Former Rangers defenseman Dave Karpa was headed to the MSG Training Center for some rehab treatment on an off-day during the 2001-02 season when his wife, Lynne, suggested they make a family trip out of it.

So the two packed up their twin boys, who were less than a year old, and made their way over.

“They were so small back then, they weren’t even crawling,” Dave told The Post in a phone interview. “It was more like bobbleheads. Lynne and I were holding on to them and kind of just propping them up to get photos.”

One of the twin boys, Zakary, was back at the Rangers practice facility on Monday. This time as a 20-year-old aspiring NHLer who was selected in the 2022 draft at No. 191 by the Rangers, the team his dad was playing for when he was born. After having photos taken in that exact locker room as a baby, Zakary returned as an official prospect at the Rangers’ development camp.

Zakary and his brother, Jakob, were born just a few exits away from Tarrytown in Greenwich, Conn.. It was toward the end of Dave’s 12-year NHL career, which included stops with the Quebec Nordiques (now the Avalanche), the Mighty Ducks (now just the Ducks) and the Hurricanes before he played his final NHL games in New York.

In recalling how fondly his dad spoke of the Rangers and how he cherished his time in the city, Zakary said it made his draft night all the more special.

“I don’t remember any of my time here, so it’s kind of like I’m here for the first time, but it’s not,” Zakary said after the first group session on Monday. “And then when my mom showed me that picture it was kind of surreal. Just kind of came full circle.”

When the Rangers used their last pick of this year’s draft to select Karpa in Montreal on Friday, the left-handed center and his brother were getting ready to work out at their family home in Newport Beach, Calif. The draft broadcast was on in the living room, but Lynne had it on her phone because it was ahead of the broadcast. All Karpa heard was his mom screaming, and jumping up and down.

Karpa was in his third year of draft eligibility and had been waiting for this moment. There were a few NHL clubs he connected with — some in person, some over the phone — during his finals at Harvard last year. The Rangers were one of them.

“We encouraged him to handle it as it’s a business,” Lynne said. “So when it’s getting a little bit later in the draft, I think he was getting a little deflated, but still had hopes. Boy, the smile on his face. It’s so cool to see your child in that moment.”

In his rookie season with the Crimson, Karpa scored six goals and had six assists in 33 games. Harvard won the ECAC Hockey Championship before bowing out early in a regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-3 loss to Minnesota State University-Mankato.

After a couple seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2018-2020, over which he recorded a goal and six assists in 31 games, Karpa took a gap year and split the 2020-21 season with the Omaha Lancers and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League. In 48 USHL contests, Karpa accumulated nine goals and 19 assists with 31 penalty minutes.

He may not be a player who will light up the score sheet, but Karpa has a high hockey IQ. Scouts have identified a strong two-way game in Karpa, who is responsible defensively and also a penalty killer. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has experience at both the wing and center.

Harvard was an ideal landing spot for Karpa because academics has always been just as important as hockey.

“My mom’s always been big on the academics,” he said. “If I didn’t get good grades, I couldn’t play hockey. I felt like with the coaching staff and the support system there, it was kind of the best of both worlds.”

Dave played the final 94 of his 557 NHL games with the Rangers after signing with the club as a free agent in 2001.

The Rangers were in the midst of a rough patch that saw zero playoff berths from 1997 to 2004. In his first season in New York, the Rangers finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with 80 points and he chipped in a goal and 10 assists to go along with 131 penalty minutes. He played only 19 NHL games in 2002-03 before he was demoted to AHL Hartford, where he recorded seven assists and 70 penalty minutes in 34 games.

“I wish Rangers fans could’ve seen me at a younger age,” said Dave, who was 30 when he joined the Rangers. “You know what though? On the other hand, I just cherish the privilege to actually be able to say that I played for the New York Rangers. It’s something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Watching his son get drafted was one thing, but watching his son get drafted by an NHL team he played for made it even more special. The fact that it was the Rangers, however, was an added bonus. Zakary recalled how his dad regaled him with tales of living in New York City, taking the subway to games at Madison Square Garden.

While Zakary is a forward, Jakob is a defenseman. As a former blueliner, Dave has been able to take a very hands-on approach with Jakob, who last played for the British Columbia Hockey League’s Wenatchee Wild. With Zakary, Dave has been able to realize his forward dream that never was. Either way, Dave said he is more excited for his sons than he ever was for himself.

“I saw it at a very young age,” Dave said of Zakary’s potential. “You just hope and it didn’t come in his first and second draft. But as I told him, ‘Everyone develops and grows into their body different.’ That’s one thing that I’ve seen with Zakary, he really has room to grow in his body a lot more to get bigger, stronger, faster. The ceiling still hasn’t been met in my mind.”

Zakary likely knows what it takes to make it in the NHL better than most prospects, considering his dad isn’t far removed from the game. After getting drafted and reporting to the Rangers development camp this week, he’s taken that first big step in following his dad’s path. It just happens to be in the same NHL locker room he once explored as an infant.

“If I ever need someone to lean on or talk to, he kind of gets it,” he said. “I feel like some kids don’t have that as much. So I’m definitely fortunate in that aspect of it.”