Jacob Trouba’s unavailability because of an upper-body injury opened the door for 20-year-old Zac Jones to make his NHL debut Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The defenseman joined the Rangers after helping UMass win the national championship on April 10.
Trouba is officially listed as day-to-day after leaving Tuesday’s 6-1 loss against the Islanders following a big hit by forward Matt Martin. That created an opening on the defense corps for Jones, their third-round pick (No. 68 overall) in the 2019 NHL draft. Jones, a native of Richmond, Virginia, who played on the U.S. World Junior team in 2020, signed with the Rangers three days after UMass beat St.