3 Rangers prospects on preliminary United States roster for 2025 World Junior Championship – Forever Blueshirts

Perreault, who had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) for the United States in the 2024 tournament, was New York’s first-round pick (No. 23 overall) in the 2023 draft. The dynamic 19-year-old wing is expected to play a major role for the U.S. in its top-six group of forwards and on the power play.

This season, Perreault leads Boston College with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 13 games. As a freshman last season, Perrault had 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 36 games.

Fortescue, a 19-year-old defenseman who was born in New York, will once again be expected to play a shutdown role on the blue line for the U.S. He did have four points (one goal, three assists) in the 2024 WJC but was more regarded for his steady play in the top four of the defense.

A third-round pick in 2023, Fortescue also attends Boston College and is a plus-11 with two assists in 13 games this season.

Forstescue could be joined on the United States blue line by Emery, a freshman at North Dakota. The 18-year-old still needs to make the final roster, but has played solid hockey at North Dakota and has been a standout in the past for the U.S. in different tournaments and for the United States National Team Development Program.

Related: Rangers NCAA prospects report: Brody Lamb earns 1st Star

Rangers prospects looking to be part of strong United States team at 2025 World Juniors

A training camp will be held Dec. 16-17 in Plymouth, Michigan, to decide which players will fill out the final 25-man roster for the United States at the 2025 WJC.

Of the 28 players on the prelim roster, 10 helped the U.S. win gold last year and 24 have been drafted by NHL teams. Of those, seven are first-round selections, including Perreault and Emery by the Rangers.

“We’ve got an excellent group of players coming to our camp,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey and former Rangers goalie. “It’s never easy to narrow it down and that’s a credit to so many who have helped in developing our players, including first and foremost those part of our grassroots infrastructure across the country.”

The 2025 World Juniors take place in Ottawa, and the United States will play its first game on Dec. 26 in the preliminary round against Germany. The medal round begins Jan. 2 and the gold-medal and third-place games will be played Jan. 5.

Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny

Mentioned in this article: Drew Fortescue EJ Emery Gabe Perreault

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