Rangers' Gabe Perreault Sits at No. 6 in New Prospect Rankings
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Despite a strong finish to a tumultuous 2025-26 season, the first-round pick remains undervalued in the organization's latest rankings.
The New York Rangers finished the 2025-26 season in last place in the Eastern Conference with 77 points, but as Sports Illustrated first reported, forward Gabe Perreault emerged as a bright spot during the stretch run. Under head coach Mike Sullivan, the 2023 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) recorded 27 points in 49 games, including 12 goals and 15 assists. In his final 23 games, Perreault tallied 19 points, averaging nearly a point per game over the season's closing weeks.
Despite this production, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Perreault as the No. 6 prospect in the Rangers organization. According to Sports Illustrated, five players are ranked ahead of him: defenseman Alberts Smits (the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft), Cole Beaudoin (acquired from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck trade), Liam Greentree (acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin deal), Nathan Aspinall (a 2024 fourth-round pick), and left winger Malcolm Spence, whom Sports Illustrated notes was selected No. 43 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Sports Illustrated notes that while Perreault's size—5-foot-11 and 163 pounds—could be a detriment, his hockey IQ and playmaking ability provide significant offensive upside. Following a stint with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, Perreault is expected to enter training camp locked into a top-six role for his first full NHL season.