NASHVILLE -- The New York Rangers drafted a New York Islanders fan on Thursday.
"Not anymore," said defenseman Drew Fortescue, the Rangers' third-round pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
The Rangers traded up one spot to get the 6-foot-3 Fortescue with the 90th pick, giving the No. 91 selection and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins to do so.
They got a self-proclaimed two-way defenseman who played the past two seasons in the United States National Team Development Program and is heading to Boston College, the exact same path as New York's first-round pick, Gabriel Perreault, who they selected at No. 23 on Wednesday.
Fortescue said he always was a big fan of defenseman Nick Leddy, but that was when he was playing for the Islanders and the 18-year-old was rooting for them.
Things change quickly in the NHL Draft.
"I can tell you I'm a Rangers fan now," Fortescue said.
His now former allegiance to the Islanders aside, there are connections between Fortescue and the Rangers.
He's from Pearl River, New York, which is a quick trip across the Hudson River by way of the Mario Cuomo Bridge from the Rangers' suburban practice facility in Greenburgh, New York. Without traffic it would take no longer than 30 minutes door to door for Fortescue.
Pearl River is maybe 45 minutes to an hour from Madison Square Garden.
It'll make it quite easy for the nearly 50 family members, all aunts, uncles and cousins, that Fortescue had in the stands at Bridgestone Arena to get to his games if he gets the chance to play for the Rangers.
Those family members, all sitting in a group in the stands directly to the right of the stage, went bonkers when Fortescue's name was called by the Rangers.
"It's incredible," Fortescue said. "It means a lot. I love them and the fact that they're all here supporting me, that they're out here for me, it means the world to me.
"I'll have all those people that are here be able to watch my games hopefully someday in the future."
He also has a prior relationship with Rangers general manager Chris Drury. Fortescue played with Drury's 18-year-old son Luke in youth hockey for the Mid Fairfield Rangers. He said they were teammates from the time he was 12 until he went to play for the USNDTP at 16.
Drury and Fortescue had a conversation on the draft floor after the Rangers made the pick.
"I know him a good amount and he was just saying congrats," Fortescue said. "It was really special being able to talk to him. I'm super excited."
Fortescue said his NHL dream never came up in conversations he might have had with Chris Drury. Then again, at that time Chris was just Luke's dad.
He could be Fortescue's boss in a few years after some development time at Boston College.
"I'm really happy and thankful for him and the Rangers organization for taking a chance on me," Fortescue said. "It's crazy. It's so cool."
