Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesIt’s been about a year since Drew Fortescue, along with some of his Boston College teammates, were watching Gabe Perreault make his NHL debut for the New York Rangers.
Fortescue, who was selected in the same draft class as Perreault by the Rangers, couldn’t help but think about his own future while watching Perreault hit the ice for the first time in a Blueshirts uniform.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Fortescue said about whether he was thinking about his own future while watching Perreault. “That’s what you dream about, but you try not to think about it too much.”
Now, Fortescue finds himself in the exact same position as he’s is slated to make his debut for the Rangers on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fortescue opted to stay at Boston College for his junior season instead of joining the professional ranks at the same time as Perreault.
He signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on March 21 once his collegiate season came to an end, officially starting his professional career.
During Friday’s morning skate, Fortescue was paired alongside Matthew Robertson, indicating that he would be in the lineup.
Mike Sullivan later confirmed that Fortescue will play on Friday night.
The 20-year-old defenseman has spent the last week since signing his entry-level contract getting integrated with the Rangers’ system and his new surroundings.
“What I thought I’d do is give him an opportunity to be around the team, get on the ice, get some morning skates, be around Quinny (David Quinn) one-on-one. Quinny is showing him some film on what our team concept looks like,” Sullivan said.
“We just feel like he’s had enough of an opportunity here this week to be around the group and get comfortable in the surroundings, get him on the ice a handful of times, and then spend a few opportunities with Quinny, one-on-one, watching film so that he has a better understanding of how we're trying to play, so that we can set him up for success. That was our thought, kind of moving into it, and so here we are.”
Being from Pearl River, New York, Fortescue will have a lot of family in attendance at Madison Square Garden, as well as some of his Boston College teammates, who are making the trip to see his NHL debut.
Fortescue spoke to his excitement level in anticipation of his NHL debut at the world’s most famous arena.
"It's something that I'm really grateful for and kind of all the work that I put in and all the support I have people in my family, and kind of just knowing that it's coming tonight, it's something that I'm really looking forward to,” Fortescue said.
“Going out there, I’ll probably be a little bit nervous to start, but it's just another hockey game and I’ve been doing it my whole life. I'm confident in what I can do, so just gonna go out there, work my hardest and see what happens.”