Hockey is back! The New York Rangers announced the official 2022-23 training camp roster two days before practices begin later in the week.
A total of 66 players have been invited to camp, with all expected to report Wednesday for physicals and testing. Of the 66, the Rangers have invited 41 forwards, 18 defensemen, and seven goaltenders.
Head coach Gerard Gallant is expected to speak to the media Wednesday afternoon.
It will also be the first time that the franchise sees newly acquired players like Vincent Trocheck, Jaro Halak, and Ryan Carpenter in the fold with some of the more experienced veterans.
After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, New York is looking to get even further than they did last year with a good chunk of veteran talent, and youthful potential joining together in 2022.
Here’s a look at the full roster going into camp:
Rangers Goalies (7)
Talyn Boyko, Louis Domingue, Parker Gahagen, Dylan Garand, Jaroslav Halak, Ofof Lindbom, Igor Shesterkin
Shesterkin highlights a young and hungry group of goaltenders. the Vezina trophy winner is one of the best goalies in the world and expectations are that he’ll continue on his historic pace to start his career. Garand, Boyko, and Lindbom have shown bright flashes in action during rookie camp and will look to compete for spots in Hartford. Jaro Halak is expected to be Shesterkin’s backup with Domingue also brought in with NHL experience.
Rangers Defensemen (18)
Matt Bartkowski, Ty Emberson, Adam Fox, Zach Giuttari, Libor Hajek, Louka Henault, Blake Hillman, Zac Jones, Ryan Lindgren, Luke Martin, K’Andre Miller, Matthew Robertson, Brandon Scanlin, Braden Schneider, Hunter Skinner, Jarred Tonardi, Jacob Trouba, Andy, Welinski
Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba, and Braden Schneider are expected to be in set positions going into the start of the 2022-23 regular season for the Rangers. There’s one spot available on the starting lineup that will have many different players vying for the role.
Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, and Libor Hajek are all potential young options that Gerard Gallant could consider. Hunter Skinner, Ty Emberson, and other young players looked solid in rookie camp but are considered long shots for the starting spot.
Matt Barkowski gets a PTO for the Rangers this camp and could offer some extra competition for a young group of defensemen. The average age of the group is 25.8 years old.
Rangers Forwards (41)
Sam Alfano, Maxim Barbashev, Sammy Blais, Easton Brodzinski, Jonny Brodzinski, Ryan Carpenter, Filip Chytil, Will Cuylle, Cristiano Digiacinto, Adam Edstrom, Turner Elson, Tanner Fritz, Julien Gauthier, Tim Gettinger, Barclay Goodrow, Jayden Grubbe, Karl Henriksson, Dryden Hunt, Zach Jordan, Kaapo Kakko, Patrick Khodorenko, Ryder Korczak, Vitali Kravtsov, Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafrenière, Ryan Lohin, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Brennan Othmann, Lauri Pajuniemi, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Reaves, Matt Rempe, Austin Rueschhoff, Gustav Rydahl, CJ Smith, Adam Sykora, Bobby Trivigno, Vincent Trocheck, Jimmy Vesey, Alex Whelan, Mika Zibanejad
The top starters are pretty much set in stone. Questions surrounding the young core and their projection will follow players like Kakko and Lafrenière until they produce like top linemates. If they can take the leap, the Rangers will be one of the most dangerous teams in all of hockey.
There are some interesting names being invited to camp as well. Three of the team’s 2022 draft class will be attending including Maxim Barbashev, Bryce McConnell-Barker, and Adam Sykora. Other prospects like Will Cuylle and Brennan Othmann will be looking to make their mark in training camp as well.
All eyes will be on the potential pairing of Panarin and Trocheck. If that duo works well together, the Rangers could be a top-scoring team this year. How Ryan Carpenter mixes in with fourth-line players like Ryan Reaves and Barclay Goodrow will also be important.
Sammy Blais is coming off a torn ACL and along with Vitali Kravtsov, will have something to prove in his second year with the Blueshirts.
Of course, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are long-time Rangers (Kreider going into his team-leading 12th season) and are looking to get back into a deep Stanley Cup playoff run. The production of the young players may ultimately determine if that happens though.
