New York Rangers Forwards Provide Spark – Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

This has been a frustrating and disappointing season for the New York Rangers, but they have played well lately, and have found a spark in their young players who have received consistent ice time. Their rookies have stepped up and helped them win five of their last six games, and their strong play is an encouraging sign as the season approaches.

Gabe Perreault and Noah Had Strong Rookie Seasons

Rookie center Noah Laba had three solid seasons at Colorado College and recorded 10 goals and 16 assists in 29 games last season. He then started playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) late last season and had three goals and two assists in 11 games. He played well in the preseason and earned a spot on the Rangers’ opening night lineup this season.

Laba spent most of the season as the Rangers’ third-line center, and made the transition to the NHL well. At 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, he plays with body, is a quick skater, and has been solid defensively, including on the penalty kill. He went through a scoring slump heading into the Winter Olympic break, but provided solid defensive play throughout the season and had three goals and four assists in his last 12 games. This season, he has nine goals and 14 assists in 70 games, and has won 50.6 percent of his playoffs.

Gabe Perreault had an excellent sophomore season at Boston College last season, finishing with 16 goals and 32 assists in 37 games. He then signed with the Rangers and played five games towards the end of the season, but was held without a point. He bounced back and forth between the Hartford Wolf Pack and New York earlier this season and had 10 goals and seven assists in 20 AHL games.

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After being called up again in December, Perreault established himself as one of the Rangers’ best players, and has developed chemistry playing on the line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. He also produced offensively when he got opportunities on the power play. He makes smart plays with and without the puck, has a great wrist shot, and is one of New York’s best players.

Perreault had a hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on April 4. He gave New York a 2-0 lead late in the second period as he found space in the box and scored a handball. He then made it 3-0 with an own goal from Jonny Brodzinski’s goal in the third period, completing the hat trick with an empty netter. He has 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 games.

New Callers: Jaroslav Chmelar and Adam Sykora

Although Perreault has established himself as a top-six forward, the Rangers have also received contributions from strong midfielders, including Jaroslav Chmelar. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound 22-year-old played with body and showed that he can penetrate offensively, as he drove in front of the net, and scored a goal in the win over the Red Wings on April 4.

Chmelar has played in 24 games, and even though he’s only averaging 8:45 of ice time per game, he’s shown up and made the most of his opportunities. He has two goals and two assists in his last six games, four goals and two assists on the season, and is starting to get more ice time.

While playing for Hartford the past three seasons, Chmelar formed a chemistry with Adam Sykora, who was called up to the Rangers later this season. The 5-foot-11, 193-pound forward played physically, used his speed to get in front, and made the most of his scoring opportunities. He scored and scored a nice pass for Laba in New York’s 8-1 win over the Washington Capitals on April 5. He has three goals and one assist in seven games while averaging 11:48 of ice time per game.

Strong Performance From Rangers Rookies Is Encouraging

Although this season did not go as planned for the Rangers, the strong performance of their players is encouraging. Perreault has star potential, Laba is still a reliable two-way center, and Chmelar and Sykora have done a great job playing together as six wing players. Their impressive performances towards the end of the season should help them improve and continue to improve as they look to help the team have a better 2026-27 season.