BUFFALO, N.Y. — Saturday wasn’t as splashy for the New York Rangers, who made waves the night prior by trading for scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev and selecting defenseman prospect Alberts Šmits with the fifth-overall pick, but the work they do outside of the spotlight may be equally important in their efforts to revive the floundering franchise.
The Rangers added eight more prospects to their pipeline on the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center while executing two trades. One involved sending depth winger Adam Edström to the Nashville Predators, with the pick acquired in that deal then flipped to the Seattle Kraken to move back into the fourth round.
The final Day 2 haul consisted of two centers in Tomáš Chrenko (third round, No. 81) and Spencer Bowes (fourth round, No. 102), right-winger Darian Anderson (sixth round, No. 163), goalie Danai Shaiikov (third round, No. 67) and four left-handed defensemen: Ben MacBeath (second round, No. 64), Charlie Morrison (third round, No. 77), Andre Mondoux (sixth round, No. 162) and Ivan Patrikhayev (seventh round, No. 193).
History tells us the odds of those picks panning out are slim, but the Rangers must improve their hit rate if they’re going to dig themselves out of the current hole. Director of amateur scouting John Lilley has found some middle-round gems with limited cracks at it since his first draft in 2022, most notably center Noah Laba (No. 111 in 2022), but this was easily the most consequential draft of his tenure with a total of nine picks — New York’s highest number since 2020.
“I think we checked a lot of boxes and got a lot of players that our scouts were passionate about,” Lilley said. “I’m really excited, and I know that the guys in the room worked extremely hard.”
I’ve been preaching the need to aim for skill and speed after years of favoring size and toughness. The Rangers have loaded up on forwards with bottom-six traits, in particular, so it was time to take some upside swings on dynamic players who have a chance to be offensive difference-makers.
They ended up with a mix of both. Let’s dive into a few of the most notable picks, as well as other takeaways from a day that’s truly for the hockey diehards.
MacBeaths celebrate pick (and so do the Rangers)
One of the largest groups of supporters I saw Saturday was there for MacBeath, with the group collectively jumping the moment the pick was announced.
The Calgary native traveled with his parents, siblings and grandparents, and was joined by additional family members who joined from Michigan. A few were proudly wearing his No. 16 jerseys from WHL Calgary.
“They mean everything to me,” said a beaming MacBeath. “I’m glad I got to share this moment with them.”
MacBeath is a LHD who played for WHL Calgary last season (51 points in 67 games) and is committed to the University of Denver. He’s here with his family. pic.twitter.com/2iophiLYO1
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) June 27, 2026
Some eyebrows may have been raised at seeing the Rangers use their first pick of the day on another left-handed defenseman (it turns out they were just getting started), but getting MacBeath at No. 64 seems worthwhile. Colleague Scott Wheeler had him ranked 44th, giving New York a plus-20 value with the pick.
MacBeath isn’t some lumbering, stay-at-home D. He brings desirable size at 6-foot-2.25, 196 pounds, but he’s also an excellent skater with puck skills and good defensive details. How much of a scoring threat he’ll be as he advances levels remains to be seen, but 51 points (seven goals and 44 assists) in 67 games in his first WHL season suggests there’s at least some potential there.
“We were very excited to get him at 64,” Lilley said. “I know it’s a little bit of a cliche to say we didn’t think he’d be there, but we were a little surprised he was there. He had a really good season.”
Lilley noted MacBeath’s decision to attend the University of Denver, where he’ll have a chance to play for lauded coach David Carle and the defending NCAA champions. MacBeath views it as an opportunity to grow his game against the top college competition and add strength to prepare for the eventual pro jump.
“I admire their winning culture, and it’s something I want to be a part of,” he said. “To have that competition, obviously, you’ve got some really elite guys going in. I’m excited to compete against them and learn from them. So I think it’s been a really good environment. Obviously, it’s a pretty high-end coaching staff, so I’m really excited to learn from them. I couldn’t be more excited to go.”
Comfortable where they sat
With three third-round picks, New York had the ammunition to move up in the second round if a coveted player slipped. Packaging the 64th pick with one of their thirds could have catapulted them into the mid-40s, according to PuckPedia’s Perri Pick Value Calculator. But Lilley said the Rangers never got close to doing it.
They watched as MacBeath and other prospects they liked fell, which made them comfortable staying put.
“We waited patiently because we felt we had a good list,” Lilley said. “The way teams were going, they were going kind of off the players that we valued.”
Goalie added to the system
Three picks after MacBeath, the Rangers used their first third-round selection on Shaiikov.
You figured they would take a goalie at some point, considering they hadn’t selected one since Talyn Boyko (fourth round, No. 112) in 2021. He hasn’t panned out, nor has 2020 seventh-rounder Hugo Ollas. That’s left New York’s lacking quality netminders coming through their system.
With 24-year-old Dylan Garand getting a chance to earn the backup role, the Rangers need to restock prospects behind him and NHL star Igor Shesterkin. Shaiikov is a project, having come over from his native Kazakhstan to the QMJHL last season. His numbers with the Gatineau Olympiques didn’t look great (18-26-2, .903 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average), but Lilley pointed to team context as part of the explanation.
“We haven’t taken a goalie for a while,” Lilley said. “It was a strong year for goalies. Scott Clemmensen, who is our goalie scout, really valued this young man. He’s athletic. He’s very competitive. He doesn’t give up on pucks. … The team was kind of in a rebuild phase or whatever, but he got a lot of work. He’s a battler with a lot of skills and quickness. Scott really wanted him.”
Chrenko is best value pick
My favorite pick of Day 2 had to be Chrenko.
I’ve been clamoring for the Rangers to take chances on skill, specifically at the center position, and when they went the first four picks without even taking a forward, it had a here-we-go-again feeling. It was especially surprising when they tripled down on lefty D by selecting Charlie Morrison at No. 77, but they relieved some of those concerns four picks later.
It was a roll of the dice to wait until pick 81 for Chrenko — Wheeler had the high-scoring Slovakian ranked 32nd, calling him “first-round worthy” — but it paid off.
“When I heard my name get called, I was shaking a little bit,” said Chrenko, who called the wait “exhausting.”
Here’s Chrenko (who started by telling us how to properly pronounce his name) #NYR 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/ZwtEuanrZL
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) June 27, 2026
The explosive center has produced at every level to this point. He dominated Slovakia’s U-20 league two seasons ago, racking up 61 points (30 goals and 31 assists) in just 28 games, then proved he could do it against stiffer competition with 31 points (nine goals and 22 assists) in 44 games for HK Nitra’s top club this past season. He added another 12 points (two goals and 10 assists) in 19 playoff games to help his team win the league championship — this after standing out at the World Juniors with eight points (five goals and three assists) in five games.
“He’s played some meaningful hockey,” Lilley said. “He’s got offense and a good brain. So, we’re excited. He’s skilled.”
The biggest knock on Chrenko is his 5-foot-11, 172-pound frame, but the success of smaller centers such as Brayden Point and Logan Stankoven has provided examples of why players who can skate and make plays should be valued accordingly.
The Rangers haven’t always done that, but this was an encouraging step.
“I had some idea,” Chrenko said with a smile when asked if he thought New York was interested. “I was hoping they would select me. Their Slovak scout (Jan Gajdosik) really liked me and he told me that they would maybe pick me. I’m really happy that they did.”
Edström trade thoughts
The Rangers traded Edström for AHL forward Massimo Rizzo and the No. 148 pick, but it was essentially just the pick because the team doesn’t plan to qualify Rizzo, a pending restricted free agent.
It’s not the most exciting return for a forward who showed flashes of being an effective fourth-liner, but multiple injuries disrupted Edström’s short-lived momentum. The 25-year-old is an excellent skater with imposing size (6-foot-7, 232 pounds), a good defensive conscience and a menacing forechecking presence, but a string of healthy scratches to end the season suggested he was falling out of favor. The same goes for Brett Berard, who was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday for AHL defenseman William Trudeau.
New York is loaded with bottom-six wing options, with Tye Kartye, Jaroslav Chmelař and Adam Sýkora passing both Edström and Berard in the pecking order. Matt Rempe, who will surely be devastated about losing his linemate and best friend on the team, has dealt with his own inconsistencies and injury issues, but it’s been clear the organization prefers him, as well.
There’s a chance the Rangers add to the mix when free agency opens on Wednesday — we’ve reported their interest in Beck Malenstyn, for example — but I’d expect at least three of the existing young wingers to make the team out of camp. Rempe would notably have to clear waivers if he’s cut, which is likely a risk New York would rather not take.
There’s more coming, as well. Winger prospects Liam Greentree, Brody Lamb, Nathan Aspinall and Jacob Battaglia are all set to turn pro this season.
Other notes
- The Rangers packaged the pick acquired in the Edström deal (No. 148) with No. 131 to move up to No. 102 and select Bowes. The 6-foot center got off to a slow start in his first full season with OHL Ottawa, but finished strong to land on a respectable 42 points (23 goals and 19 assists) in 67 games, then added eight (four goals and four assists) in nine playoff games. He’s committed to Providence College.
- They ended up using five of their nine picks on lefty D, which Lilley said was a product of sticking to their draft board. “Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls,” he said. “This year certainly seemed a little D-heavy anyway, and we ended with those left-shot D, but it was the way the list went. To deviate from it and jump six, seven spots… it just kind of goes against what you’ve tried to build the entire season with your list.”
- Team president and general manager Chris Drury declined interview requests on both Friday and Saturday. He’s expected to speak on July 1, according to a team spokesperson.
