One of the New York Rangers’ top defensive prospects is none other than EJ Emery. 

The Rangers selected Emery in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the hopes he could blossom into a reliable NHL defenseman down the road. 

However, during his first season playing at the University of North Dakota, Emery struggled from a statistical standpoint as he only recorded one point in 31 games. 

Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer doesn't believe this is an issue though since Emery’s game is not necessarily about loading up the stat sheet. 

"I don't think his game is measured on production," Ortmeyer said via Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "It's his ability to defend and play in all situations in terms of penalty killing, playing against other team's top players and shutting them down, being hard to play against. He's so focused on working from the (defensive) zone out."

Not only does Ortmeyer feel that Emery’s lack of statistical success is not a concern, but he believes Emery showed a lot of promise throughout his freshman season.

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“He had a really good year. He’s one of the youngest defensemen in college hockey as a true freshman,” Ortmeyer said. “It's a tough league he was playing in. He was able to step in and have a big role and play big minutes for them. I think his development is heading in the right direction and he’s on a great path at a great school. We are excited about what he’s doing and where he’s going.”

The 19-year-old attended Rangers development camp in July, and he’s set to return to North Dakota for his sophomore season.

With it being September, most of the players who hit the market as unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this summer have been signed. While this is the case, there are still some interesting players available for the taking who could land professional tryouts (PTOs) over the next few weeks.

Among the veteran defensemen still looking for their next contract is former New Jersey Devils blueliner Jon Merrill.

Merill played this past season with the Minnesota Wild, where he posted two goals, six points, 41 hits, and 85 blocks in 70 games. This was his fourth season with the Wild, but his tenure in Minnesota came to an end this summer after he was not re-signed. Now, with the regular-season being only one month away, he still has not found his new home.

Yet, when noting that Merrill can work well in a bottom-pairing or seventh defenseman role, the possibility of him getting a PTO before NHL training camps start is certainly there. Teams are always on the hunt for more defensive depth, and Merrill is one of the top unsigned blueliners left. It also does not hurt that he has 12 years of his NHL experience. 

Merrill was selected by the Devils with the 38th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In 216 games over four seasons with the Devils, he recorded six goals, 30 assists, 36 points, and 173 hits.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the youngest organizations in the NHL. They do have some veterans on the roster who will make an impact in 2025-26, but most of the hope comes from players who are still on their entry-level contracts. 

On Tuesday, Corey Pronman of “The Athletic” revealed his list of the best NHL-associated players under the age of 23. The qualifications for this list are that you are already claimed by an NHL team and are under the age of 22 as of September 15th, 2025. 

Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) on XNew @TheAthleticNHL: Ranking the best NHL players and prospects under 23 https://t.co/m5kYwruYo2

The Blackhawks are well represented on this list, starting with their young superstar, Connor Bedard. He is ranked second, only behind San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini. Bedard has a case to be number one, but his somewhat underwhelming season on a struggling team in 2024-25 leaves a lot to be desired. 

Connor Bedard is still very much on track to be a star in the league, like Celebrini. The latter just has more hype surrounding him due to the events of the last year. 

Bedard was one of 11 Blackhawks players named on a list that included 173. He is the only one who landed in the first tier, the “elite player” category. 

Tier 2 didn't have any Blackhawks in it. However, Artyom Levshunov did make tier 3 (Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player. He was ranked 22nd overall. 

Levshunov, a former second overall pick in the draft, has a ton of upside. He is the fifth defenseman on the list, with the ceiling of being a top-pair NHL defenseman. Big and meaningful minutes are on the slate for Levshunov in 2025-26. 

Anton Frondell, Chicago's third overall pick in 2025, was in Tier 4 and ranked 26th, which Pronman described as a "top of the lineup" player tier. For Frondell, who will play 2025-26 in Sweden, that is not a bad way to be evaluated at this stage. If he turns out to be a top-six two-way forward for Chicago, they will see that as an absolute win.

If he is a second-line center long-term behind Bedard, they'd be set down the middle of their scoring lines. The tools are there for him to be a key contributor for the next decade. 

Tier 5, where Pronman has "bubble top and middle of the lineup players", is where you'll find Frank Nazar (ranked 45th), who just earned an incredible contract extension. Pronman isn't as high on Nazar as most, but the respect is there to acknowledge that he could be a top-of-the-lineup player. 

For Nazar, 2025-26 is about leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he is an above-average player. His speed, creativity, and tenacious ways could be how he takes that next step as a producer. 

Then there is the "middle of the lineup" tier 6. There you will see Kevin Korchinski (80th), Sam Rinzel (86th), Sacha Boisvert (111th), Oliver Moore (113th), Mason West (136th), Colton Dach (151st), and Roman Kantserov (162nd). 

Having Rinzel below Korchinski is certainly a choice. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher defenseman has his feet wet in the NHL, but he has a lot more to prove. If he plays anything like he did towards the end of the season, he will be closer to Levshunov's tier than this one with Korchinski.

The rest of the forwards in this group all make sense. They all could have years where they are big offensive contributors to the team, but none of them are guys that the Blackhawks are hoping can lead them in scoring en route to the playoffs. 

Everybody views prospects differently. This is another perspective that ultimately shows that the Blackhawks have done a wonderful job of stockpiling talent, regardless of the order. What Kyle Davidson and his staff do with said talent remains to be seen.

To view Pronman's rankings in full, you can click here. 

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