Perreault, debut with Rangers in the heat of the playoff race

“You see him playing and we saw him play live a few times and play him on TV.” This is an opportunity for him to come and show what he can do. It’s just practice and we will see where we go with it.

“I think ‘Laf’ thinks like him and JT is a guy who has been giving for a long time and can really help to look after someone on the ice. It is a starting point, but I thought they looked good together.”

Perreault said it was not easy for him to leave the college now, but he felt that the timing was right and that he was mentally ready to face the challenge with which he would stand in the league.

The Rangers have contributed to facilitating his decision because they clearly have the expectation for him to play sensible NHL games this season. If you hadn’t done it, it is an option to send it to Hartford of the American Hockey League, but if the plan were, there is no guarantee that Perreault would have left the college to sign when he did it.

“Some boys will come in and immediately have an influence and then some boys find a more difficult way,” said Laviolette. “The only way to find out is to find out.”

The step in the competition will be obvious to Perreault. It was in just one practice.

“It’s really super fast,” he said.

But Perreault comes to the Rangers with a lot of experience in the rangers.

At the IIHF World Junior Championship (2024 and 2025), he won successive gold medals with the United States and ended with 10 points in seven games every time. He played in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game last season and lost 2-0 against Denver.

“He played in a high -ranking hockey and he succeeded,” said Laviolette. “This is the next step and the biggest step.”

Perreault will take it against The Wild on Wednesday and thrown into a playoff race on Boston College after his season.

The only player in New York who understands what he goes through has only advice for him.

“Enjoy it,” said Kreider. “Enjoy it and have fun. It’s a whirlwind. A lot of information is thrown on you, so it’s just out and have fun for him.”

The NHL.com employee, David Satriano, contributed to this report