Signing season has begun for prospects who are ready to make the professional jump, with the New York Rangers getting a head start last week.

Forward Brody Lamb (drafted No. 104 in 2021) was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract that will begin in 2026-27, but first he’s getting a taste by finishing this season on an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old has appeared in three games with the Wolf Pack so far, notching a pair of assists, two shots on goal and an even plus-minus rating.

Lamb, who served as captain at the University of Minnesota while registering 30 points (14 goals and 16 assists) in 35 games as a senior this past season, has some notable offensive capabilities, but how they will translate remains to be seen. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder will have to sharpen his all-around game to become a realistic NHL option, with Hartford slotting him onto its third line with fellow prospects Bryce McConnell-Barker and Carey Terrance to start.

The Rangers have other prospects at the college level with higher pedigrees and, perhaps, higher ceilings. Michigan’s Malcolm Spence (No. 43 in 2025), North Dakota’s EJ Emery (No. 30 in 2024) and Boston College’s Drew Fortescue (No. 90 in 2023) are among their most notable unsigned NCAA players.

The 20-year-old Fortescue is the oldest of those three and considered most ready for pro hockey. He won gold medals at the World Junior Championships with Team USA each of his first two years at Boston College before aging out this year. He has 13 points in 35 games, and while those aren’t huge offensive numbers, he’s been used in a shutdown role at BC and relied on as a go-to defender. The left-handed shooter is viewed as a defenseman who could soon work his way into the mix on New York’s second or third pair.

The Pearl River, N.Y., native said at development camp that he talked with the Rangers about turning pro after his sophomore season before deciding to go back to school with hopes of adding muscle. His post-junior-season decision could be coming sooner than Boston College hopes. The Eagles are not a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. A Hockey East tournament win would be the only way to guarantee a berth; if it doesn’t happen, they probably won’t make the tournament. They play Connecticut on Friday in the semifinals. If BC loses, Fortescue discussions could begin as soon as this weekend.

The Rangers will have to decide how they want to approach the defenseman’s camp about his next steps. They could sign him to an entry-level contract and start it immediately, as they did with his college teammate Gabe Perreault after last season. That would allow Fortescue to join the NHL club for the rest of the season and become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2028. He wouldn’t be able to play in the AHL this season but could start there in 2026-27.

The Rangers could also try to sign the 6-2, 194-pounder to an ATO for the rest of the season, as they did with Lamb, which would allow them to play him in Hartford. Then Fortescue’s entry-level contract would begin at the start of 2026-27, and he’d become an RFA in 2029.

Higher-level prospects often prefer not to go the ATO route, instead beginning their entry-level contracts right away and starting their NHL clock. If Fortescue’s camp pushes for that and the Rangers acquiesce, he could play NHL games in the near future. As a junior in college, he has more leverage than a younger player. If he returns to BC for his senior year, he can become a free agent after next season.

Emery is on a powerhouse North Dakota team heading into the tournament, and he’s seen an uptick in offense this season. He has seven points in his past eight games and is up to 12 points in 35 games this season: an improvement on his one-point freshman campaign.

The 19-year-old (he’ll turn 20 on March 30) and his camp haven’t decided on next steps after this season, his family adviser Scott Norton said, but he’s in no rush to go pro, especially considering the facilities and resources North Dakota has for its hockey players. The decision could come down to how hard the Rangers push after the season, Norton said. Should he return to North Dakota, Emery will focus on adding muscle to his 6-3 frame.

The 19-year-old Spence has 21 points in 36 games for a Michigan team that is among the NCAA championship favorites. He’s likely not shown enough to go pro after one season, but Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato spoke highly of both his performance and potential earlier this season.

“I’m saying he’s a beast now,” he told The Athletic in November. “Imagine when he puts on 12 pounds of muscle.”

Lafrenière-Sullivan offseason lunch

Prior to the start of training camp, Rangers coach Mike Sullivan tried to schedule as many one-on-one meetings with his new players as possible.

He offered to travel to Alexis Lafrenière’s Manhattan neighborhood but left it up to Lafrenière to decide where they’d rendezvous. Unsurprisingly, the Saint-Eustache, Que., native picked one of his favorite French restaurants.

“It was a good hour and a half to talk and kind of get to know him as a person, as a coach,” Lafrenière told The Athletic following Tuesday’s practice at the MSG Training Center.

That late-summer lunch gave the 24-year-old winger his first taste of Sullivan’s direct communication style.

“I tried to challenge him on creating offense in different ways,” Sullivan said. “I think (it) was an opportunity, for us and for him.”

The message was familiar: Sullivan wanted Lafrenière to generate more scoring chances from the high-danger areas, specifically the slot and net-front positions. Lafrenière has heard similar sentiments from his previous three NHL coaches — the first of whom, David Quinn, is back on the staff as Sullivan’s assistant — but there was a level of appreciation for Sullivan delivering it in such a personal way. Of course, that doesn’t mean it all clicked right away.

The Rangers have struggled to score for much of the season, with Lafrenière one of the primary culprits. Through 54 games, he found the back of the net only 10 times. But that flipped during a recent stretch in which the 6-2, 191-pounder nearly doubled that total with nine goals in a 10-game span. Five of those came in three games from March 9-12, earning Lafrenière recognition as the NHL’s First Star of the Week. He added goal No. 20 in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, marking the second time he’s hit that marker in his six-year career.

“My biggest observation with Laf most recently is that I think he’s always been a player that’s gifted offensively, and he has the ability to create off the rush with his talent and his ability level,” Sullivan said. “I think where Laf has improved most recently is in the down-low game in the offensive zone — the grind game. You guys hear me use that phrase all the time. So, just hanging onto pucks down low, challenging people one-on-one, forcing teams to defend him. He’s big, he’s strong, and he can protect pucks. He can roll off of pressure. He can invite pressure, roll off it, and make his next play.”

“I’ve had a number of conversations with him this year about getting inside more,” the coach added. “If you want to score 30 goals in this league, you’re not getting 30 from the perimeter. You’re not getting 30 highlight-reel goals that end up on ESPN. You’ve got to get a fair amount of them that are deflections, tips, rebounds — they go off your skate because you’re fighting for blue paint. … I think Laf has really made a commitment there to embracing that element of the game.”

The recent hot streak doesn’t erase concerns about the inconsistencies that have plagued Lafrenière, but his process seems to be improving. He led the team in individual high-danger scoring chances both at five-on-five (70) and at all strengths (98) entering play on Thursday, according to Natural Stat Trick.

It may be hyperbole to frame that initial sitdown with Sullivan as a turning point, but at the very least, it set the tone for a relationship that’s been much more fruitful of late.

“You want to know what people think,” Lafrenière said. “It’s what you want in coaches. He’s honest with you, and he’s going to tell you if he likes the way you’re playing or if he doesn’t. It’s good.”

Edström ‘excited’ to be back at center

Adam Edström entered TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday and glanced at the board showing the Rangers’ practice lines for the afternoon. He did a double-take when he saw his name listed at center on the fourth line.

“The coaches came and grabbed me, just kind of asked me how I felt about it and when was the last time I played center,” said Edström, who came up through the Rangers’ system as a left wing. “I said that I’d be excited to play center again. It’s been a little bit, but I feel like you’re a bit more included in the game, and kind of play low. My defensive game is something that I take a lot of pride in, so I think it’ll fit me well.”

The 25-year-old noted he may have taken a few reps at center during a recent preseason, but the last time he can remember manning the middle in a game that counted was as an under-20 player in Sweden’s SuperElit league. He was somewhat disappointed when he was shifted to wing upon turning pro and joining the SHL in 2019-20 but understood it was likely his best path to the NHL.

Six years later, Edström is giddy about returning to the position he grew up playing — even while admitting there’s rust to shake off in some critical areas.

“First of all, just taking faceoffs again,” he said. “It’s one of those things I feel like I’ve got to work on, especially (because) all the centers in the NHL, they’re so skilled and they’re so good at it. So I’m getting some pointers and some tips and tricks from our centers. We have a very good center group, so I’m very grateful for that. And then just the fact that you’re deeper into the D-zone and kind of more active down there, helping out the (defensemen). But as I said, I feel like my defensive game is good, and I feel like I can help a lot there.”

The 6-7, 232-pounder went 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) on the dots through his first three games at center, with Sullivan careful about not overexposing him until he gets more reps under his belt. Edström has been working with veterans J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad at every practice to speed up the learning curve.

Sullivan is intrigued by what Edström can do in the middle of the ice using his reach and high-end skating ability, with no better time than now for the Rangers to find out if he can handle the added responsibilities. The playoffs are out of reach, so they can — and should — use this final month of the season to experiment.

The March 5 trade that sent veteran Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres left a void at 4C that New York must figure out how to fill for next season. Juuso Pärssinen has disappointed since signing a two-year, $1.25 million average annual value contract last summer, while AHL prospects such as Terrance and Dylan Roobroeck will likely require more seasoning. (Although it’s possible we see the latter at some point soon, as he’s been heating up lately and scored twice in Hartford’s 5-2 win over Charlotte on Wednesday.)

Edström is getting a chance to stake his claim — and whether he sticks at 4C or not, he’s viewing it as an opportunity to increase his value through versatility.

“That was one of the first things the coaches told me. They were, like, ‘The more you can add to your toolbox, the more useful you’ll be,’” he said. “So, it’s something I take pride in, and something I’m excited for. It’s gonna be a fun challenge.”

A final thought

Through the process of researching all four Rangers championships for our series celebrating their centennial season — the latest of which dives into the 1939-40 title team — one oversight has become difficult to ignore: How is it that Frank Boucher is not among the franchise icons whose name and number hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden?

The Hall of Fame center was a central figure in New York’s first two Stanley Cup wins in 1928 and 1933, then won it all as a rookie coach in 1940. Somehow, none of the players from the teams that produced three of the Rangers’ four titles have been honored with their number retired, but Boucher stands out as the obvious choice to represent the most successful era in franchise history. He and Lester Patrick, the coach and general manager, are the only people who played a part in all three Cup wins.

Boucher anchored “The Bread Line” between the Cook brothers, Bill and Bun, which can still lay claim as the best line in Rangers history. He retired with the most points in franchise history (414), a mark that stood until Andy Bathgate surpassed Boucher during the 1959-60 season. (Ironically, Bathgate was acquired as Boucher entered his final season as New York GM.)

Boucher’s No. 7 is already on display at MSG in honor of current franchise points leader Rod Gilbert, but we can’t see a good argument for why Boucher’s name shouldn’t hang alongside him.