NHL Prospect Watch: New York Rangers

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL’s criteria for rookie status.

Today, we meet a trio of talented Rangers youngsters who are ready to report for duty.

Dylan Garand

Talk about a Garand year. Twenty-four-year-old Dylan Garand made his NHL debut and earned a new contract in 2025-26. The Victoria, B.C. product went 2-0-1 in three games with the Rangers, posting a 1.62 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. Garand made 35 stops in his debut, a 3-2 shootout loss to Winnipeg, and made 27 saves for his first NHL victory on March 27 against Chicago. Per the Rangers, Garand is the first Blueshirts rookie netminder to earn a point in his first three NHL appearances since the great Henrik Lundqvist in 2005-06. At the AHL level, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound puckstopper logged a 16-15-2 record, a 2.83 GAA, a .896 save percentage and one shutout. He signed a two-year contract extension on June 21. Garand spent his whole WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers, amassing a tremendous 90-31-5-2 record and 12 shutouts. He was named WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year in 2022, WHL Scholastic Player of the Year in 2020, and backstopped Canada to silver at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Zeb Lindgren

Valkomna, Zeb! Six-foot-1, 198-pound defenceman Zeb Lindgren is getting ready to make the jump from his native Sweden to the wide-open prairie. The 2025 NHL fifth-round pick (139th overall) recently signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement after being selected by the Red Deer Rebels with the 24th overall pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft. Lindgren, 19, put up 19 points (6G-13A) in 36 games as he captained Skelleftea AIK U20 in the Swedish U20 Nationell.

Ben MacBeath

Some fans struggled with his name, and opponents struggled to contain Ben MacBeath (pronounced like the Shakespeare play, nicknamed ‘Beefer’) in 2025-26. The 6-foot-2, 181-pound defenceman tallied 51 points (7G-44A) in 67 games for his hometown Calgary Hitmen, finishing fifth in scoring on his squad and second among all rookie WHL defencemen. MacBeath added two assists in seven playoff games, represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game and was named a finalist for WHL Rookie of the Year. New York selected the 18-year-old with the 64th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft.