NHL Prospect Watch: New York Rangers
Ahead of the 2024-25 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. Throughout the series, we’ll highlight WHLers who have been signed to an NHL contract, were recently drafted, or are included in the NHL’s definition of a rookie.
Today, we check in with the netminders, blueliners and bruisers in the Blueshirts’ system
Talyn Boyko
Netminder Talyn Boyko kickstarted his first professional season with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones in 2023-24, posting a 13-9-1 record, a 3.42 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage while facing 30 or more shots on 11 occasions. The towering 6-foot-8, 201-pound 21-year-old improved steadily as the year went on, recording a save percentage of .900 or higher in seven of his final 10 regular season appearances. Boyko was called up to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, with 8:59 minutes of playing time in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Finals. The Drumheller, Alta. product was selected by the Rangers with the 112th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Boyko spent five seasons with the Tri-City Americans and Kelowna Rockets, with an overall record of 56-67-4-5. His crowning achievement came in 2021-22 when he recorded a 29-18-2-3 record and a pair of shutouts, earning WHL B.C. Division Second Team All-Star honours.
BOYKO SAYS NO‼️ pic.twitter.com/EnGeJJtBVE
— Cincinnati Cyclones (@CincyCyclones) April 11, 2024
Dylan Garand
Second-year professional Dylan Garand posted similar numbers to his rookie campaign with increased playing time in 2023-24. After going 16-17-5 with a .898 save percentage, a .303 goals-against average and a pair of shutouts in 39 regular-season games with the Wolf Pack, the 6-foot-1, 176-pound goalie turned the heat up in playoffs again. Garand put up a sparkling 1.61 goals-against average, notched an assist and made a career-high 39 saves in a 3-1 win to eliminate the Charlotte Checkers in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The 22-year-old also denied 26 of 27 shots in a 2-1 overtime thriller to cut the Providence Bruins in Game 4 before ultimately falling to the eventual Champion Hershey Bears in the division final. Raised in Victoria, B.C., Garand spent his entire junior career with the Kamloops Blazers, amassing an astonishing 90-31-5-2 record and 12 shutouts, winning WHL Scholastic Player of the Year in 2020 and WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year in 2022. He’s also won gold and silver with Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in addition to another first-place finish at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
GARAND LARCENY ™️ pic.twitter.com/UjSC8jSOqv
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) April 29, 2024
Ryder Korczak
Former Moose Jaw Warriors alternate captain Ryder Korczak’s first foray into the professional ranks saw him finish third in goals (nine) and fourth in points (20) among Wolf Pack rookies. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound winger had a career night with two goals and two assists in a 7-3 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on December 1. Korczak, a Yorkton, Sask. native, also netted his first playoff points with a game-tying goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime victory against Charlotte to force a decisive Game 3 in the first-round matchup. A third-round selection by the New York Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft, Korczak suited up for five seasons with the Calgary Hitmen and Warriors from 2018-2023, amassing 82 goals and 164 assists for 246 points in 248 games.
Hear from Ryder Korczak following his career high 3 point night ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BZzy77by1p
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) December 2, 2023
Matt Rempe
Few players have ascended to cult status as quickly as the imposing enforcer Matt Rempe did in 2023-24. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward played his first NHL game against the New York Islanders on February 18 as part of the 2024 NHL Stadium Series, becoming the first player in league history to debut in an outdoor match. He earned his first penalty four seconds into his first shift when he fought Matt Martin. Elevated to demigod status by Rangers fans for his physical pay and willingness to drop the gloves, Rempe also scored his first NHL goal and assist in his first 17 games as a New York Ranger- plus another the team’s first goal of the playoffs in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final. The former Seattle Thunderbird put up eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 43 AHL matches for good measure. The 22-year-old Calgarian was drafted 165th overall in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft after his rookie season with the Thunderbirds. He’d eventually earn an ‘A’ in Seattle, tallying 30 goals and 29 assists in 111 games over three seasons.
MATT REMPE'S FIRST PLAYOFF GOAL GIVES THE RANGERS THE LEAD 😱 pic.twitter.com/QYrrPzF0p8
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 21, 2024
Matthew Robertson
New York’s 2019 second-round pick enters his fourth professional season fresh off of a one-year contract extension with the Rangers, putting pen to paper in mid-July. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound blueliner picked up four goals and 17 assists for 21 points in 68 games, adding another assist in 10 playoff contests. The campaign included two one-goal, one-assist performances from the Sherwood Park, Alta. product. Including postseason matches, Robertson has exactly 200 professional games under his belt. While he hasn’t made his NHL debut, the 23-year-old has earned several call-ups as he inches closer to his ultimate dream. Robertson played parts of five seasons- three as an alternate captain- with the Edmonton Oil Kings, piling up 31 goals and 96 assists for 127 points in 208 games.
"We have a tight-knit group, we battle for each other out there … we're family out there"
Listen to all of defenseman Matthew Robertson's postgame media availability below. pic.twitter.com/YMfFc0rMhL
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) November 19, 2023
