Why Rangers defenseman prospect reminds NHL reporter of Brandon Carlo
But what's really intriguing is when a comparison is made without prompting.
Such was the case when NHL.com draft and prospects expert Mike Morreale delivered this comp for the New York Rangers top pick in 2024, defenseman EJ Emery.
'He kind of reminds me of Brandon Carlo,' Morreale told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast, when discussing Emery. 'He's got a high pace to his game and he likes to get physical. Big, long defenseman, skates really well. He likes to defend and close his time and space really, really quickly, covers a lot of area with his length, with his speed. He can get that good first pass out and get the puck quickly up ice. He's a real athletic kid.'
Emery is 19 and entering his sophomore season at North Dakota, so he has plenty of time to grow and develop his game. But you'd have to think that the Rangers would be quite pleased if he becomes a top-four staple on a perennial contender like Carlo's been with the Boston Bruins, and now Toronto Maple Leafs, since the 2016-17 season.
Each is a tall, athletic right-shot, known more for his shutdown capability as a defensive defenseman than for offensive prowess. Carlo is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds; Emery is 6-foot-4, 189 pounds, though still filling out. Emery was the No. 30 overall pick (first round) in the 2024 NHL Draft; Carlo was chosen No. 37 overall (second round) by the Bruins in 2015.
While Emery came up through the United States National Team Development Program and now is playing in the NCAA, Carlo honed his game in major junior, where he played four seasons in the Western Hockey League.
Carlo also might have a bit more to his game offensively than Emery, who hasn't scored a goal in a competitive contest since 2023. Carlo twice scored six goals in a season with the Bruins (2016-17; 2021-22), though he only has 29 goals and 83 assists in 637 NHL games.
'Emery's never going to be known for his goal scoring, but he's just that physical, shutdown-type player,' Morreale explained. 'He absorbs and erases opposing rushes with a real smooth-skating style … the Rangers got a good one in Emery when they selected him.'
And that's at the heart of the Carlo-Emery comparison. Each is a steady, smart, reliable, physical right-shot defenseman, more concerned with blocking shots and passing lanes than leading the rush the other way.
Related:
Rangers prospect EJ Emery has 'real good shot' to play in 2026 World Juniors
Following Carlo's path as an NHL defenseman is far from the worst plan for Emery. Perhaps that next step is if Emery lands a spot on Team USA's roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship.
Emery was among the final cuts last December before the United States won its second straight gold medal at the WJC. He's got a good chance to make the final roster this time when the U.S. seeks a threepeat on home turf in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
'I think EJ has a real good shot,' Morreale stated. 'One of the things (United States coach) Bob Motzko said that struck me about the returning players — and obviously EJ is not a returning player, but the fact he's going into his sophomore year — those kids seem to have an edge on those players coming in maybe for the first time.
'And it's also his second (World Junior Summer) Showcase, too, so he's accustomed to what the coaching staff wants to see, how they want you to defend, how they may put you in different roles you're not accustomed to with your major junior or college team. And EJ was put into some of those roles, and I thought he did really well. I think now it's up to him showing that he deserves a spot with a good start to the season at North Dakota.'
Carlo helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2016 World Juniors, when he had four points (two goals, two assists) and was plus-9 in seven games. Nine months later, Carlo made his NHL debut at the age of 19 and turned 20 shortly thereafter.
The Rangers are taking it slowly with Emery. There's no rushing him to the NHL. When he's mentally and physically ready, he'll take the next step.
But make no mistake, this is an extremely important year in his development.
'It's going to be interesting to see. No. 1: how he starts the year with the Sioux. And No. 2: and if he's able to earn a spot on the back end with the United States National Junior Team.'
You can the entire interview with Mike Morreale about Rangers prospects or
Related Headlines
Alex Ovechkin 6-year-old son scores 2 goals against Rangers' Igor Shesterkin in fun viral moment
What makes Rangers prospect Drew Fortescue 'tremendous shutdown defenseman'
Former Rangers goalie hopes success in 3-on-3 tournament will help get him back to NHL
Rangers prospect Carey Terrance can be '200-foot borderline star': World Juniors coach
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Twins are No Longer for Sale
In the latest middle finger to fans, this morning the Minnesota Twins posted the following letter on all their social media channels, coming directly from the Pohlads themselves. The key takeaway is the following quote: After a detailed process, our family will remain the principal owners of the Minnesota Twins… We are in the process of adding two significant limited partnership groups, each of whom will bring a wealth of experience and share our family values. Guess what folks? After all the hemming, hawing, and Justin Ishbia-induced teasing, we're stuck with what has turned into one of the worst ownership groups in baseball, which is saying a lot these days. While they're bringing in new investors to presumably add some more cash to the business, there is nothing in the history of Pohlad family ownership that suggests that money will be invested into the team rather than pocketed by greedy billionaires. This era of Twins baseball has been an unmitigated disaster since the high of the 2023 playoffs, which John Foley already recapped extensively. While there are definite arguments for a soft reset after missing the playoffs for (likely) four of the last five seasons, Derek Falvey, with a mandate from the Pohlads to shed salary, instead traded away their biggest free agent signing in franchise history, their five best relievers including two of the best in Twins history, and signs are pointing toward trades for Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and Ryan Jeffers in the near future. I would love to be proven wrong, but this has moved from reset to a full-on rebuild, which becomes more likely with the Pohlads remaining in control for the foreseeable future. All this comes while team owner Joe Pohlad has refused to speak to the press or the fans. Joe is expected to speak to the press at some point today where he will likely dodge any and all relevant questions around the blowing up of a once-competitive team, but as we've learned with Joe Pohlad in particular, it's better to look at his actions rather than his words. This is the same man that said they would be open to increasing payroll after their success in 2023, just to shed $30M instead, directly leading to their collapse in the proceeding two seasons. In a world where billionaires are rapidly destroying our tax dollars, constitutional rights, and social safety nets, perhaps it's fitting they do the same to our favorite baseball team too. After all, billionaires taking away any semblance of light at the end of the tunnel via their mere presence is the new American Dream.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders injures his oblique during practice in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders sustained an oblique injury during drills early in practice Wednesday and did not play the rest of the session. Sanders and the Browns were in Philadelphia for a pair of joint practices ahead of Saturday's preseason game. The Browns did not offer any additional information on Sanders' availability for the rest of the week. Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards with two first-half touchdown passes to Kaden Davis in his NFL preseason debut in a win over Carolina on Friday night. The performance by Hall of Famer Deion Sanders' son even caught the attention of NBA star LeBron James. 'That young (man) looking good out there,' James wrote. 'Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high.' The Browns took Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL draft. He wasn't selected until the 144th overall pick, a stunning fall for the most recognizable player in this draft class. Sanders finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season for Colorado and threw for a school-record 4,134 yards last season. He is part of a crowded Browns quarterback room as Deshaun Watson is expected to sit out this season with a torn Achilles tendon. The group also includes Kenny Pickett, 40-year-old Joe Flacco and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who was responsible for a Football Bowl Subdivision-record 188 total touchdowns during a six-year career that included stops at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon. Pickett has been slowed in training camp with a hamstring injury and Gabriel experienced a tight hamstring. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: 2025 All-Boom-or-Bust team offers tantalizing value but questions loom
No one joins their fantasy football league with hopes of finishing in fifth place. Taking home the title is the goal of every manager, and boom-or-bust draft picks are usually part of a plan for league domination. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Fortunately, the data from Yahoo Fantasy Plus, including maximum and minimum projections for players, are available to subscribers right in the draft room and can guide us to who has the most upside in relation to their ADP. The All-Boom-or-Bust team below could end up being league winners or disappointments. Let's break down the odds for each of these wildcards. We'll also include Yahoo Fantasy Plus projections to illustrate the floor, ceiling and consensus point outlooks for each player this season. Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets Points Consensus: 284.86 Points Ceiling: 383.20 Points Floor: 175.12 Yahoo ADP: 81.9 Thanks to his fleet feet, Fields could be a top-five fantasy QB this year. Not only are his 1,143 rushing yards in 2022 the second-best total by a passer in NFL history, but he's also one of two active QBs (Lamar Jackson) who have exceeded 900 yards in a season. Fields averaged 197.1 passing yards per game with the Bears in 2023 and repeating that performance while adding in 1,000 rushing yards would make him a fantasy star. There are reasons why Fields couldn't supplant Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, and why the Steelers' front office chose to wait around for the possibility of signing a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers rather than retaining Fields on a multi-year deal. Fields may not move the ball through the air well enough to give the Jets an effective offense, and he won't be helped by the fact that, beyond Garrett Wilson, the team lacks dynamic players at WR and TE. Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars Points Consensus: 98.72 Points Ceiling: 167.25 Points Floor: 43.74 Yahoo ADP: 119.2 The Jaguars backfield is completely unsettled, with Bigsby, Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten vying for opportunities under the watchful eye of new coach Liam Coen. Bigsby may be the best pure runner on the roster; that was certainly the case last year, when he averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which dwarfed the 3.7 yards averaged by Etienne. Bigsby is also the most physical runner of the bunch, which makes him the favorite for goal-line carries. Bigsby could compile 1,000 rushing yards and 10 TDs, especially if Coen can kick this talented offense into high gear. Bigsby lacks skills in the passing game, which means that he must garner most of the early-down and goal-line work in order to be fantasy relevant. Tuten is likely the most explosive of the three backs and should find a role. There is a path to stardom for Bigsby, but it's a narrow one. Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings Points Consensus: 134.55 Points Ceiling: 213.45 Points Floor: 58.73 Yahoo ADP: 99.7 Mason is an excellent runner. Playing behind Christian McCaffrey limited his opportunities in San Francisco, but last year he took advantage of McCaffrey's absence to rush for 667 yards in seven games before the return of McCaffrey and an injury of his own wiped out the rest of his season. Mason's career 5.2 yards per carry is an elite mark, and he could quickly prove to be a better ball carrier than Aaron Jones Sr., who is on the wrong side of his 30th birthday. The bust profile for Mason is similar to that of Bigsby. Mason has totaled just 14 catches in his initial three seasons, despite playing in a San Francisco system that allows for plenty of passes to be directed to RBs. Jones has skills in the passing game, which means that Mason will need to earn a lopsided advantage in carries and goal-line touches in order to be a fantasy starter. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers Points Consensus: 172.81 Points Ceiling: 253.11 Points Floor: 95.80 Yahoo ADP: 80.5 McMillan was selected eighth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here is a list of WRs who were drafted that high in the past five years: Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Drake London, Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle. That's excellent company for McMillan, especially when he is joining a team that lacks an alpha WR. There is a clear path for the rookie to lead Carolina in targets, and he should benefit from the fact that Bryce Young took major strides as a passer in the final weeks of 2024. [Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Plus to get full access to all projection models and unlock your competitive edge] There is little doubt that McMillan can be an instant star, but he can't throw the football to himself. Nabers pulled off the rare feat of having a stellar rookie season despite lackluster QB play, but McMillan likely needs Young to at least have a respectable campaign in order to exceed 1,000 yards as a rookie. That's no sure thing, given that Young was benched at times last year. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers Points Consensus: 136.06 Points Ceiling: 190.05 Points Floor: 70.11 Yahoo ADP: 102.3 Reed thrives as a slot receiver, which is often a path to large reception totals and fantasy glory. The Packers' passing game regressed last year, but could turn things around under the leadership of a talented QB in Jordan Love and a smart offensive mind in Matt LaFleur. The addition of rookie first-rounder Matthew Golden could draw defensive attention away from Reed. So far, a role mostly as a slot receiver has not given Reed enough volume to be a consistent fantasy contributor. Adding Golden to the WR room could make the situation even worse, as the rookie may establish himself as the top target earner by the time we reach the fantasy playoffs. Additionally, Reed is dealing with a sprained foot, which, at the very least, will limit his participation during training camp. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts Points Consensus: 118.22 Points Ceiling: 173.69 Points Floor: 64.33 Yahoo ADP: 119.4 The rookie is supremely talented. Last season, Warren posted a ridiculous stat line of 104 catches for 1,233 yards, which resulted in winning the John Mackey Award as the top TE in the nation. As a first-round pick in an offense that lacks a dominant WR, the door is open for Warren to rank first or second on the team in targets. With Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones, the Colts have one of the weakest QB rooms in the league, and their passing game could be too inconsistent to support a fantasy starter at any position. And although the team lacks a star WR, they have plenty of respectable options, such as Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. The weekly target shares could be all over the map. Ready to unlock your full fantasy potential? Now's your chance to gain an edge — unlock premium draft tools and player projections with Yahoo Fantasy Plus.
