A quick look at his junior statistics tells you quite a bit about Liam Greentree. The New York Rangers’ forward prospect racked up 328 points in 241 games over four seasons with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League.
But that’s not the totality of who Greentree is as a player, nor everything the 20-year-old hopes to bring to the Rangers one day, perhaps as soon as sometime nerxt season.
Of course, scoring at least 25 goals each season with Windsor, including three straight with at least 36, isn’t a bad place to start. And his 119-point campaign in 2024-25, when he scored 49 goals and totaled 70 assists playing on a powerhouse line with Washington Capitals stud prospect Ilya Protas, can’t — and shouldn’t — be overlooked.
There’s plenty of evidence why Greentree is the No. 2 Rangers prospect in this year’s annual listing by Forever Blueshirts.
#NYR prospect Liam Greentree (trade, 2026) with an unreal move!
No Ranger has ever worn number 66 in an official game. Could he be the first?pic.twitter.com/TDWKzj0vSb
— Stat Boy Steven 🇳🇱🇮🇪 (@StatBoy_Steven) March 27, 2026
However, prospect expert Russ Cohen from Sirius/XM’s NHL Network Radio believes there’s much more to Greentree than simply the big offensive numbers he produced in junior.
“I always liked him. Love his smile. The fact that he’s got very few teeth shows what kind of player he is. He will do anything,” Cohen told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “He’s not the fastest guy, but he knows how to get from A to B. So, he has some tricky stick moves. He can get to the net at the level he’s at, we’ll see as he moves up if that’s going to change.
“But he’s going to have the will to do it, and that’s half the battle. He’s got a good shot, he plays a full game, like his defensive-zone starts — he gets a lot of them.”
The key takeaways from that assessment are Greentree’s will perhaps exceeds his skill, and he could stick in the NHL one day because he’s committed to playing a complete 200-foot brand of hockey. Of course, there’s plenty of work to be done in all facets of the game for Greentree, who continually battles questions about his skating level and on the defensive side of the puck.
Cohen believes that Greentree can overcome shortcomings in his skill-set because he’s got the right makeup and mental toughness to do so. So, if the goals and points don’t come at the same rate they did in junior, Greentree should still be a solid NHL contributor.
“He’s a nice prospect to have,” Cohen offered. “He could be a second liner. I think that’s the zenith for him, but he’d be a good one. If he’s a third-liner, he’ll be an optimal third-line guy, a guy you can really count on in a lot of different situations.”
Liam Greentree plays the ‘hard’ game Rangers are looking for
Greentree was Windsor’s captain for three straight seasons, and turns pro this fall. It’s expected that he will start out with Hartford of the American Hockey League, likely with other intriguing first-year pros Nathan Aspinall, Cole Beaudoin, and Jacob Battaglia. Defenseman Albert Smits, the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, also could start out in Hartford if he doesn’t crack New York’s Opening Night roster out of training camp.
Like Greentree, whom the Rangers acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in February as part of the Artemi Panarin trade, each of those prospects mentioned share some common traits.
“[The Rangers are] definitely looking for guys that play hard, size and toughness when they can get it,” Cohen explained.
Greentree stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 207 pounds. He plays a hard game, though could stand to be more physical. Just another area that Cohen believes Greentree will find his way.
“Just let him go on his course of development, get him to a speed with him where you’re comfortable saying at the NHL level it’s good, and he’ll figure out the rest.”
Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny
Add Forever Blueshirts as a Preferred Source on Google.