The New York roots that have led — and followed — Rangers' Drew Fortescue to World Juniors

OTTAWA Billy Fortescue is perched at a high-top table inside the Hard Rock Club at the Canadian Tire Centre during the 2025 World Juniors wearing his USA Hockey quarter zip.

Nearby, a large group of people from Pearl River, N.Y., have joined him in Ottawa to support his son, Drew, a Rangers third-round pick who is playing on USAs top pairing at this years under-20 world championship.

Advertisement By tournaments end, Billy says the number is going to balloon to about 40 folks from Pearl River.

Theyve all made the seven-hour drive of 400-plus miles north and across the border to Ottawa.

Billys a government bond broker in Manhattan.

His wife, Katee, is an accountant in the area.

Billys dad was a New York City fireman.

Hockey, and Pearl River, run in the Fortescue family on both sides.

Billy played at Villanova when they had a Division III team.

One of Drews uncles, Kenny, played at Babson.

His cousin, Liam McLinskey, plays at Holy Cross and was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season.

Another cousin, C.J.

McGee, just graduated from Quinnipiac and won a national title there; hes now playing in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears.

Billy grew up playing youth hockey with Chris McGee, C.J.s dad.

Chris dad was a New York City police officer and the Fortescues moved to Pearl River when Billy was 12 after the McGees told them a house was for sale on their block.

Many years later, Billy married the sister of Chris McGees wife.

The two families have been attached ever since.

A year ago during the holidays, they all made the trip to Gothenburg, Sweden, to cheer Drew on his way to a World Juniors gold medal.

Now theyre back as he and USA Hockey, who have never won back-to-back golds at the tournament, chase history.

Drew grew up going to his two cousins high school games.

Now theyve played against each other (Fortescues NCAA debut with Boston College was the night Quinnipiac raised its national championship banner) and their huge extended family are repaying the favor.

It was always a big family thing where everyone loves to go support each other, Drew said.

And every one of them is a huge part of my life and its huge to have them here for support.

Theyre all willing to come up here and just having them in my corner is something thats really special.

Someday, they hope to make the much shorter drive to Madison Square Garden to watch him with the Rangers.

On a phone call shortly before the tournament started, Boston College associate head coach Brendan Buckley predicted that Fortescue would be a guy who would be reliable defensively and who can go back and make clean breakouts for Team USA.

I think you know what youre going to get with him all the time, Buckley told The Athletic .

Hes not going to put himself in bad spots out there.

And I think coaches find that player that can kind of play with everybody and kill penalties calming.

Advertisement And when the puck dropped on Boxing Day, and again on Saturday and Sunday in USAs second and third games of the tournament, it was Fortescue lined up beside Minnesota Wild top prospect Zeev Buium on head coach David Carles first pairing.

Buium and Fortescue have played together with the national team for years, going all the way back to their days at USA Hockeys National Team Development Program (NTDP) before the draft.

Billy joked that during their first year together as 16-year-olds at the program, they were like minus-50.

I mean it was crazy, Billy said, laughing, because Zeev was running all over like he does now and Drew was getting his ass kicked in the corners by 20-year-olds and they were just terrible together.

And I think (then-NTDP head coach) Dan Muse just thought theyd be a nice pair together when they figured it all out and it has turned out pretty good so its pretty neat.

Fortescues pedigree and numbers (eight points in 40 games as a freshman with the Eagles last season and four through 16 games as a sophomore ahead of the World Juniors this year) pale next to Buiums, but Fortescue is plus-25 across 56 NCAA games as a teenager.

Hes proven to be a strong defender at the college level and is a returnee Carle counts on for this team.

Our hope and goal and his too is to just be kind of a calming influence on the game, Carle said.

(A) predictable, consistent puck mover that can chip in and get pucks through offensively.

But really his rush D, his killing plays in our own end is things that we need him to excel at for our D corps and our team to have the ultimate success.

The things they need him to do are things he has done on a strong blue line with the Eagles over the last 18 months as well.

Buckley, whose brother Jerry is also Fortescues adviser, said his breakouts in particular are awesome.

Advertisement He is exceptional at going back and getting pucks and making a good first touch with pucks and I think that is so valuable in todays hockey, being able to have a reliable defenseman back there that can get pucks and move them quickly up to his forwards, Buckley said.

He thinks that with a little more strength Fortescue, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds, can be a new-age shutdown defenseman.

I think those shutdown defensemen are a little bit different than they were 15-20 years ago where you had that big massive guy, Buckley said.

Hes that guy that can neutralize other teams top lines with good clean breakouts, good positioning, he skates well for a big guy and he has a good stick.

I think all teams kind of value that a lot in players.

I dont think they get the press.

Its not the flashy stuff, its not what everybody talks about, but I think its a big part of it if you look at teams that win is theyve got guys like that.

Theres a science to that type of game as well, as simple as he and those who do it well may make it look.

Its all about that first look over your shoulder, listening and trusting your teammates that someones going to be in the right spot for you and just making the play thats there, Fortescue said of his game.

For me, Ive never tried to make the crazy play.

Its always just the one thats open and the one thats in front of you.

Thats how I try to play and thats how Ill always play in the future.

The night the Rangers drafted Drew, Billy said goodbye to his 15-person group chat with Islanders fans.

Congratulations but youre not rooting for them, they said.

Yes I am and if you want me out of this thing Ill be out right now, Billy answered.

You guys can talk s all you want and I know you will but I dont want to hear it.

Advertisement Drew grew up an Islanders fan because of his dad.

His brothers, Will and Jack, still kind of like the Islanders.

Not Drew and Billy.

For sure Ive switched! Drew said, laughing.

I immediately switched as soon as my kid got picked, Billy said.

Because of his New York roots, the Rangers have been able to keep a close eye on Drew since they selected him with the 90th pick in the 2023 draft.

The Rangers training facility is 15 minutes from home and he has been able to skate there and use their ice a little.

Last summer, he got into skates with Brett Berard and some other guys from the AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack who came and went throughout the offseason.

He also trains in the offseason with Ben Prentiss, who happens to be the Rangers strength coach for their prospects, in nearby Stamford, Conn.

He has been working with Prentiss since his minor hockey days with the Mid Fairfield Rangers AAA team after Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St.

Louis retired from the NHL , began coaching the team and brought the kids to Prentiss gym before the Rangers even did.

The day the Rangers picked Drew, Billy texted Prentiss, Hey Ben, guess what, now I dont have to pay ya anymore because now he can work out on the Rangers time.

I hate to lose customers but Ill let it slide! Prentiss answered.

Just having him and having the Rangers that close to use their resources is something that Im very fortunate to take, Drew said.

Billy believes St.

Louis coaching that Mid Fairfield team was the biggest break Drew got.

Drew joined that 05 team after McLinskey whod played for the 01 Mid Fairfield team under Gary Zegras, the father of Ducks forward Trevor Zegras recommended he try out.

At the time, Drew was always just in the middle of the pack but towards the top middle of the pack.

Advertisement After St.

Louis came, everything changed.

Then that team became the local all-star team because everyone wanted to play for Marty, but we were there six months before he retired, Billy said.

St.

Louis telling Drew that he did things you cant teach and that he had a knack for knowing who he is even if hes not the fastest and doesnt have the best shot changed his perspective.

So did making the NTDP.

He wasnt a lock to make that team, and the last spot on the left side of that blue line probably came down to Drew and St.

Louis son, Lucas.

I thought normally the NHL guy gets that spot and I didnt want him to take it at Martys kids expense but when he made that then youre like All right, well this changes things, Billy said.

Fast forward and that kid is a two-time gold medalist with USA Hockey, first at U18 worlds and then at last years World Juniors.

Asked to look back on that golden moment in Gothenburg a year ago, Drews eyes widened and he said there wasnt much going through his head.

Youre just as happy as you can be, Drew said.

Youre playing with all your brothers and youre with each other over Christmas and over special times youre away from your family and with the bond you build with those guys, and then to be able to get the job done and take home that gold medal was something that was really special and something that for sure Ill never forget.

Now he wants to become a three-time gold medalist.

To have that ability to come here and try to do it again is something that Ive been looking forward to all year, he said.

(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

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