With the 2025 NHL Draft on the horizon, taking place on June 27-28 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, the New York Rangers have one key first-round selection they must make the most of.
Assuming the Rangers don't complete the condition of the J.T. Miller trade by transfering this year's pick as opposed to 2026's first-round selection, New York will pick 12th overall. At this spot hey could select anyone from defensemen or forwards to someone more on the center line to help them improve the gaps they have in that position.
Here's five potential prospects the Rangers could snatch off the board with their first round selection.
Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie Colts (OHL)
A rare high-scoring D-man, the 18-year-old Aitcheson may be the best available for the Rangers, and he comes from one of the most year-after-year talented leagues in the OHL. Aitcheson notched 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 64 games for Barrie, as the Colts made it all the way to the conference finals before being swept by eventual runners-up Oshawa Generals. Still, it was Aitcheson's third season playing for a team that has produced many current NHL stars such as Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Scheifele, Aaron Ekblad, Rasmus Andersson, and many others. Aitcheson is considered a top prospect for the entire draft, coming in at 18 on Elite Prospects' rankings for this year's draft. Among all North American skaters, Aitcheson is ranked 9th, and as a matter of fact, there are other Rangers hopefuls ranked the same as him.
The one thing that could set Aitcheson back is his playstyle. While his strong side is being a fast and physical two-way defenseman, 2023-24 saw him rack up 120 total penalty minutes, which, at least for some teams, raises questions about his discipline. Luckily, Aitcheson has toned down his attraction to the penalty box, as he had 88 PIM this season. Still kind of a lot, but he is a defenseman, after all. They usually spend the most time in the sin bin more than other position players.
Carter Bear, LW/C, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Playing for one of the three American teams across Western Canada's Western Hockey League, Bear has sensational numbers that give some real Alexis Lafrenière vibes for Rangers fans. The 18-year-old Winnipeg native scored 40 goals and 42 assists for 82 points in 56 games, although his numbers were a little smaller than previous seasons. Bear's 2023-24 season with Everett saw him notch a still modest 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in 67 games, and like Aitcheson, Bear also had his best season in his 3rd season with the Silvertips. Rankings wise, Bear comes in at No. 8 on Elite Prospects' draft ranking board and was also a 2nd team WHL All-Star this past season.
Now, there is one potential red flag if the Rangers select Bear as his season got cut short back in March, well before the WHL postseason, due to an Achilles laceration. It is possible he isn't fully recovered from that injury, even though his total numbers this season obviously weren't affected. It's still something to keep an eye on, though, as such injuries can take either a few weeks or as many as a few months to come back from depending on the severity.
Brady Martin, C, Sault St. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Moving back east to Ontario, Martin is a key center that may fill the holes the Rangers have at what is essentially the quarterback of a hockey team. The 18 year old from Elmira, Ontario had a stellar season for the Greyhounds, one of junior hockey's most recognizable teams, scoring 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points in 57 games, quite a step up from his first season with Soo, where he still managed 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 52 games. Martin brings two major strengths to a weakening Rangers team and that is speed and physicality. A center that can flat out fly when he kicks it into high gear and a player who's not afraid to put his body on the line when it comes to checking, Martin may be the best available option, even more than Aitcheson, given his whole package nature. And of course, he's ranked well within the top 15 of eligible North American skaters for this year's draft. Seems like the Rangers have an endless bag of options for that well-earned 12th overall pick.
Jack Nesbitt, C, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Another talented OHL centerman, Nesbitt scored 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points for the Spitsfires this season, helping Windsor to the conference semifinals, where they'd go the distance with the Kitchener Rangers before falling in seven games. This season was Nesbitt's second in a Spits sweater, and he did add a goal and nine assists in 12 postseason games for them. Not bad. The New York Rangers would very much like a guy with some decent playoff experience, kind of like some of these other players! Nesbitt also put on a decent outing with Team Canada at this year's World Junior Championships, with a pair of goals and three assists in six games wearing the red Maple Leaf. Nesbitt's biggest strength has to be his ability to get set up from his teammates, even after going way deep into the offensive zone, where you'd think most players would quickly get lost and not be able to make a play from a teammate. Furthermore, Nesbitt sees himself as a sort of "power forward", a position more familiar in basketball, but in the hockey world, he's able to translate that to diving into defensive zone corners to try and nab the puck from defenders.
Our final two potential first round Rangers picks will be the likes of 18 year old RW and Edmonton native Cameron Schmidt of the WHL's Vancouver Giants (40 goals, 38 assists and 78 points in 61 games, plus an additional four goals and five assists in in five postseason games as the Giants fell to the Spokane Chiefs in 5 games in the first round) and Braeden Cootes, an 18-year-old center from Sherwood Park, Alberta, from the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. Cootes scored 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 60 games, and like Schmidt, added a few more in the playoffs (two goals and six assists for eight points in six games as the Thunderbirds fell to, oddly enough, Carter Bear's Everett Silvertips in five games also in the first round of the WHL postseason!