When Morgan Barron signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers in July 2020, he gave up his senior season at Cornell and his final opportunity to win a national championship, which had been the only thing pulling him back to college.

So when he showed up for his first training camp with the Blueshirts in early January, failed to make the opening-night roster and was sent down to AHL Hartford, Barron was naturally disappointed.

“I know pretty much everyone that comes to camp has that goal, and I was no exception to that,” the 22-year-old said Friday, after he was brought up from the Wolf Pack for the first time this season. “I definitely wanted to make that opening-night roster, but just I tried to have a positive attitude about it. I knew that when I got down to Hartford, it was going to be a good chance for me to get some ice time and really develop and work on my game. That was pretty much the message from them.

“Obviously, pro hockey is a little bit quicker regardless of whether it’s the AHL or NHL, so they just wanted to see me go down and get adjusted to that. That was my own goal going down, too. I think I did a pretty good of that. As the season went on in Hartford, I got more and more comfortable. Just had the puck on my stick more and I was creating a little bit more, so it was a positive for me, for sure.”

Barron, a sixth-round pick in 2017, certainly gave Rangers management no choice but to keep an eye on him in Hartford. In 21 games, the 6-foot-4 forward scored 10 goals and dished out 11 assists while playing both left wing and center.

Now, with Chris Kreider dealing with a lower-body injury, it’s looking like Barron will make his NHL debut Saturday night against the Islanders. Barron has been at the top of the next wave of Rangers prospects to join the team, and it appears he’ll get his first look in the final five games.

“Certainly his size is appealing, but I think he’s a very well-rounded player and prospect,” associate general manager Chris Drury told The Post last April. “Not only does he have the size, but his skating is very good for someone that size. His hockey sense is terrific, his competitiveness, and he’s got a great shot.”

Barron said he hopes he can be trusted on both sides of the puck, while bringing some much-needed physicality to the lineup. The coaching staff challenged him to become harder to play against and learn how to get into the dirty areas of the ice.

The transition to the varsity squad has been an easy one, according to Barron, because of the fact there are so many players his age already on the team.

“That’s probably one of the most exciting parts about this organization is that there’s just been this transfusion of youth into the team,” he said. “I’ve been able to watch a lot of those games and see those guys come out and get their feet wet, which has been good. I’ve had a huge opportunity to talk to those guys about it, but overall I’m just excited to be here and hopefully get that opportunity to go out there and get into the game.”