Rangers beef up on blue line to help key area of need on NHL draft Day 2

The left side of the Rangers defensive depth chart was heavily reinforced during the second day of the NHL draft Saturday. 

Five of the Blueshirts’ nine total draft picks this weekend were left-shot blueliners who will bolster the organization’s thin collection of defensive prospects. After taking Alberts Smits on Friday’s Day 1, the Rangers took four more at the same position throughout Day 2. 

Capping the second round by taking Benjamin MacBeath at No. 64 out of the Western Hockey League, the Rangers also selected Charlie Morrison 77th overall from the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. 

“Obviously, I feel a lot of emotions,” MacBeath said in a Zoom call. “It’s a lot of stress leading up to it, but I mean, to be drafted by the kind of organization like the Rangers, it’s such a relief and it’s awesome to get to spend that time with my family after. It’s been great.” 

The 18-year-old MacBeath is headed to play for three-time NCAA champion coach David Carle at the University of Denver next season. Committed to the Pioneers since he was 15, MacBeath highlighted the elite coaching staff, winning culture and proximity to his family as reasons for choosing the NCAA route. 

Benjamin MacBeath poses for a photo after being selected 64th overall by the Rangers during Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo. NHLI via Getty Images

Describing himself as a two-way defenseman, MacBeath touted his ability to move up and down the ice and join the rush. He said he looks to create shooting lanes on the blue line and can close spaces quickly with his edges. 

Rangers director of player personnel and amateur scouting John Lilley cited the department’s best-available-player philosophy for the influx of left-handed defensemen. 

“Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls,” Lilley said. “This year it certainly seemed a little D-heavy anyway. And we ended up with those left-shot ‘D,’ but it was the way the list went and to deviate from it, and jump six, seven spots — because a lot of times players have been taken in between — just kind of goes against what you’ve tried to build the entire season with your list.” 

The Rangers also added size to their D-pool with Andre Mondoux in the sixth round (162nd overall). Mondoux is slated to return to the OHL next season before heading to Notre Dame in the fall of 2027. 

Just three picks after MacBeath, the Rangers selected goalie Danai Shaiikov at No. 67 out of the QMJHL. Amid the expected departures of netminders Hugo Ollas and Talyn Boyko, who combined for just seven games for the Wolf Pack, team president and general manager Chris Drury needed to strengthen the goalie depth. 

Right now, the organization has Igor Shesterkin, Dylan Garand, Spencer Martin and Callum Tung. 

“Scott Clemmensen, who is our goalie scout, really valued this young man [Shaiikov] in Gatineau,” Lilley said. “He’s athletic. He’s very competitive. He doesn’t give up on pucks, and he had a lot of work this year. … He’s a battler with a lot of skills and quickness and I know Scott really pushed and really wanted him.” 

After taking Morrison at No. 77, the Rangers went with Slovakian center Tomas Chrenko. 

Charlie Morrison of the Quebec Remparts skates after the puck against the Moncton Wildcats during the third period at Avenir Centre on Nov. 16, 2025 in Moncton, Canada. Getty Images

“I’m a playmaker,” Chrenko said. “I love to make plays. I love to pass to my teammates. I love to score. I’m a creative player and I have a high hockey IQ.” 

The Rangers selected another forward at pick No. 102, adding left wing Spencer Bowes. 

Last season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, Bowes set a new career high with 23 goals and 42 points in 67 games. Quick feet and a high-end pace highlight Bowes’ skill set. 

At No. 163, the Rangers took right wing Darian Anderson out of the OHL. Last season with the Flint Firebirds, Anderson played alongside Jacob Battaglia, whom the Rangers acquired from Calgary in exchange for Brennan Othmann and their 2024 fifth-round pick Nathan Aspinall. 

In his first 60 OHL games, Anderson posted 20 goals and 45 points. 

“I think we checked a lot of boxes and got a lot of players that our scouts are passionate about,” Lilley said. “It’s, a lot of times, a two-year process watching these young men as underagers right through this year. I’m really excited and I know the guys in the room worked extremely hard.”