(Pictured above is Raoul Boilard)
By Warren Kozireski —
One day after selecting defenseman E.J. Emery late in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas, the New York Rangers had only three additional picks on day two with the earliest in the fourth round.
QMJHL center Raoul Boilard was chosen 119th overall in the fourth round. The 6’1”, 189 lb. center played last season with Baie Comeau where he scored 22 goals with 62 points over 68 regular season games and added eight points in 17 postseason contests through the league championship round.
“Very excited; hugged my parents and my brother and there was a lot of joy there and really proud to be a Ranger,” Boilard said. That the Rangers traded up to select him “means a lot. That means they like me so that’s good. A good organization that likes me is a good sign.
“I’m an offensive center; I have some offensive tools. Good playmaker, good on faceoffs and…develop and be a two-way center.”
In the fifth round, New York chose 6’6”, 185 lb. left wing Nathan Aspinall, who played for Flint in the Ontario Hockey League last season. There he tallied 18 goals with 16 assists in 65 games using his frame as a net-front presence.
In the sixth round, Rico Gredig was the choice as a 19-year-old. The 6’1”, 179 lb. left wing has played mostly in Switzerland with Davos. He tallied 15 points in 17 games with the U20-Elite program, added four points in 28 games up with Davos HC and played with Team Swiss at the U-20 World Juniors.
(Photo by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
