RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH AUSTIN RUESCHHOFF, TURNER ELSON, ANDY WELINSKI, AND LOUIS DOMINGUE; ACQUIRE TY EMBERSON
Jul 18, 2022HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Austin Rueschhoff and defenseman Andy Welinski on one-year contracts. In addition, forward Turner Elson has signed a two-year deal with the club.
In addition, the Rangers announced last week that they agreed to terms with goaltender Louis Domingue on a two-year contract and acquired defenseman Ty Emberson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Patrik Nemeth, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and a future conditional pick.
Emberson, 22, skated in 58 games for the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL during the 2021-22 season, scoring eleven points (4 g, 7 a). During the 2020-21 season, Emberson appeared in five games with the Roadrunners, scoring one goal.
Prior to his professional career, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. While with the Badgers, Emberson dressed in 101 career games and scored 34 points (9 g, 25 a). Emberson also served as team captain during his junior season of 2020-21. The 6’1”, 195-pound defenseman was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention following the 2020-21 season, a campaign in which he was also named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team.
Internationally, Emberson has represented the United States in several tournaments, including the 2020 World Junior Championship.
Domingue, 30, appeared in 22 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL during the 2021-22 season, posting a record of 10-9-4 with a .924 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average. Domingue also played in two games with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL during the regular season, posting a 1-1-0 record with a .952 save percentage. The 6’3”, 209-pound goaltender also took part in six Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Penguins this spring, going 3-3.
The St-Hyacinthe, Quebec native is a veteran of 125 AHL games, with a career record of 56-49-13, a .907 save percentage, 2.83 goals-against average, and five shutouts. Domingue has also played in five career Calder Cup Playoff games.
A fifth-round pick (138th overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Domingue has appeared in 142 career NHL games with a record of 59-60-10.
Welinski, 29, skated in 39 games for the Stockton Heat of the AHL during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 19 points (3 g, 16 a). He also appeared in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games for the club, scoring one goal and five assists.
The Duluth, Minnesota native has played 230 career AHL games with the Heat, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and San Diego Gulls. Over his seven seasons in the league, Welinski has scored 123 points (35 g, 88 a). The 6’1”, 200-pound defenseman was named to the AHL All-Star Game during the 2017-18 season when he scored a career-high 34 points (10 g, 24 a) in 51 games with the Gulls.
A third-round pick (83rd overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Welinski has appeared in 46 career NHL games with the Ducks.
Prior to his professional career, Welinski played four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He served as team captain during the 2015-16 campaign and was twice named an NCHC Second Team All-Star. With the Bulldogs, Welinski skated in 154 games and scored 77 points (24 g, 53 a).
Rueschhoff, 24, skated in 59 games with the Wolf Pack during the 2021-22 season, scoring 24 points (14 g, 10 a). The native of Wentzville, Missouri, finished sixth on the club in goals and 11th in points. The 6’7”, 230-pound forward set a career-high with goals in four straight games from January 12th through the 19th. He scored six goals in that span.
Originally signed by the Rangers as a college free agent on March 20th, 2020, Rueschhoff has spent two seasons with the Wolf Pack. Over the course of those two campaigns, he has appeared in 82 games and scored 32 points (18 g, 14 a). Prior to turning pro, Rueschhoff played three seasons with Western Michigan University, scoring 70 points (35 g, 35 a) in 105 career games.
Elson, 29, appeared in 73 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL during the 2021-22 season. He set new career-highs in goals (21), assists (24), and points (45) for the Griffins, who he served as an alternate captain for. Elson finished tied for second on the team in goals, fourth in points, and tied for fourth in assists.
The 6’, 191-pound forward has played eleven seasons in the AHL, skating in 469 career games with the Griffins, Abbotsford Heat, Adirondack Flames, Stockton Heat, and San Antonio Rampage. He has scored 210 points (95 g, 115 a) and has a plus-29 rating in his career.
In addition to his time in the AHL, Elson won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup as a member of the Alaska Aces in 2014. He scored eleven points (7 g, 4 a) in 21 playoff games for the Aces that spring. Elson has also skated in three NHL games, including two this past season as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. The New Westminster, British Columbia native made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames on April 9th, 2016. He recorded his first career NHL point, an assist, against the Minnesota Wild that night.
# # #
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.