Will Cuylle commanded the ice during his first development camp with the Rangers last year, when he burst onto the scene with a near NHL-ready build after the organization traded up to draft the left winger 60th overall in 2020.

Wherever you looked, there was Cuylle using his size and strength to separate himself from the rest of the pack. Not much has changed since then, regarding Cuylle’s ability to stand out among the rest of the Rangers prospects, something he successfully repeated at last week’s development camp in Tarrytown.

What has changed is Cuylle’s proximity to making the Rangers roster. He is significantly closer this time around, especially given the Rangers’ current cap situation. The 20-year-old is at the top of the list of prospects with somewhat of a shot at clinching an NHL spot, at one point this coming season or another.

“I want to play on the Rangers,” Cuylle said after skating with the first of two groups on the first day of the camp on Monday. “That’s my goal. That was my goal last year. This year is another opportunity to make the team. This week, I’m just taking it one day at a time and really trying to show my skills and be a leader around here. Obviously, this year I’m definitely looking to make the team.”

While the Rangers would prefer not to rush the development of Cuylle, or their other top forward prospect Brennan Othmann, their looming cap crunch and uncertainty surrounding personnel may force the organization to consider what those two could do at the NHL level. Cuylle is a big-bodied bottom-six option who has a powerful left-handed shot and can get to the dirty areas of the ice.

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With the Ontario Hockey League shut down for the 2020-21 season, Cuylle joined the Hartford Wolf Pack after he was drafted, recording two goals and three assists in 18 games. The Rangers then sent him back to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL last season and presumably hoped he’d be able to dominate. And that’s what he did. Cuylle served as captain and was named a second-team All-Star left winger after he racked up a career-high 80 points (43 goals, 37 assists).

“Back when I went to the AHL, there was a big jump,” Cuylle said. “Obviously, lots of speed and it was a quick time — only three months. It was a big learning curve. Then going back to junior [hockey] last year, it was just a year to build confidence and really sort of fine tune my skills and really just get prepared for this year.”

Cuylle noted that he was able to get some playoff experience this past season, when the Spitfires lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs in seven games in the OHL Championship. He scored 15 goals and dished 16 assists in 25 playoff games. Aside from the offensive numbers, Cuylle said he felt he took strides in his defensive game and playmaking abilities.

The growth was noticeable in his second training camp with the Rangers. He capped it off with a goal in the Blue-and-White scrimmage on Friday. But what really sets Cuylle apart from his peers is his 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame. While many of his fellow prospects are still growing into themselves, Cuylle has an NHL-ready build that should make him the more favorable option.

Cuylle will compete with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships beginning on Aug. 9 in Edmonton. He agreed that it would be an opportunity for him to ramp up his game heading into training camp, saying that he sees it as a bit of an advantage.

Depending on how he impresses at development camp and training camp, Cuylle could be reporting to AHL Hartford or the New York Rangers in October.

“He went back [to the OHL] and showed some leadership skills, captain of the team, another long playoff run,” Rangers Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer said. “A great experience for him. Wanted him to go back and start gaining that confidence of going to the net and scoring goals and he did that. So we’re excited to see what he can do.”

The Rangers inked one-year contracts with forwards Austin Rueschhoff and Turner Elson, as well as defenseman Andy Welinski, the team announced Monday.

Rueschhoff, who signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 2020 after three seasons at Western Michigan University, has played the last two seasons in Hartford. Elson, a 29-year-old center, played two games for the Red Wings last season, but spent a majority of the year in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Welinski spent parts of the last three seasons with the Ducks, appearing in 46 games and totaling six points.