Matt Gilroy went from a walk-on to the Hobey Baker Award winner this season as the nation’s top college hockey player.
He won’t be able to fly under the radar anymore, since the Rangers signed him last week as a free agent out of Boston University, after he led the Terriers to the NCAA title.
“I really don’t have any [expectations] right now,” Gilroy said before the Rangers faced the Capitals in Game 4 of their playoff series at the Garden. “I have an opportunity here, but no promises.”
He does have a one-way contract that will pay him $3.5 million over two years. Although that doesn’t ensure anything for the three-time All-American, it will put the spotlight on him, as the Rangers clearly plan for him to be in the NHL next year.
At 25, he’s not a typical college free agent, since he was an undersized forward in junior hockey before becoming a defenseman at BU, where he grew to his current 6-foot-2.
“My strength is definitely my skating and offensively in transition,” Gilroy said. “Hopefully I can excel at that with Coach [John] Tortorella. My weakness is transition defense. I’ve only been playing [defense] for four years. It’s kind of tough reading some plays, but everyone tells me that comes with experience. Hopefully it does.”
And he did spend time with Tortorella last year in the World Championships.
“I got to play with him for about a week,” Gilroy said. “I liked his style. He was a big reason [I signed with the Rangers], too.”
Another former BU star, Chris Drury, also helped recruit Gilroy.
After drawing interest from some teams following his junior season, the Long Island native opted to return to school for his senior year, and his father, Frank, footed the bill since there were no scholarships left. Frank played for St. John’s from 1977-81.
“He told us stories of the Garden being packed,” the younger Gilroy said. “I’ve never been to a Ranger game because I grew up a mile away from the Coliseum.”
The Islanders, however, were never a realistic option for Gilroy.
“Garth Snow was great,” Gilroy said of the Isles GM. “It just didn’t work out. I didn’t fit in there. There were no hard feelings.”