Rangers give long look to quartet of young players in training camp
Four rookies—Gabe Perreault, Brennan Othmann, Noah Laba and Scott Morrow—are getting extended evaluations as camp progresses.
The New York Rangers are conducting a prolonged audition for four young players as training camp moves toward the season opener. Forwards Gabe Perreault, Brennan Othmann and Noah Laba, along with defenseman Scott Morrow, have each played in all three of the club’s preseason games, underscoring the organization’s eagerness to evaluate them closely as potential contributors.
Team officials opened camp on Sept. 10 with rookies among the most visible players, and through three exhibition games the quartet has emerged as frontrunners in the rookie pool. Friday's practice offered a clearer look at where they fit; Laba and Morrow skated with the main group of NHL lineup regulars, while Perreault and Othmann worked with a subgroup of players further from the NHL roster.
Laba is the lone player without NHL experience. Perreault, Othmann and Morrow have previously appeared in the NHL, bringing varying backgrounds to the competition. Perreault and Othmann are among the club’s more seasoned rookies, while Morrow offers a defense-minded skill set that the Rangers want to test in game-like pace.
As the camp progresses, the Rangers will continue weighing how each young player might fit with established veterans and the club’s system. Decisions on which rookies will begin the season with the NHL team or begin the season in the junior or American Hockey League roster will hinge on continued performances in practice, scrimmages and the remaining preseason games.
The outcomes will help shape the Rangers' depth chart as they look to balance development with immediate roster needs, and the current quartet stands as a focal point of the organization’s effort to cultivate homegrown talent.