TARRYTOWN, N.Y. \u2014 Liam Greentree was passing the time on a Feb. 4 team bus ride by playing \u201cNHL 26,\u201d when some of his fellow OHL Windsor players came rushing over.<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of my buddies were just asking me if I got traded,\u201d recalled the 20-year-old prospect, who had no idea what they were referring to. \u201cThen I obviously called my agent.\u201d<\/p>\n
J.P. Barry then informed his client of what his Spitfires teammates had learned via social media: Greentree was heading from the Los Angeles Kings\u2019 organization to the New York Rangers. He was the primary piece acquired in a trade for star forward Artemi Panarin, which thrust the Oshawa, Ont., native from junior-league obscurity into the Broadway spotlight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the business of it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve yet to play an NHL game, right? So I\u2019m going through the process of it and trying to make my career a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL Draft<\/p>\n
Scott Wheeler<\/p>\n
Greentree has had nearly five months to process it all, coming across as grounded and grateful as New York\u2019s annual development camp opened Monday at the MSG Training Center. He thanked the Kings for taking a chance on him with the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft while calling the Rangers \u201ca historic franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve worn the jersey,\u201d he said, beaming. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty cool experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
After deciding to trade Panarin before he hit free agency this summer, New York president and general manager Chris Drury had little leverage in negotiations<\/a>. Panarin\u2019s camp, led by agent Paul Theofanous, grabbed the reins and eventually chose L.A. as the only destination for which he would waive his no-movement clause.<\/p>\n That led to an underwhelming return, particularly as it pertained to the conditional third-round pick that came as the secondary part of the package. But Greentree was seen as the best prospect in the Kings\u2019 depleted system and a desirable piece the Rangers envisioned as near NHL-ready.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel good,\u201d said Greentree, who has already signed his entry-level contract and is set to turn pro in the fall. \u201cI feel ready, and I feel strong. I\u2019m here to get better, and to learn a lot and try to see what it takes to actually make it to the next level. For me, it\u2019s about taking everything in here and taking it to the offseason, and really having a good offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n The 6-foot-2, 207-pounder shouldn\u2019t have any issues adapting to the size and strength of pro hockey. He called himself \u201ca big, power forward\u201d and has gained a reputation for doing damage in the high-danger areas. He possesses ample skill, as well, to accompany a threatening left-handed shot that\u2019s produced at least 36 goals and 74 points in each of his last three OHL seasons, including a mammoth 119-point campaign in 2024-25.<\/p>\n Why is Vincent Trocheck still on the Rangers?<\/p>\n Hailey Salvian and Vince Mercogliano<\/p>\n Greentree has turned his recent focus to honing his defensive skills and playing with better pace. Skating has been one of his primary question marks<\/a>, but it\u2019s an area Windsor\u2019s three-year captain has devoted much of his training to addressing.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, the NHL is a different speed,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s the biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n The likelihood is that Greentree begins the season with AHL Hartford, where New York will be breaking in a new wave of forward prospects, including fellow OHL products and development camp participants Nathan Aspinall and Jacob Battaglia. But he\u2019ll be at training camp with the Rangers and have a chance to speed up that timeline.<\/p>\n With Gabe Perreault graduating to the NHL last season and the team using Friday\u2019s first-round pick on defenseman Alberts \u0160mits<\/a>, there\u2019s a case for Greentree as the top forward prospect in the organization. For his part, though, he\u2019s focusing on making a good first impression.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a whole process to these things,\u201d he said. \u201cI just want to be a Ranger one day.\u201d<\/p>\n If Greentree achieves that goal, he should have opportunities to visit some historic New York City-area sites for one of his favorite off-ice hobbies, as well.<\/p>\n In a get-to-know-you exercise with the Rangers\u2019 social media team, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Greentree wrote, \u201cStick.\u201d He explained it as a lighthearted reference to his growing passion for golf.<\/p>\n Asked Liam Greentree why he wants to be a stick when he grows up.<\/p>\n “That’s just being a really good golfer. I didn’t know if everyone picked up on that.” <\/p>\n So, despite his last name, he has no interest in being a tree branch. https:\/\/t.co\/Rq1OjzvAmC<\/a><\/p>\n