The Rangers Made It A ‘Priority’ To Acquire Liam Greentree As Part Of Artemi Panarin Trade

Trading a player of Artemi Panarin’s caliber is never easy.

What made it easier for the New York Rangers to trade Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in February was adding Liam Greentree.

Instead of prioritizing acquiring a future first-round pick in exchange for Panarin, the Blueshirts pushed to make Greentree the center piece of their return package. 

Throughout his time as Rangers’ director of player personnel, new Hartford Wolf Pack head coach John Lilley scouted Greentree extensively, and he grew a strong admiration for his game.

The Rangers’ scouting of Greentree started in 2024 before he was drafted in the first round by the Kings and continued as his play progressed in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires. 

“Watched him a ton,”  Lilley said of Greentree. “Watched him again, World Juniors, Under-18s. Saw him a lot, and when we had the opportunity to make that deal with LA, he was a priority for us. I was thrilled to get him.”

As the captain of the Spitfires, Greentree had a statistically dominant 2024-25 season, recording 49 goals, 70 assists, and 119 points in 64 games. 

Following a 74-point season in the OHL, the 20-year-old forward is ready to make the jump to play professional hockey. 

In preparation for his first professional season, Greentree spent the summer training at Prentiss Hockey in Connecticut with some other Rangers players, which has helped better prepare him for this next chapter of his career. 

“It was really cool, playing with some of those guys, getting out to the golf course a couple times,” Greentree said. “It was a lot of fun, they are great guys. They took care of me and Prentiss was unbelievable. 

“It was a lot of fun, just getting to know the city a little bit more and getting to be in New York and getting to see what the life is like, it’s pretty cool. I had a great summer, a lot of fun. I worked hard and I’m ready to get going here.”

It will be an uphill battle for Greentree to make the Rangers’ opening-night roster, as he’s slated to start the year playing in the American Hockey League for the Hartford Wolf Pack. 

In an effort to put his best foot forward going into training camp and expand his overall game, Greentree pushed himself this offseason to become a faster skater. 

“I think for me, a big thing was skating and getting my speed up,” Greentree said. “I feel faster, I feel a little lighter, I feel good.”

Greentree recorded one goal and one assist in the Rangers’ first Rookie Series game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.