Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault plays above his weight at development camp

GREENBURGH — Size matters.

Until it doesn’t.

Take, for instance, Gabe Perreault.

On the final day of the Rangers’ development camp, Perreault found himself in the middle of a battle drill with fellow prospect forwards Zakary Karpa and, later, Noah Lamb.

At its core, the objective was to see who could get to a loose puck in the offensive zone, an attacker or a defender. In both instances, the Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2023 draft outmuscled and out-positioned Karpa and Lamb to gain control of the puck and put shots on net.

That the 5-11, 165-pound right winger won battles against taller, heavier counterparts should not be a surprise. Not if you hear from his coach at Boston College, Greg Brown.

“He is going to be able to manage,” Brown told Newsday in a phone interview Wednesday morning, when the subject of size was broached. “Gabe has a great ability to get to the inside.”

Yeah, you could say that.

Perreault entered his second development camp with the Rangers following a dynamic freshman season with the Eagles, in which he recorded 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points in 36 games.

And Perreault, who will be returning to Boston College for his sophomore year, is planning on more.

“(I’m) just focused on having another big year at school,” said Perreault, who believes he will slot into the hole on the Eagles’ top line left by Cutter Gauthier’s decision to turn pro with the Anaheim Ducks following Boston College’ 2-0 loss to the University of Denver in the National Championship game this past April. “I think I will probably (be) going against the other teams’ top lines which I like to do.”

He doesn’t mind putting on a show, either.

Throughout the two day, on-ice sessions, Perreault flaunted his playmaking ability and a quick, hard, accurate shot while often being paired with burgeoning power forward Brennan Othmann.

This was not a happy coincidence.

Perreault and Othmann are friends and it is not-at-all difficult to envision that one day the two could be the Generation Z descendants of the Mika Zibanejad-Chris Kreider tandem.

“With his kind of playmaking ability and with my shot and (ability to) find open space I think that’d be a pretty good duo,” Othmann said.

Before that can happen, though, Perreault has to turn pro. Which is not yet front-of-mind for the 19-year-old.

‘When that time comes I’ll probably discuss with my family, my agent, obviously the Rangers—see where they think I’m at—and most importantly where I think I’m at and then I’ll make a decision,” Perreault said.