Rangers’ Victor Mancini likely to make NHL debut on opening night

As the New York Rangers prepare to open the 2024-25 season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday, their lineup is beginning to take shape. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that rookie Victor Mancini is expected to be among the 18 skaters for the first game.

The 22-year-old defenseman turned heads in training camp and the preseason, scoring two goals and adding an assist in four games. With Ryan Lindgren sidelined by an upper-body injury, Mancini beat out a crowded field to earn a roster spot, though coach Peter Laviolette continues to play it coy and has yet to confirm Mancini will be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

“Everybody’s still in play to be in the lineup that’s here right now, and so we’ve looked at things in practice and, yeah, he’s a possibility,” Laviolette said Monday.

Mancini, a right shot, was paired with Zac Jones at practice the past few days. That would appear to be new York’s third pairing to start the season.

“It would obviously be very special,” Mancini said of his potential NHL debut against the Penguins. “This is the level that you want to be at, where everyone wants to be at. To get this taste of things in training camp, to see where you want to be, it definitely motivates you. You want to stay here, you want to be at the highest level, you want to play with the highest level of players.”

Veteran Chad Ruhwedel is the other option to play against the Penguins, but he’s been skating as the 7th defenseman, a role he’s expected to fill this season.

Victor Mancini ‘doing everything right’ for Rangers

With the injury to Lindgren, K’Andre Miller will likely move up to skate on the first pair with Adam Fox. Mancini and Jones are paired together, leaving Braden Schneider and Jacob Trouba as the other pair. Schneider is going to have to make the switch over to the left side, but should have no problem doing so. He was in Mancini’s shoes not too long ago, and had nothing but positives to say about the rookie.

“I’ve gotten to know him the last couple days, and I don’t have much advice for him, he’s kind of one of those kids that’s dialed in,” Schneider said of his new teammate. “He does everything right, he’s in the gym early and stays late. He’s a great player, he had a great camp, and I’m excited to see how he does in game one.”

Mancini has done a great job of managing his emotions throughout training camp. He has remained calm and collected, and looked NHL-ready throughout the preseason, often logging more than 20 minutes a night. But how he handles to pressure of a regular season game and his NHL debut will be a whole new challenge.

“I’ll be at a little bit of a loss for words, I think,” Mancini explained. “It’ll be very special to share that with my family as well, whenever that first game might be. It’s going to be really special because I owe a lot to my parents and my family. To shar that moment with them will be the most fun part for me.”

Mancini turned pro this past spring after the 2022 fifth-round draft pick finished school at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He played some regular-season games down the stretch for Hartford in the American Hockey League; and then dressed in a top-four role in all 10 Calder Cup Playoff games.

His solid play in camp, coupled with Lindgren’s injury, opened the door for the 6-foot-3, 229-pound defenseman.

As for Lindgren, Fox’s long-time partner has resumed skating on his own, which he did again Monday. But he’s not yet ready to practice nor return to the lineup, per Laviolette.