The New York Rangers named defenseman Jacob Trouba as the 28th team captain in franchise history Tuesday.

“Since he joined the Rangers, Jacob has consistently displayed all of the qualities we want in a leader on and off the ice,” president and general manager Chris Drury said. “As we look to take the next step as an organization, he is a role model for all of our players to follow and the perfect choice to be our captain.”

Trouba, 28, is heading into his fourth season with the Rangers. He registered 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) and 88 penalty minutes in 81 games in 2021-22.

He is New York’s first captain since Ryan McDonagh (2014-18) and will be the third NHL defenseman currently serving as a captain, joining the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon and the Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi.

“Right away when I got here, it was clear that Jacob had a certain presence in the locker room and among his teammates that exemplify what you need out of a captain,” said Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant. “With where our team is at and where we want to be, he is the right person to lead us there.”

Named an alternate captain for the Rangers ahead of the 2020-21 season, Trouba has 257 points (62 goals, 195 assists) in 597 games with the Winnipeg Jets (2013-19) and Rangers.

He was acquired by the Rangers from Winnipeg on June 17, 2019. The Jets originally selected Trouba in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2012 draft.

–Field Level Media