A Defensive Force: How E.J. Emery's Shutdown Game, Raw Skill Made Him a Draft Steal

NHL drafts have been an up-and-down experience for New York Rangers fans in the past decade. From trading up to draft in the top ten, to lottery picks two years in a row, to trading away our first-round pick this year or next, it’s been a whirlwind experience. But, hey, I’m not complaining here, especially about the lottery luck we got to witness. All I’m saying is that it’s made me appreciative of years when the Rangers do have their first-round pick and then make it, even if it’s in the back half of the round, and 2024 was precisely that.

With the Rangers falling in the Eastern Conference Final last season, they ended up with the 30th overall pick in the first round. Selecting that late in the top round is often a tough assignment. It doesn’t take a draft expert to understand that, in most cases, the higher the pick, the better the odds of drafting a player that will eventually end up in the NHL. We all dream of our teams drafting and developing genuine game-breakers and superstars, but sometimes there are other variables at play aside from offensive talent That distinguish the best player available. that was the case with the Rangers' 2024 first-round pick, E.J. Emery.

Emery’s main attributes are his athleticism and his defensive ability, but something that has always eluded the young prospect is a knack for offense. The unique part is that Emery doesn’t bobble or panic with the puck. He makes a great first outlet pass and can be relied on to maintain steady and efficient defense, but the points and scoring chances never came. This was one of the biggest demerits for most teams regarding his ceiling as an NHL player. Some scouts believed he could find another element to his game with some development in the NCAA. But, more often than not, most defensive defensemen who find even a meager level of success in the NHL have already had a faint streak of offense somewhere in their development. This applies to many great defenders, such as Jacob Slavin, Jonas Brodin, and Mattias Ekholm, among many others. However, Emery's toolkit could help the young player buck that trend.

Initially, in his draft year, the excitement around Emery wasn’t quite there. But as we got closer to draft day, the intrigue and interest had begun building. Even the most casual glance at Emery in action reveals his undeniable athletic prowess. It makes sense, because he has good genes. His father, Eric Emery, was a football standout in the NCAA and eventually went on to play professionally for several Canadian Football League teams. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Emery also played football but, fortunately for Rangers fans, he ultimately chose to focus on ice hockey.

Standing at 6’3 and weighing in at 183 pounds, Emery was ready to dominate at the 2024 NHL draft combine in early June. The buzz and hype around the defenseman had just recently started, and his performance at the combine only increased the volume of the thrill surrounding him. He finished first in four categories tested at the combine: the horizontal jump, vertical jump, the no-arm jump, and he had the lowest body fat percentage out of all the prospects tested. On top of this, he set an NHL draft combine record in the horizontal jump with an astonishing 123 inches. The sheer athleticism of Emery is literally off the charts. All of this, combined with his humble nature and serious work ethic, makes him a formidable and tantalizing prospect for any team.