New York Rangers select EJ Emery with No. 30 pick in 2024 NHL Draft

The New York Rangers have selected right-handed defenseman EJ Emery with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Emery, 18, racked up 16 points (all assists) in 61 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program during the 2023-24 season.

The Surrey, BC product, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, also skated in seven games and won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Championship, collecting six assists.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff‘s Steven Ellis has to say about Emery, who slotted in at No. 18 on his final 2024 NHL Draft rankings:

“Emery has the size and strength to make himself useful in the NHL one day. I thought his performance at the U-18s only helped his stock in a big way – by all accounts, I thought he was the best defenseman. He skates well for a 6-foot-3 defender and does a tremendous job of cutting off angles, even on the bigger ice in international tournaments. In terms of pure defensive play, I don’t know if there’s a better option in this draft, and someone I could see a team trading up or down to get just because he has the makings of a rocksteady, top-four option. The North Dakota commit isn’t too active on the scoresheet, but you can pair him with someone who is and he’ll be the rock that keeps things calm.”

Of the 61 games Emery played with the USNTDP during his draft year, 27 of them were in the USHL, where he collected six assists. Emery’s ice time steadily increased during his time with Team USA at the U-18s, going from 18:50 and 17:03 in his first two contests to 22:38 in the Americans’ 6-4 loss to Team Canada in the gold medal game.

Emery also spent his draft-minus-one season with the USNTDP, managing two goals and 12 points in 60 games. The 6’3″, 185-pound defenseman collected two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games with Team USA at the 2023 U-17 World Hockey Challenge, winning a gold medal.

The Rangers finished with a 55-23-4 record in the 2023-24 season, giving them 114 points — enough to finish first in the league and claim the President’s Trophy.