Nathan Aspinall was nowhere near the Sphere in Las Vegas for the 2024 NHL Draft. In fact, when Day 2 rolled around and the New York Rangers called his name in the fifth round, the the 6-foot-7 forward had no idea because he wasn’t even watching the draft at home on TV.
In fact, his mind was on a completely different sport than hockey.
“I was just sitting on the couch watching the (Toronto) Blue Jays game and [Flint Firebirds teammate Blake Smith] texted me ‘Let’s Go!’ and I really didn’t know what to think,” Aspinall explained on a Flint social media post. “Then my mom walked upstairs and said ‘I think you might have got drafted’ and then 10 seconds later I got a call from the Rangers, saying they picked me in the fifth round. So, it was a pretty funny moment.”
But really? Not watching the NHL Draft, knowing you could be selected at any moment?
“[The draft] was too stressful for me to watch. So, I was just watching the Jays game, relaxing,” Aspinall said with a chuckle.
Aspinall was the third of four players selected by the Rangers in the 2024 draft. Defenseman E.J. Emery was their first-round pick (No. 30 overall), followed by forwards Raoul Boilard (4th round), Aspinall (5th round) and Rico Gredig (6th round).
Aspinall scored 18 goals and finished with 34 points in 65 games for Flint last season.
“He’s got skill. The second half of the year, he really figured out what he needed to do to be an effective player. His second half really put him on the map for us … he figured out how to use his body,” Rangers director of player personnel and amateur scouting John Lilley explained at the draft. “It gives us another bigger player. He still needs to fill out and keep getting stronger.”
This isn’t the first towering forward selected in the later rounds of the draft by the Rangers recently. He joins Dylan Roobroeck (6-foot-7, 2023 draft), Matt Rempe (6-foot-8, 2020 draft) and Adam Edstrom (6-foot-6, 2019 draft) in the Rangers pipeline from recent drafts.
Rangers development camp reunited Nathan Aspinall, Brennan Othmann
Aspinall is expected to take on a bigger — no pun intended — role with Flint this season, though he doesn’t turn 19 until March 30. Listed at 195 pounds, there’s still plenty of filling out for Aspinall in his giant frame, too.
The Markham, Ontario, native got his first taste of New York at Rangers Prospects Development Camp in July. Fortunately for him, a familiar face was there taking part, former Flint teammate and 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann.
“Brennan Othmann, he played for the Flint Firebirds for a long time. He was my captain the first year I played for Flint (2022-23). He was there (at development camp). He kind of showed me the ropes, he was amazing that whole week,” Aspinall shared. “Very thankful for him.
“He played three games in the NHL last year, so he’s seen it all and he has so much knowledge … he taught me a lot this camp.”
Othmann will be at Rangers training camp later this month, trying to earn a spot on the opening-night roster after he scored 21 goals as a rookie pro with Hartford of the American Hockey League last season.
Aspinall would love to follow in his former captain’s footsteps to Broadway one day.
