New York Rangers prospect Drew Fortescue is finally on the board, and in a big way.

The Boston College and Pearl River, New York, product netted his first professional goal on Saturday night, and it was a huge one. Fortescue potted the overtime winner in a 3-2 Hartford Wolf Pack victory over the Syracuse Crunch in an American Hockey League game.

Fortescue’s only shot of the night came just over halfway through the five-minute OT period, when he took a pass from NHL veteran Taylor Raddysh, skated into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 with Juuso Parssinen, and sniped from the left-wing circle to beat Crunch goalie Olivier Rodrigue for the game winner.

It was a big finish to a strong night for the 21-year-old defenseman, who was plus-2 for the game after being on the ice for Justin Dowling’s goal midway through the second period as well.

Fortescue made his pro debut in the NHL last season, skating in nine games with the Rangers after his junior season at BC ended. The 90th overall pick in the 2023 draft had an assist in his NHL debut and two total, with four penalty minutes and a plus-4 rating, in his limited time, but did not light the lamp.

He had one assist in his first 15 games with Hartford this season, before his memorable goal Saturday. That he hadn’t scored a goal yet wasn’t a big issues, considering that Fortescue is a shut-down defender first, one who scored just eight goals in 112 NCAA games at Boston College.

Goal by Rangers prospect not the only first for Wolf Pack players

Fortescue wasn’t the only member of the Wolf Pack making his first waves on Saturday, though it should be noted he was named first star of the game, as well.

Justin Nachbaur, signed to a one-year AHL deal this past offseason, netted his first goal for Hartford, opening the scoring 9:11 in with a ripper from the right circle. The 26-year-old is known more for his physicality than scoring tough. He leads Hartford with 48 penalty minutes in 14 games, and his goal was just the third he scored in 57 career AHL games.

Rangers forward prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker earned the primary assist on Nachbaur’s goal, his first apple in eight games played this season.

The 2022 third-round pick is in his third season with Hartford and has 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 145 AHL games.

Callum Tung made 24 saves for the win. And though that wasn’t his first victory of the season, the 22-year-old is first among Hartford goalies with four wins (4-4-0) and earlier this season he did record his first AHL shutout.

Perhaps stretching the point a bit, defenseman Matthew Robertson played his first NHL game this season Saturday, logging 11:14 TOI in the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. Robertson, who’s spent most of the season in Hartford, filled in for 18-year-old rookie Alberts Smits, who was out with an upper body injury.

Robertson played 72 games with the Rangers last season, but landed back in Hartford after training camp when Smits replaced him in the starting lineup on Broadway, and Scott Morrow earned the extra defenseman role. Those two decisions made by Rangers brass also assured that Fortescue would start the season in Hartford.