It looks like Victor Mancini is with the New York Rangers to stay.
The Rangers placed Chad Ruhwedel on waivers this afternoon, indicating that Mancini has earned himself a permanent spot with the team.
Mancini wasn’t supposed to be in this position. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL draft and has worked his way up to the big leagues.
It was in training camp where Mancini really showed out and earned an opening night roster spot with the Rangers.
However, it was just supposed to be temporary until Ryan Lindgren made his return to the lineup from an upper-body injury.
Mancini was determined to extend his stay with the Rangers for a little bit longer than originally anticipated.
Through the first six games of the season, the 22-year-old impressed Peter Laviolette so much that he had to keep him in the lineup.
“A little bit of everything to be honest, it’s his skating, it’s his size, it’s his poise with the puck,” Laviolette said about Mancini. “He plays a physical game inside of his own elements. He’s big and he’s hard to play against. He does the right things with the puck. He’s very coachable as well. I think he’s had a really strong start to the season.
It’s how composed he is in the defensive zone and with the puck on his stick that is most impressive about Mancini.
It doesn’t seem like Mancini is a rookie both by the way he plays and how he conducts himself.
The young defenseman is mature beyond his years as he has a calm nature to him while he speaks extremely elegantly.
You can see the confidence level of Mancini growing by the day in terms of his performance on the ice and his comfortability in the locker room.
“I think each and every game just by the way I’ve been playing, my confidence starts to grow,” Mancini said. “I think the style I play the game and the mindset that I come prepared with each game is be confident, be consistent within my game, try to make all the right decisions and just play the game in front of me.”
This is just the start for Mancini as his potential for what he can accomplish is through the roof.
