Amidst Uncertainty, Wall Ready to Get to Work with Rangers

It's a Friday afternoon in May. You put the finishing touches on the last exam of your college career - virtually, of course, because you're in the midst of a quarantine. You file it. Then, an hour later, you officially sign your first professional contract with the New York Rangers.

Just how every NHL hopeful draws it up, right?

"I asked if it would be OK to wait until after I was done with my last exam because with everything being moved online, it was pretty busy the last couple of weeks, studying and doing projects," said Wall, who wrapped up his mechanical engineering degree from UMass-Lowell on May 8th before promptly inking his entry-level deal with the Rangers. "I finished my last exam, and then like an hour later, I was signing with the Rangers, so that was a pretty special day in two respects - being done with school, and then obviously joining the New York Rangers. It was a pretty special day for me."

It was certainly a special day for both Wall and the Rangers, and one that was not necessarily a foregone conclusion. Wall, who was drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) in 2016, had options. After four full seasons minding the nets at Lowell, he could have pursued his option to explore free agency this summer.

Instead, he made the choice to commit himself to the team that took a chance on him four summers ago.

"I had a sense of loyalty," Wall said. "When [the Rangers] first scouted me with the Leamington Flyers, there weren't a lot of teams that were coming to watch me in Junior B, and not a lot of teams that were probably willing to take a chance on me, coming out of that league. They put a lot of work and time and effort into me, and even developing me over the last few years at their development camps and stuff like that."

Then, of course, there's the fact that it's New York, the Rangers, an Original Six franchise with history, mystique and fandom that spans generations.

"It's New York," Wall said. "They have the best fans, best arena in the world."

The Wall the Rangers signed on Friday has come a long way from the Wall whose name was called at the 2016 NHL Draft. That Wall was a bit of an underdog, coming off parts of three seasons and just 32 starts with the Junior B Leamington Flyers, preparing to embark on his rookie season at Lowell.

In 2016-17, he'd make 37 starts for the River Hawks, establishing a career-best 2.06 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

Hello, Tyler Wall.

"I think when I was coming in freshman year, I was kind of wide-eyed, just taking everything in and sort of running with the wave," he said. "We had a really strong team, and they didn't need me to be as big of a force back there. I would keep them in games and make the big save when I needed to."

His sophomore season was, in his own words, not his best year. He struggled out of the gates and was forced to reevaluate his game and his tendencies, particularly his headspace.

"I think that was the most important year development-wise," he said. "I think the biggest thing I changed after that season was just the mental aspect of my game and sort of visualization techniques and different things I never really considered before that year."

Those visualization techniques proved to be a game-changer for Wall, who would compile a 29-15-9 record over his final two seasons at Lowell with a 2.09 GAA.

"It's just running through the game in your mind before you play it, so once you get on the ice, there's a sense of familiarity," he said. "So say we're playing BU - I've already, in my mind, seen those plays come down and sort of what to expect, and then when it happens in the game, it's like I've already done it before."

On March 5th of this year, Wall and his two roommates - forwards Colin O'Neill and Kenny Hausinger - celebrated Senior Night at the Tsongas Center. From there, they set their sights on hosting BU in the Hockey East quarterfinals, slated to begin on March 13th.

On March 12th, however, Hockey East canceled its Men's Hockey Tournament, and shortly thereafter, the River Hawks canceled all remaining 2019-20 athletic competition.

"We were hoping to make a long playoff run," Wall said, admitting he and his fellow seniors weren't shy about expressing their disappointment in their final season's abrupt ending. "Regular season-wise, this was one of the best seasons we've had there, so we really had it in our heads that we were going to do some damage in playoffs and hopefully come out with another ring or something to end our college careers, which we were really hoping for.

"But everybody's in the same situation, so it's not like we're the only ones who had to go through it. I think there's closure there, and I'm happy with how the season went as a whole and some of the memories and stuff that we were able to make throughout the season still. I don't have any problem sort of moving on from there and just taking the good from the season."

In Wall's case, there was certainly plenty of good to be taken. He'd be named the team MVP after leading the River Hawks to a No. 12 national ranking. He'd earn a Hobey Baker nomination and he'd be named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate goaltender.

When you take a cursory look at the goalies who have recently emerged from Norm Bazin's program at Lowell - the Hellebuycks and Huttons of the world - perhaps Wall's success isn't much of a surprise.

"I think that's just a testament to the coaches and resources that we have at Lowell," Wall said. "I know when I was first deciding where to go to college, that was a big decision for me - seeing how much success that those guys had - so I was pretty confident that as long as I could get in there and play some games, I'd be able to do a similar thing. Whether that be the goalie coaches, the strength coach, or even just Norm's system, I think it's pretty goalie-friendly and really sets up for success leaving there."

Aside from star goalies, there is something else Bazin's system tends to breed.

"I know a lot of people sort of count Lowell out because we don't bring in the first-round prospects and whatnot," Wall said, "but if you follow us at all, I think you'll see that just the guys they bring in are all hard workers and willing to put in work, and it shows when we have success every year."

Wall may have entered the NCAA as an underdog, but he won't be entering the Rangers system as one. Now, he has built a reputation for himself. Now, there is plenty of familiarity - inside the Rangers organization and beyond - with his ability to read a play, his flexibility on the ice, his communication with his defensemen, which is something he's worked hard to develop over four years with the River Hawks.

There is, of course, another reason why Wall in particular may have caught the eyes of Rangers fans. Has there ever been a more perfect name for a goaltender than his?

"It's pretty cool," he said with a laugh, "but it's also a double-edged sword because it's pretty easy for players to chirp me and opposing fans to come up with nicknames on the other side of the spectrum. But I enjoy it."

At present, Wall has 103 collegiate games under his belt to add to four years' worth of check-ins, tape review and development camps with Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire and the the club's development coaches and front office.

Those relationships, Wall said, were a significant factor in his decision to sign with New York, as is the organization's history of success with developing goalies.

"That was huge for me, obviously - they have a really good track record with goalies they've produced," Wall said. "Even if you look at [Henrik] Lundqvist - he was a seventh-round pick. I was a later-round pick, too. Then [Alexandar] Georgiev, free agent signing. Just how they've been able to take guys and sort of maximize their potential… I'm confident they can do the same thing with me, and that's ultimately what I'm hoping for.

"Benoit Allaire was obviously a huge factor, too - he's one of the best goalie coaches in the game. So to be able to have a little bit of his influence on me, I thought it would be the perfect spot."

Wall has shared the ice with Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin at development camps in 2017 and 2019, respectively. He's faced off against Hartford netminder Adam Huska several times in NCAA competition, whenever his River Hawks met Huska's UConn Huskies. He figures to become even more familiar with them in the coming months and years, whatever they bring - and whenever hockey is able to resume.

"I'm just focusing on coming in, paying my dues in the AHL and helping that team win, and then going from here," Wall said. "I think with goalies, it's always good to have a little internal competition. I think it pushes you to work harder. I know some guys that are pretty locked into their starting position - obviously, they can still perform - but I think when you have somebody nipping at your heels, that just motivates you a little bit more to play the best every night and put in the extra time and effort in practices and whatnot."

Given the current global landscape, it's hard to say when Wall will get to take the ice again, either for training or as a member of the Rangers. But he vows that no matter when the time comes, he'll be ready.

"Obviously the most important thing is to keep everybody safe, and sports are very secondary to just the safety and well-being of everyone," he said. "I'm finding a way to do workouts and everything fine, but obviously it would be really nice to be able to skate and just be fully prepared for the upcoming season.

"But I'll be prepared for when the season comes."