning into something of note, it would have been nice to see the Rangers take a risk, and I think they should regret letting a future Star slip right through their fingers.

The Rangers had two picks in the third round of the draft, and at No. 89 overall they selected Artyom Gonchar, a 6'0" and 157 lb. defenseman from the MHL. He happened to be the second defender selected by the Blueshirts in the third round, and it was a very puzzling pick given some of the forward options on the board at the time. Gonchar was ranked anywhere from 128th overall to 238th overall on published lists, and went unranked by some notable analysts. His best ranking was 11th among European skaters on NHL Central Scouting's list.

It is for this reason I think the Rangers will regret passing on Cameron Schmidt, the fastest skater in the draft according to Elite Prospects, who eventually was selected 94th overall by the Dallas Stars.

Schmidt appeared on lists of many draft experts and was ranked 32nd overall on the consolidated rankings posted at Elite Prospects. He also appeared anywhere from 19th to 58th, so the Rangers selecting him at 89th overall would have been a tremendous value. He stands just 5'8" and weighs 161 lbs., and spent the 2024-25 season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. He scored 40 goals and added 38 assists for 78 points in 61 games, and that represents an improvement of 20 points from the previous season in two additional games played.

One of the biggest things the Rangers lack at the NHL is speedy skaters, and Schmidt would have instantly become the best skater in their system.

He doesn't play a physical game and is on the small side, and that's something the Rangers probably held against him. It is no surprise that the Stars selected him, and it just so happens that he shares some similarities to Logan Stankoven who Dallas moved earlier this year to acquire Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Schmidt certainly was drafted much later than expected, and it is easy to have the mindset of, "other teams passed on him multiple times... why fault the Rangers for doing the same?" To this I would say that at this point of the draft there was a player on the board in Schmidt that multiple prospect experts and draft analysts looked at and thought there was something there. Given that the Rangers had just taken a defenseman and Gonchar was someone unlikely to be on anyone's radar, why not just take a swing on the notable forward and hope the hype would reward the team down the line? If they really wanted him, why not try and land him at No. 111 overall?

When I look at Schmidt, I see some elements of Brayden Point's game. It's easy to say that because of his size and where he was eventually drafted, but his explosiveness, his shooting ability, and overall ability off the rush is spectacular to watch. Schmidt's hands are also great, and he's comfortable working in close quarters and finding the angle he needs even when he's right on top of a goaltender who theoretically has the net sealed off.

He's the exact type of prospect worth investing in, because even though the odds may not be in your favor in terms of him actualizing as a productive NHL forward, in a best case scenario the potential payoff makes it worth your while.

"At the draft, as teams start running through their picks, Schmidt will rapidly become one of the highest-upside players available. If he makes the necessary changes to his game, he could become one of those day-two draft steals who changes the course of an organization."

EliteProspects Draft Guide

I think fans want teams to utilize early draft picks on players who appear to be a sure thing. As the draft gets later there's opportunity to take risks, and this would have been the perfect opportunity for the Rangers to do just that. Even if the scoring isn't something that fully translate to the NHL, his speed and overall skating ability would, and that's a valuable commodity in today's NHL game.

In recent years the Rangers have built their team mostly by acquiring talent from other clubs either in trades or free agency. They drafted and developed Igor Shesterkin, J.T. Miller is a draft pick of theirs who was reacquired, Will Cuylle just had a career year, Alexis Lafrenière is a work in progress, Gabe Perrault and Brennan Othmann have very little NHL experience, and Braden Schneider has remained the same player for most of his career to date. Other than those players, There really isn't anyone of note, nor are there ones on the way soon that was acquired through the draft. Instead of just trying to get the next big thing, the team should start taking more swings on players with potential upside like Schmidt, and just hope you get one winner out of the bunch.

We won't know for a couple of years if the Rangers made a mistake with their final selection of the third round. Gonchar may develop into a quality defenseman that has a long lasting impact for the Blueshirts, and I could end up looking really stupid. Dallas is a team that's had a lot of success at the draft in recent years, and their selection of Schmidt was their first pick of the draft. That says something to me.

The Rangers really didn't make many swings for talent at this draft, and early on it looks like most of their choices won't be in the league anytime soon. That is understandable considering the team is built to try and win right now, and if this current iteration fails to win they will have to go back to the drawing board and make more sweeping changes.