Rangers prospect EJ Emery impresses college coach with ‘nuance in his game’

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The IIHF World Junior Championship is more than a holiday tournament — it’s a glimpse into the future and a chance to see NHL prospects tested on an international stage. This year, the New York Rangers top defenseman prospect EJ Emery shares in that spotlight, looking to help the United States in its bid to win a third straight World Junior title.

Emery, New York’s first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, is not one to seek the spotlight, though. Instead, the 19-year-old follows a quieter, more deliberate path. So, as Team USA looks to defend its consecutive goal medals, Emery arrives not as a novelty, but as a player valued for precision, composure, and reliability in demanding moments.

That context matters, because Emery is shaped inside one of the most elite development environments in college hockey. The University of North Dakota is not simply a strong NCAA program — it is one of the sport’s benchmarks, with a championship pedigree and a long history of producing NHL-ready players, like Jonathan Toews, Brock Boeser, and Brock Nelson.

Responsibility at UND is earned through detail, consistency, and trust, not projection. Emery growing into that role in Grand Forks made his presence on the World Junior roster less a surprise than a reflection of the standards he’s already met.

“We see all the nuanced, strong play that maybe fans don’t — or maybe some media people don’t,” University of North Dakota head coach Dane Jackson told Forever Blueshirts.

It’s the kind of evaluation that only comes from watching a player every day — and it helps explain both how Emery’s role has steadily grown and why this opportunity feels earned.

Why UND wanted EJ Emery

EJ Emery – photo courtesy Alan Selavka

Jackson, then the associate coach at North Dakota, first began tracking Emery when he was just 16, playing at the Yale Hockey Academy. Like many young defensemen, Emery skated at an elite level. He had the physical tools to play with pace. But what separated him wasn’t what he did with the puck — it was how seriously he took the parts of the game most players his age were still learning to tolerate.

“Quite often, young defensemen want to be Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes,” Jackson explained. “But with EJ, we saw an athletic guy who could skate and had real defensive detail. He competed hard on the defensive side of the puck.”

For a program like North Dakota — one built on structure, accountability, and NHL preparation — that combination matters. Mobility opens the door. Reliability keeps it open.

“We saw a young guy with good hockey sense and a defensive detail to his game that was really attractive,” he added.

UND affords EJ Emery chance for growth without losing identity

When Emery arrived in Grand Forks in the fall of 2014 as the youngest defensemen in the NCHC, the goal wasn’t to remake him. It was to expand his game without compromising what already worked.

“We were really attracted to his length and athleticism defensively,” Jackson explained. “But we wanted to help grow his offensive side — holding onto pucks a little longer, hitting the middle on breakouts, walking the blue line to extend plays.”

That balance is reinforced through detailed video work and on-ice skill sessions with UND assistant coach Dillon Simpson, ensuring expansion never comes at the expense of defensive reliability.

“It doesn’t mean you have to bring a huge amount of risk into your game,” Jackson continued. “Even defensive defensemen in the NHL have good puck skills. They have awareness. They feel pressure. They make the next small play.”

Earning trust

EJ Emery – photo courtesy Jim Cerny

Trust, especially for defensemen, is earned in the margins — in defensive-zone starts, penalty kills, and late-game situations that never make highlight reels.

By the second half of his freshman season, Jackson felt Emery reached that threshold.

“We felt confident playing him against other teams’ best players,” he said. “We knew he could defend against anybody at this level.”

Unfortunately, injuries disrupted that trajectory, including a high ankle sprain earlier this season that stalled momentum. But when Emery returned healthy, the substance of his game didn’t change.

“He really earned his way onto the World Junior team with how well he played in the last six weeks,” Jackson noted. “Strong defensive play, positive puck touches, efficient puck movement.”

To the UND staff, his selection wasn’t surprising.

“We value him so much for his penalty killing, his shutdown defense, and giving him defensive-zone starts because he’s so reliable,” Jackson emphasized. “We see all the nuance in his game.”

What doesn’t show up on stat sheet stands out with top Rangers prospect

Beyond the shutdown shifts and penalty kills, Emery’s impact is felt in quieter ways.

“He’s a really good teammate,” Jackson said. “He has a compassion and a thoughtfulness for people around him.”

That awareness shows up most when teammates are struggling — whether they’re injured, scratched, or going through difficult stretches — with Emery often the one checking in, offering support, and helping keep people engaged.

That presence extends into Emery’s daily habits.

“He doesn’t just try to get through a workout or a practice,” Jackson observed. “There’s intent. He wants to grow and get better. For a young guy, that professionalism is impressive.”

That professionalism didn’t come out of nowhere. Emery grew up around a competitive standard shaped by his father, Eric Emery, a former professional football player in the CFL, and it shows in the way he approaches his day-to-day.

“Just find a way to get it done,” Jackson said. “No excuses. Whatever comes at you, you adapt and overcome.”

Rangers prospect EJ Emery shows growth after overcoming adversity

Jackson acknowledged that Emery’s first collegiate season wasn’t seamless. He recorded an assist in his NCAA debut and not another point over 30 more games. Adjusting to playing against bigger, stronger, faster opponents took time. Emery also was among the final cuts by Team USA for their 2025 World Junior Championship roster.

“I think it did affect him a little bit,” he admitted. “But he’s really grown in how he handles adversity.”

With the support of UND’s sports performance staff, Jackson noted that Emery has taken meaningful strides in managing the mental side of the game.

“He’s taken a big step there,” Jackson said. “Just controlling what you can control, not worrying about things that didn’t go well, and being ready for the next day.”

This season, Emery has four points (two goals, two assists) in 17 games at North Dakota, continued to progress as an elite defensive defenseman, and earned his way on to the U.S. roster at the 2026 World Juniors.

‘Efficient puck movement’ among EJ Emery qualities that will translate into NHL

From Jackson’s experience coaching NHL-bound defensemen, like Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators, one trait stands above the rest: efficiency.

“At every level you go up, there’s just not much time and space,” Jackson said. “You have to have pre-puck awareness, know what’s going on before the puck comes to you. Fancy one-on-one plays don’t work. Efficient puck movement does.”

It’s a description that fits Emery naturally — a defender whose value lies not in dominance, but in dependability.

The kicker

Off the ice, Emery brings something harder to quantify.

“He comes to the rink smiling,” Jackson said. “There’s a positive energy — a joy.”

Jackson paused before offering a comparison UND fans know well.

“T.J. Oshie had that,” Jackson said. “EJ has it too.”

That joy has a way of carrying. It followed Emery from North Dakota, where it showed up every day in the rink, to the World Junior stage, where the lights are brighter and the margins thinner. With Dane Jackson guiding his development — a coach who understands how far belief and substance can take a player — it feels like the beginning of a journey rather than a moment. From Grand Forks to international ice, and one day to Broadway, Emery’s game looks ready for the stages ahead.

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