One of the New York Rangers’ top defensive prospects is none other than EJ Emery.
The Rangers selected Emery in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the hopes he could blossom into a reliable NHL defenseman down the road.
However, during his first season playing at the University of North Dakota, Emery struggled from a statistical standpoint as he only recorded one point in 31 games.
Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer doesn't believe this is an issue though since Emery’s game is not necessarily about loading up the stat sheet.
"I don't think his game is measured on production," Ortmeyer said via Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "It's his ability to defend and play in all situations in terms of penalty killing, playing against other team's top players and shutting them down, being hard to play against. He's so focused on working from the (defensive) zone out."
Not only does Ortmeyer feel that Emery’s lack of statistical success is not a concern, but he believes Emery showed a lot of promise throughout his freshman season.
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“He had a really good year. He’s one of the youngest defensemen in college hockey as a true freshman,” Ortmeyer said. “It's a tough league he was playing in. He was able to step in and have a big role and play big minutes for them. I think his development is heading in the right direction and he’s on a great path at a great school. We are excited about what he’s doing and where he’s going.”
The 19-year-old attended Rangers development camp in July, and he’s set to return to North Dakota for his sophomore season.