John Vanbiesbrouck shares what makes Rangers top prospect Gabe Perreault so special
In his role as assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, former New York Rangers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck has seen a lot of Gabe Perrault over the years. Vanbiesbrouck has a pretty good insider’s view of what makes the Rangers top prospect so special.
And it starts with something so simple, though extremely important.
“The one thing I can tell you about Gabe that’s the best part about him is that he loves hockey. He just loves the game as much as anybody I’ve seen,” Vanbiesbrouck told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast Tuesday.
Then, there’s something a bit more obvious, even to the casual observer. The kid is pretty darn talented.
“He loves his teammates. He’s jut going to be a world-class player when that love turns into sharing the puck. Everybody’s going to want to play with him because he’s a great playmaker,” Vanbiesbrouck explained.
The Rangers selected Perreault with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old forward has done nothing but impress since, delivering an outstanding freshman season at Boston College and helping the United States win the gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship.
In 36 games last season, Perreault had 60 points, third most on the talented BC squad and tied for fourth in all of NCAA men’s hockey. His 41 assists were second-most in the nation behind Boston College teammate Will Smith (46), who was a first-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2023. He was third in the nation averaging 1.67 points per game, a notch below Boston University center Macklin Celebrini (1.68), who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
At the WJC, Perrault scored three goals and finished with 10 points in seven games, tied for second-most on Team USA and fourth-most in the tournament.
WATCH: Complete John Vanbiesbrouck interview with Forever Blueshirts
Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault has impressed John Vanbiesbrouck in many ways
Even before the 2024 WJC, Vanbiesbrouck had seen plenty of Perreault over the years, including two seasons playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program when he burst on the scene as a high-scoring wing.
Though some have questioned Perreault’s slight build (5-foot-11, 165 pounds), Vanbiesbrouck is not one who believes the son of former NHL center Yanic Perreault will be held back because of his size.
“He’s in a smaller body and been told his whole life that he’s small and he can’t do this, he can’t do that. But boy watch out when those players just prove everybody wrong,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “To me, he’s that type of player. He’s got that prove-everybody-wrong kind of mentality, and what comes out is really special.
“People may say they’re not so sure about him. I’m pretty sure about him.”
Perreault recently announced that he’s returning to BC this fall for his sophomore year. After that, there’s a decision to be made whether or not he’s ready to turn pro and sign his entry-level contract.
“Just focused on having another big year at school … hopefully win the national championship and then when that times I’ll probably discuss it with my family, my agent, obviously the Rangers see where they think I’m at, see where I think I’m at and make a decision from there,” Perreault said at Rangers prospect development camp.
Vanbiesbrouck also weighed in on another Rangers prospect who’s a USNTDP alum, 2024 WJC gold medalist and teammates with Perreault at Boston College. That would be defenseman Drew Forstescue, New York’s third-round pick (No. 90 overall) in 2023.
“Drew is a left-shot D-man that’s very long and lean, a very smart player. He has a real ability to exit the zone quickly and sense pressure,” Vanbiesbrouck explained.
The Beezer compared that sense to a similar quality Adam Fox, the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, has at the NHL level.
“Now, I’m talking about Drew Fortescue, so don’t get me wrong, he’s not Adam Fox, but Drew has that same sense,” he offered. “Drew’s ability to avert danger and get back to the puck and distribute is probably at the highest level of any left-shot D in his category.”
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