If you’ve been away from the rink all Summer, you’ll be surprised to see a tall defenseman named Victor Mancini anchoring the New York Rangers third pair on opening night against the Pittsburgh Penguins this Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. If you’re someone that’s been paying attention, it’s a formality following a staggering training camp and a significant injury to a starter on the backend.
With top left shot blueliner Ryan Lindgren sidelined due to injury, the open spot was up for grabs, and Mancini took the torch and ran. He outplayed Chad Ruhwedel, who also went down towards the end of preseason. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut, skating alongside Zac Jones, finally getting ice time after spending most of last season in the shadows of Erik Gustafson and sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch. Both played together as Hartford Wolf Pack in last year’s Calder Cup playoff run in the AHL and will take their synergy to Broadway.
Meanwhile, K’Andre Miller will move up to the top pair alongside Adam Fox, with Braden Schneider and Jacob Trouba in the middle.
The only adjustment is that Schneider will have to switch to the left side, but that’s okay because he’s had experience playing both throughout his young career.
Mancini, whose rookie lap in the show will happen at the same time Penguins prospect and offseason acquisition, forward Rutger McGroarty makes his, is also a versatile defenseman. However, it didn’t happen overnight. The Rangers selected him in the 5th round at 159 in the 2022 NHL Draft, before the Michigan Native and former Green Bay Gambler in the USHL, skated at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He will become the eleventh homegrown Blueshirts blueliner to begin his tenure with the parent club in Game 1.
There were questions midway through his NCAA tenure about his NHL potential, but the 22-year-old proved himself as a shutdown defender who can also walk the blueline with a lethal shot and learned to use his 6’4 220 IBS frame to his advantage.
Entering training camp, he seemed AHL bound, but the Lindgren injury gave him the opportunity of a lifetime. Head coach Peter Laviolette implored the youngsters to “Knock us in the head,” and from the preseason opener against the Boston Bruins, he did that. He won board battles, scored a goal, controlled his gaps between opposing forwards on the rush, made crisp breakout passes, and shined in his chance to quarterbacked the power play, by going bar down from the blueline against the New Jersey Devils. The soft-spoken man won’t show much emotion, but #90 is ready for the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, and Rangers fans are ready to embrace their newest defender. The time has come to turn him loose. Welcome to the show, kid!
