Tarrytown NY: Rangers prospects show skills at development camp
NY Rangers prospects skate during a development camp at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown July 1, 2025.
- Lifelong New York Rangers fan Brian Nicholas participated in the team’s development camp after his freshman year at Brown University.
- Nicholas, whose family has a history with the Rangers organization, impressed scouts enough to earn an invitation to the camp.
- Nicholas aims to earn an NHL contract by next year and potentially face the decision of continuing his education or pursuing a professional hockey career.
Brian Nicholas has been a fan of the New York Rangers as long as he can remember, and this week, he hit the ice as one of 32 players to take part in the team’s development camp.
After graduating from Scarsdale High School in 2022, Nicholas went on to play two years of U.S. junior hockey for Sioux City in the USHL before taking his talents to Brown University for his freshman year last fall. On the heels of a strong rookie season that saw him get named to the ECAC All-Rookie team, Nicholas was invited to take part in the event by team scouts.
“Throughout the year at Brown, I spoke with my fair share of NHL teams,” said Nicholas, who had 11 goals and 14 assists in 28 games in 2024-25. “I had some other offers, got invited to some other teams’ camps, but as soon as the Rangers invited me, I told them right there on the Zoom call that I’ve been a Rangers’ fan my whole life and there’s no camp I’d rather go to.”
Family ties continue with Nicholas family, Rangers
Athletics run through the blood of the Nicholas family, as four of Brian’s siblings have gone on to enjoy collegiate sports careers of their own. Brother James, a pro golfer, played at Yale, while another brother Stephen played golf at Franklin & Marshall. Sisters Erin and Michaela, played field hockey at Middlebury and Franklin & Marshall, respectively.
Additionally, the opportunity marked a continuation of ties between the Nicholas family and the Rangers. Brian’s grandfather, the late James A. Nicholas, was a prominent surgeon and figure in sports medicine, serving as the Rangers team physician. James Nicholas is well remembered by New York sports fans as the doctor who operated on Joe Namath’s knees and saved his career. In addition to the Rangers, he also was team physician for the Knicks and Jets.
Brian’s father, Stephen has also been a team doctor for the Rangers and Jets.
Growing up, the Nicholas family basement was flooded with Rangers’ memorabilia, including hockey sticks from former players. This is also where he would practice, shooting pucks in the basement daily.
“Putting on that Ranger jersey for the first time was such a surreal experience,” Nicholas said. “Representing the New York Rangers is something that I’ll remember forever, and hopefully it’s something I can keep doing for a long time.”
Nicholas looks to prove himself at home, on the road
As a Scarsdale resident, the trip to the Madison Square Garden Training Center in Tarrytown was short in comparison to many of the other participants, who flew in from various places around the globe.
Thus, Nicholas had to deal with the eyes of locals, many of whom watched him play growing up.
“I think there was definitely a little bit more added pressure just because I probably knew a little bit more people than most guys did,” Nicholas said. “But then again, once you get to camp, most guys are flying in from Europe or Canada or all over the world, so we all stay in a hotel together, no matter where you’re from and everybody gets to feel like they’re at home.”
Nicholas’ selection to camp afforded him the opportunity to play alongside many highly touted Rangers’ draft picks over the past few years.
This did anything but intimidate him, as he is no stranger to playing with players with far more experience. During his training programs, Nicholas has worked with numerous NHL players, including Chris Kreider, Jonathan Quick and Adam Fox.
According to Brendan Whittet, Nicholas’ head coach at Brown, the camp should give him an idea of how he stacks up against his peers, prior to his sophomore season in college.
“What development camps provide is a context for what it takes to be a pro and how hard it is to get to that level,” Whittet said. “Soak up all the information that you can when you’re on the ice, and the feedback that I got is that he had a really good week. That organization is very encouraged by having him and working with him. They’re excited to see where he goes.”
Nicholas understands that despite the past week, he has not achieved anything yet, and there is still room to grow.
Still, his sights are set high on his pursuit to play for the team that he spent his upbringing rooting for.
“I think a goal of mine [for this year] is to have an NHL contract and be forced to make the decision between going back to school or trying to play in the NHL,” Nicholas said. “That’s kind of a good problem that I want to have this time next year.”
George Caratzas is a sports intern at The Journal News/lohud as part of the SUNY Institute for Local News program. He is a rising junior, journalism student at Stony Brook University, where he serves as an assistant sports editor at the student-run newspaper, The Statesman.