Sometimes out of NHL training camp, a player makes the team that you originally wouldn’t have expected. Players outperform and give the coaching staff no choice but to write their name on the opening night lineup, and other times, injuries happen to create opportunities.
Last season, it was a mix of both for the New York Rangers. Former prospect Victor Mancini wowed during the 2024-25 preseason (posting an impressive expected goal for share of 63.54 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick), and an injury to Ryan Lindgren opened up a spot so he could make the team.
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For 2025-26, a few spots will be available, notably among the forward core. The obvious contenders for the open spots up front will be Gabriel Perreault, Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann. Also, the bottom six players who cracked last season’s roster, including Adam Edström and Sam Carrick, will be safe – but not a guarantee – opening up some more potential spots if someone else grabs the attention of the coaching staff. Below, we list five dark horse candidates that could find themselves wearing a red, white and blue sweater on Tuesday, Oct. 7, if everything goes right for them.
Noah Laba
Noah Laba is a legitimate prospect in the Rangers’ system. While not overly flashy, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound forward excels when he’s stick-handling to the net. There’s upside to becoming a top-nine forward and a viable path to achieving that. The odds are against him for 2025-26 – but I can see the coaches, led by Mike Sullivan, admiring his game and giving him deep consideration for the opening night roster.
Ideally, you would like to see Laba spend at least a full season in the American Hockey League (AHL) and gain more experience playing pro hockey. So far, he’s only played 11 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, registering a solid five points. But Laba is certainly a prospect to keep an eye on – plus he plays a valuable position – center – something NHL teams can never have enough of. Laba will likely be competing with Carrick and Juuso Pärssinen, among others, for a spot.
Adam Sýkora
About a year ago, you could see Adam Sýkora making the team if he stood out in training camp – even though the odds weren’t in his favor. His first season as a teenager with the Wolf Pack resulted in 23 points in 66 games. Not amazing, but a fine season for his age against the competition.
Unfortunately, the 2022 second-round pick failed to take a big jump last season, not only failing to crack the opening night roster, but also posting a disappointing 30 points in 71 games, showing little improvement from 2023-24. Going into this season, the odds of him making the roster are even slimmer. That being said, there’s still a lot to like about how he plays and his offensive versatility. While he’s mostly known for creating his offense by powering to the net and using his motor, Sýkora is also a threat to shoot the puck, something he may not get enough credit for. Now, it’s about putting it all together and taking a jump this season.
Dylan Roobroeck
Part of the Rangers’ strategy in recent years is drafting bigger players in the latter rounds who can skate well enough to at least play at the NHL level. So far, it’s been somewhat of a success with Matt Rempe and Edström. Dylan Roobroeck fits that same profile, offering a 6-foot-7, 200-pound frame.
Likewise, if Roobroeck makes it as an NHLer, it’ll be as a bottom-six center. But if he can hit his full potential, the Rangers might have a hidden gem. When watching the 21-year-old, former Ranger Nik Antropov comes to mind, who skated extremely well for his 6-foot-6 size and excelled as a top-six playmaker. In Roobroeck’s first AHL season, he posted a solid 34 points (20 goals) in 72 games. Now, it’s time to take his game to the next level, and he’ll have a decent shot at making the Rangers this season as a bottom-six forward. The tough part is impressing enough to beat out players like Edström and Rempe.
Dylan Garand
In Dylan Garand’s first couple of seasons with the Wolf Pack, he made a name for himself in the biggest moments. In the 2022-23 postseason, he posted a .935 save percentage (SV%) in eight games, followed by a .922 SV% in nine games a year later. Both of those runs helped the Wolf Pack go deep in the playoffs.
But the problem was his inconsistent regular season play over those years, where his SV% was below .900. But finally in 2024-25, the 23-year-old broke the trend, averaging a solid .913 SV% in 39 games. Now it’s fair to say Garand is the best goaltending prospect the Rangers have had since Alex Georgiev, with a chance to become the Rangers’ long-term backup to starter Igor Shesterkin. While Jonathan Quick is expected to be the Rangers’ backup this season, it’s not fair to assume he would be a lock. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has offered volatile play and will be 40 years old in January. If Garand proves he’s ready to be the backup in training camp, then the Rangers shouldn’t hold him back. At some point, they need to find out if the Victoria, Canada native can hold down a role behind Shesterkin.
Connor Mackey
At 28 years old, there’s a good chance that Connor Mackey isn’t anything more than a solid career AHLer. In five pro hockey seasons, he has only appeared in a few dozen games.
So why does Mackey have a chance? Two reasons – he plays left side on the blue line, and the Rangers have seen him play a few games with the organization at the NHL level already. As things stand, Braden Schneider is projected to be the Rangers’ second-pairing LD, which is less than ideal because he would be playing his off-side as a right-handed shot. Plus, Carson Soucy and Urho Vaakanainen haven’t been able to prove that they can play in a top-four role consistently throughout their careers. Of all the players on this list, Mackey would be the biggest dark horse candidate – but crazier things have happened before. If Mackey impresses and the coaching staff insists on a left-handed shot to play inside the top four, maybe there’s an opportunity for him.
The most likely scenario is that one or two of Berard, Othmann and Perreault will win a spot on the roster. However, keep an eye on Laba and Roobroeck – both are capable of making things interesting. Garand’s play in training camp could also give the Rangers no choice but to make him the backup and waive Quick. Plus, injuries could happen and give others like Mackey a chance to crack the opening night roster.
