Rangers and Islanders 2026 NHL Draft first-round predictions

The Post’s Mollie Walker and Ethan Sears predict who the Rangers and Islanders will select Friday in the first round of the NHL draft:No.5With Chase Reid unavailable, the Rangers will take Keaton Verhoeff out of the University of North Dakota.No.

26If a big-bodied center like Brooks Rogowski is still on the board, the Rangers will pounce.— Mollie WalkerNo.136-foot-5 winger Ethan Belchetz isn’t the best skater in the draft, but has the shot, the hockey sense and the physicality to suggest the Islanders won’t pass him up if he’s still on the board.

A Michigan State commit who played last year with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, Belchetz has the sort of profile the Islanders could use in their system.That said, it wouldn’t be a shock if Mathieu Darche chose to move his pick, should the chance arise.— Ethan Sears...