Drew Fortescue of Pearl River lives NHL dream for hometown NY Rangers

GREENBURGH — He's a kid with no superstitions. There's no internal mandate to tie one skate first or to never wash an undershirt during a winning streak. Rather, he lives by one unshakable belief: That hard work will lead to better things.

Drew Fortescue won't be able to legally enjoy an adult beverage until later this month, but his mature approach to ice hockey has captured the attention of both his New York Rangers coaches and teammates. The 20-year-old Pearl River native signed a three-year contract with the New York Rangers a day after his Boston College team saw its championship hopes vanish in an overtime loss last month to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals March 20 in Boston Since appearing in his first NHL game March 27 — a 6-1 win over Chicago-- the young, 6-foot-2, 194-pound defenseman has made his presence known. Fortescue had an assist in that game and while he didn't register a point in the five that followed, he saw lots of ice time in each and has been part of a an all-too-rare Ranger hot streak.

Drew Fortescue part of a youthful boost for the Blueshirts The Rangers, 33-36-9 overall through April 7, are 5-1 since Fortescue's first game with them. Fortescue is a plus-6 in goals scored vs. goals allowed while he has been on the ice.

The Rangers, who were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs March 25, are taking long looks now at several young players in anticipation of next season. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan has voiced his support for the youngster, a junior at BC, who plans to return to the school to complete his spring semester classes after the Rangers' season ends April 16. Tuesday, at the MSG Training Center, it was hard to distinguish Fortescue's level of play from that of teammates much older and much more seasoned.