Rangers Prospect Ty Henricks: NCAA Frozen Four Champion

If I were to tell you one of the prospects the New York Rangers had competing in the NCAA Frozen Four Men’s Hockey Playoffs this spring had a big goal in the championship game to help propel his team to a title, Ty Henricks of Western Michigan University would have been your fourth and final guess, by process of elimination.

That’s not to discredit Henricks by any means, but the sixth round pick in 2023 did not bear the weight of heavy expectations from the Rangers or much of anyone in his freshman season. The same could be said for the Western Michigan Broncos as a whole. 

In an NCAA preseason poll, no one had Western Michigan ranked very high as they were picked to finish sixth in their conference. However, an impressive 34-7-1 campaign not only solidified their spot as the top seed in their division, but gave them some confidence going into a tournament with some truly elite competition. That proved to be the case in the opening round as Minnesota State University took the Broncos into double-overtime. but the heroics of Grant Slukynsky helped the team advance. 

After another 2-1 win over UMass, the Broncos faced the defending champs in Denver University, a program with plenty of championship pedigree and top-tier talent. In yet another double-overtime thriller, Owen Michaels found the back of the net to secure the Broncos spot in the championship to take on Boston University. 

An early goal from Wyatt Schingoethe set the tone for Western Michigan, but it was Rangers prospect Ty Henricks who gave them a two-goal lead early in the second period. Henricks went hard to the net and capitalized on a rebound to give his team a much needed spark. 

That goal may have been Henricks' only point of the playoff run, but it's hard to think of a better way to wrap up a freshman season. After two respectable seasons in the USHL, Henricks decided to take his talents to Western Michigan University and in 41 games played, registered eight goals and five assists for a total of 13 points. Not bad at all for the 6’5” winger from Mission Veijo, Calif., that mainly played a fourth line role in his first season of college hockey. 

Boston University would claw back within one later in the game, but the Broncos would not be denied. Three more goals would solidify their 6-2 win, bringing home the program's first ever national championship.

An awesome moment for Henricks, his teammates, and everyone involved in helping put Western Michigan on the map as a true hockey school. Henricks will turn 20 this summer and therefore could be AHL eligible as early as next season. The Broncos, however, have three seniors and five graduate students on their roster, meaning there could be a chance for Henricks to take on a bigger role next season if he stays in school. The Rangers have until the summer of 2028 to get Henricks signed to his entry level contract, according to PuckPedia, so staying in school could be the best option for him moving forward. 

While it could be a while before we see Henricks make any impression with the Rangers or Wolf Pack, he will be an exciting player to keep an eye on next season as he will look to build off of an unforgettable rookie season.

Congrats to Henricks and everyone else over at Western Michigan Hockey!