The 2026 World Junior Championship opened up Friday, and not a single New York Rangers prospect was in action for the first four games of the annual tournament. In fact, there’s only one Rangers prospect who earned a roster spot among the 10 countries taking part. And that one, EJ Emery, was a healthy scratch for the United States opener against Germany.
That’s a far cry from recent years when top Rangers prospects played big roles in the tournament. Most recently forward Gabe Perreault and defenseman Drew Fortescue helped the United States win consecutive gold medals in 2024 and 2025.