Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0For the second consecutive year,\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Vincent Z. Mercogliano and Peter Baugh are doing a series ranking the New York Rangers\u2019 top 10 prospects. The order is based on detailed analysis of the organizational pipeline, along with conversations with evaluators, coaches and many of the players. The aim is to balance where each prospect is on his development path while weighing projected upside over time.<\/p>\n
Only prospects who maintain rookie eligibility and are yet to reach their second contract are included, bumping previously ranked players such as Noah Laba, Scott Morrow and\u00a0last year\u2019s No. 1, Gabe Perreault,<\/a>\u00a0out of consideration.<\/p>\n Each of the top 10 will be profiled in a series of stories that began Monday and concludes Sept. 4.<\/p>\n No. 10: Adam S\u00fdkora, LW<\/a><\/p>\n No. 9: Drew Fortescue, D<\/a><\/p>\n Half an hour had passed since the end of an Aug. 12 practice for HK Nitra, the reigning champions of Slovakia\u2019s top league, but the Zamboni driver was still waiting for the ice to clear.<\/p>\n Eventually, Tom\u00e1\u0161 Chrenko \u2014 a third-round pick in this year\u2019s NHL Draft and The Athletic\u2019s eighth-ranked New York Rangers prospect \u2014 was politely asked to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a guy who really likes to work,\u201d said HK Nitra coach Erik \u010cal\u00e1di, shortly after delivering the message.<\/p>\n The 18-year-old, right-shot forward is coming off a year that he described as \u201clike some American movie.\u201d The highlights included scoring the overtime winner in HK Nitra\u2019s Game 7 championship clincher and leading Slovakia\u2019s World Juniors team in both goals (five) and points (eight).<\/p>\n But moments after being drafted by the Rangers at No. 81, Chrenko was pushing to turn the page.<\/p>\n \u201cIt started today,\u201d he said then. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m getting to work.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Rangers are in limbo<\/p>\n Vincent Z. Mercogliano and more<\/p>\n His father has seen this strive-for-more mindset evolve over the years. The elder Chrenko, also named Tom\u00e1\u0161, played 20 professional seasons in Europe, mostly for the same HK Nitra organization where he now serves as general manager. His son was raised around hockey rinks and locker rooms, sparking an early passion.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was playing and walking with the hockey stick since he was maybe a year-and-a-half old,\u201d the father recalled.<\/p>\n The younger Chrenko was also a talented soccer player who enjoyed doing anything competitive with his friends. His father believes that was important to him becoming a well-rounded athlete, but a heightened focus on hockey has recently taken hold.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he was younger, it was just fun for him. \u2026 He loved to score goals, but he loved to play all kinds of sports,\u201d the older Chrenko said. \u201cBut then, when he started to be part of national teams in Slovakia when he was 16, 17 years old, I think he realized that he can reach something more than just having fun with sports.\u201d<\/p>\n The next steps will be critical for a prospect with the potential to become something the Rangers\u2019 pipeline is sorely lacking: a center who can drive offense.<\/p>\n \u2018This winning aura\u2019<\/p>\n After splitting time between HK Nitra\u2019s under-20 and men\u2019s teams in 2024-25 \u2014 he dominated for the former with 30 goals and 31 assists in just 28 games \u2014 Chrenko spent last season as the top club\u2019s youngest player. He accounted well for himself with 31 points in 44 games, and his 22 assists tied for third on the team. But his most memorable moment came during the championship series against HC Slovan Bratislava.<\/p>\n HK Nitra lost three of the first four contests, then rallied to win the series. Chrenko netted the decisive Game 7 tally on a tough-angled one-timer off a feed from Joshua Lawrence, the older brother of this year\u2019s No. 11 pick, Tynan Lawrence (St. Louis Blues).<\/p>\n G\u00f3lem v prodlou\u017een\u00ed sedm\u00e9ho z\u00e1pasu proti Slovanu rozhodl 18let\u00fd Tom\u00e1\u0161 Chrenko o titulu pro Nitru, kter\u00e1 jako prvn\u00ed t\u00fdm v nejvy\u0161\u0161\u00ed slovensk\u00e9 sout\u011b\u017ei dok\u00e1zala oto\u010dit fin\u00e1lovou s\u00e9rii z 1:3 na 4:3.\ud83d\udd25pic.twitter.com\/ka6SiOwoED<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Spor\u0165\u00e1k (@SportakCZ) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The goal dramatically capped HK Nitra\u2019s 100th season and earned the club a berth in the European Champions League for the 2026-27 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how to express it in English, but it was so special that our Nitra-born player decided the championship,\u201d the older Chrenko said.<\/p>\n \u010cal\u00e1di was watching from afar during a one-year hiatus with another Slovakian team, HK Dukla Michalovce, but will return as HK Nitra\u2019s new coach for the coming season. He previously played for Nitra and worked as its video coach, getting to know the younger Chrenko well over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s different about him, and what makes him successful, I think, is he has this winning aura around him and everything he does,\u201d \u010cal\u00e1di said. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s not the toughest guy in the battles, but his compete level is really high. He wants to win, and he makes everybody better around him.\u201d<\/p>\n That, combined with Chrenko\u2019s imaginative skill and vision, is what \u010cal\u00e1di believes makes him such an exciting prospect.<\/p>\n \u201cHe sees the ice,\u201d the coach said. \u201cHe knows what\u2019s going on. He doesn\u2019t just play; he thinks on the ice, and it\u2019s really crucial in his game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you coach a team, and everybody is in the right spots and playing structured hockey, you (want) to have a couple guys who can make a play and create offense,\u201d \u010cal\u00e1di added. \u201cHe will be that guy. \u2026 He brings that one move or one step or one more pass that can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of HK Nitra\u2019s player development ideology, the team deploys an aggressive attack and empowers its players to take chances \u2014 much like its GM did during his former career, and like his son is doing now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always (encourage) kids and young players to do special things, not just simple hockey,\u201d the older Chrenko said. \u201cWe want them to be creative, and we let them play. I was always telling him, \u2018Do something different. Don\u2019t be like thousands of others.\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think part of it is from DNA, and then the other part is from our philosophy in Nitra, that we support creative players and offensive hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n Can Gabe Perreault get to Nikita Kucherov\u2019s level?<\/p>\n Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and more<\/p>\n \u2018All roads are open\u2019<\/p>\n Chrenko\u2019s playmaking and competitiveness are his shining attributes, but there are reasons he slipped to the middle of the third round.<\/p>\n He is listed at a slight 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, with many NHL evaluators preferring bigger centers. Chrenko himself pointed to \u201cphysical battles and dynamic skating\u201d as important parts of his game to improve.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to develop in what we call the dirty areas,\u201d \u010cal\u00e1di said. \u201cNot playing dirty, but sometimes you have to go to the front of the net, take some hits, or go somewhere where it hurts. Don\u2019t just play nice hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n The other focus has been playing with better pace. Chrenko\u2019s skating was graded as above average<\/a> by The Athletic\u2019s Corey Pronman, but his coaches believe it can be even better, especially when paired with quicker decision-making.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to tell him to make sure that he does everything fast,\u201d \u010cal\u00e1di said. \u201cIn Europe, hockey is a little different. Here, he needs to keep the puck one second longer on his stick. But in the NHL, I think it\u2019s going to be important that he adjusts and finds that speed. I think he\u2019s smart enough to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Where Chrenko will hone those skills in 2026-27 remains to be seen.<\/p>\n He spent time in Aspen, Colo., before the draft, working with fellow clients of agent Paul Theofanous, then attended Rangers development camp in early July. He returned to Slovakia, where he trained for much of the summer, and will open the new season with HK Nitra. Their promotion to the Champions Hockey League would provide a chance to compete against some of the best teams across Europe, with a glimpse coming when Chrenko scored twice during Friday\u2019s preseason friendly against reigning Hungarian league champion Ferencv\u00e1rosi TC.<\/p>\n Tom\u00e1\u0161 Chrenko v piatkovej pr\u00edprave prispel k v\u00fdhre Nitry 6:2 nad Ferencv\u00e1rosom 2 g\u00f3lmi a pri obidvoch nechal po\u010das PP vynikn\u00fa\u0165 svoje zru\u010dnosti \ud83c\udfd2\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8 Btw pri jeho druhom presnom z\u00e1sahu mal asistenciu 17-ro\u010dn\u00fd Oliver Botka \ud83d\udc40 \u2014 Peter Vreteni\u010dka (@vretenicka) August 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a challenge he may embrace for the full season, which would also allow him to complete his high school degree at home. But he\u2019s indicated that \u201call roads are open.\u201d<\/p>\n According to his father, Chrenko will travel to New York for Rangers rookie camp in September and finalize his plans after that. He was selected by the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) in the 2024 CHL Import Draft, then by the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) in the 2026 Phase II Draft. Both junior clubs are options if he decides to shift to North America.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that the hockey overseas is a little bit different, but there are a couple things we are thinking about, so it\u2019s still open,\u201d the senior Chrenko said.<\/p>\n Outside of 2023 first-round winger Gabe Perreault<\/a>, the Rangers mostly targeted size and grit from 2022 to 2025. They stockpiled bottom-of-the-lineup depth<\/a> during those lean draft years, but they remain light on forwards who project as capable point-producers.<\/p>\n Chrenko has been that at every level thus far and was one of only two centers selected by The Athletic for this year\u2019s organizational top 10. Some scouts think he may end up on the wing, where he spent time for HK Nitra last season, but \u010cal\u00e1di believes he is best as a puck-dominant player in the middle and intends to use him there for however long he stays in Slovakia.<\/p>\n That would be a boon for the Rangers, who took a worthwhile upside swing on a prospect with an intriguing tool kit and fierce determination.<\/p>\n \u201cI always tell other players that to be drafted is important, but not as important as the next day after the draft,\u201d Chrenko\u2019s father said. \u201cIf you are not drafted and you work hard, you still can reach the NHL. If you are just drafted and don\u2019t work hard, then the draft means nothing. When he was drafted and realized that he is a little bit closer to his goal, it motivated him to work harder than before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfa5YT HK NITRA TV pic.twitter.com\/2p7t7wQ8WQ<\/a><\/p>\n