The young defenseman from the New York Rangers, Drew Fortescue, received encouraging feedback from the head coach after his good performance on his debut. The rookie impressed the team with his composure, decision-making, and game awareness. 

The New York Rangers took on the Chicago Blackhawks on March 27, 2026 (Friday) at Madison Square Garden. Drew had a decent run throughout the game, and the coach, Mike Sullivan, is impressed with his composure. 

Sullivan talked about Drew’s ability to not just throw pucks away under pressure. The coach also said Drew’s passes were good, and he did not panic while defending. Mike believes he has a ‘high-panic threshold.’

"I thought he was solid. For the most part, he played the game with composure. He didn't just throw pucks away. He made some outlet passes. He had good poise. I thought he had a high-panic threshold.”

“He didn't throw pucks away when he was under pressure; he protected it. He defended well,” Mike Sullivan on Drew Fortescue. 

Mike also talked about Drew’s mobility. He feels playing like this in the very first game is encouraging. Overall, he liked the rookie’s game. 

It was Drew’s first NHL game with the Rangers. Mike said, “I think he's got a good stick, decent mobility. There's a lot to like about Drew's game. For such a young kid in his first NHL game, I thought he played really well."

Drew Fortescue Assisted in the Rangers' Convincing Win

The Rangers took on Chicago, where they dominated for most of the game. Although they did not start well, as Chicago’s Nick Lardis scored the first goal in the game. 

But that was the only goal that Chicago managed to score. After that, it was all Rangers who continued to keep the opponent under pressure. Miller scored an equalizer at 18:32. 

In the second and third periods, the Rangers scored 3 and 2 goals, respectively. They won the game easily by 6-1. Drew Fortescue had an assist in his NHL debut.

Although the New York Rangers are already eliminated from the playoff race, it was a good opportunity for the youngsters to prove their mettle. The Rangers will now play the Florida Panthers on March 29, 2026.

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Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Shraabona Sengupta