The New York Rangers have sent Brett Berard down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
This means that for all intents and purposes, Noah Laba will make the Rangers’ opening-night roster.
Berard was a standout at training camp for the Rangers last year, and it wasn’t long before he made his way up to the NHL.
The 23-year-old forward played 35 games for the Rangers during the 2024-25 campaign. He recorded six goals, four assists, and ten points while averaging 10:43 minutes.
Similar to last year, Berard was one of the last players sent down by the Rangers before the end of training.
Despite not necessarily playing badly, there simply weren’t an abundance of spots for Berard to grasp onto, and it appears as if the Rangers’ brass felt it was best for him to start the year in the AHL.
Now, Berard will likely play a top-line role in Hartford and will be one of the top offensive threats for the Wolf Pack to open up the 2025-26 season.
You may have been surprised if you heard Laba would have cracked the Rangers’ opening-night roster a few weeks ago, but it’s not a surprise anymore.
Laba’s play was the biggest storyline of training camp and deservingly so as he continued to turn heads around the Rangers organization.
The Rangers selected Laba in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and he joined the Wolf Pack after signing an entry-level contract with the Blueshirts in March.
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The 22-year-old forward played three seasons at Colorado College before signing with the Rangers, and the wide expectation is that he would continue his development path in the AHL.
However, Laba exceeded expectations throughout training camp and the preseason until he made it impossible for the Rangers to send him down.
In six preseason games, Laba tallied two goals, four assists, and six points.
He’ll likely play on New York’s third line alongside Conor Sheary and Taylor Raddysh for the Rangers’ opening-night game on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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