TARRYTOWN – If there’s one lesson Zac Jones learned through his first three seasons as a pro, it’s that there are no shortcuts to success.

Persistence is key through the ups, downs and frustrations.

“You’ve just got to be patient sometimes,” Jones told lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, prior to scoring a pair of goals in the Rangers’ 6-4 comeback win over the Islanders in Tuesday's preseason contest at Madison Square Garden. “We had a really good D corps last year, and I was the seventh guy. It is what it is. The biggest thing was just learning patience and learning that this is a business, and you’ve got to be ready at every opportunity.”

The 2019 third-round pick envisioned his arrival as an NHL regular happening two years ago, when he broke training camp as the left-handed defenseman on the New York's bottom pair. But the dream faded shortly after Thanksgiving, when Jones was demoted to AHL Hartford and spent the final 54 games of the season in the minors.

At the time, he admitted to “getting in my own head,” adding, “I felt like I was almost nervous with the puck.” That humbling experience led to a necessary recalibrating of expectations.

Jones entered the following season in 2023-24 as the Rangers’ seventh defenseman – a step forward in the sense that he was back on the NHL roster, but the lack of consistent ice time could have been viewed as a detriment to his development.

Instead of pouting, he poured his energy into practice and preparation.

“No matter if you're in the lineup every night or if you're out of the lineup, you gotta just be ready,” he said. “You never know when something's going to happen and you're going to get that shot. You’ve got to make most of it.”

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That approach served him well, particularly when called upon at the end of the season. Jacob Trouba suffered a broken ankle in early March, opening the door for Jones to play 13 consecutive games.

The results were eye-opening.

“It was huge to get those games,” he said. “I just feel like I was back to playing my style of hockey – moving my feet, being aggressive in the D zone, joining in the rush. That's the style of hockey I want to play, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into this year. I'm really happy that I thought I proved well enough that I can stick around this league and be a guy that can be a full-time regular.”

It was undoubtedly the best the 23-year-old has looked in any of his NHL stints and likely set the stage for a starting role in 2024-25.

Veteran Erik Gustafsson left for Detroit and the Rangers declined to bring in an established replacement, leaving a lineup spot wide open for Jones to grab. He was never specifically told the job is his, but actions spoke louder than words once the free-agency dust settled.

“Not much talk, but the writing was on the wall,” Jones said. “Once they didn’t re-sign Gus, it was like, ‘This is my opportunity. I’ve got to take advantage of it.’”

Jones attacked the offseason with that at the forefront of his mind.

He spent the first two weeks back home in Virginia to visit with family and friends, then shipped north to Michigan for summer training. That included plenty of on-ice work, but a primary focus was adding strength to prepare his 5-foot-10 frame for the rigors of defending at the highest level.

"I wanted to be able to put on a little more weight so I could make it a little easier to maintain throughout the year – because it comes off so easy, and then it's harder to put back on," he said. "So, if you’re coming in a little heavier, and then it'll balance out throughout the year."

A bulked-up Jones arrived at training camp determined to seize his opportunity − and not to take it for granted.

Head coach Peter Laviolette has referred to it as "a battle" for the opening on the third pair − "There are other defensemen here, as well," he noted − and Jones is treating it as such.

"They’re not just going to give me a spot," he said. "I’ve still got to work for it. I’ve still got to earn that spot. I'm just coming here with the mindset of, it's a tryout."

Veterans such as Ben Harpur, Connor Mackey and Chad Ruhwedel, along with younger players looking to make their own mark in Victor Mancini, Matthew Robertson and Brandon Scanlin, will serve to push Jones, but his puck skills, mobility and playmaking give him a decided edge and enticing upside.

That was on display when he scored twice in Tuesday's exhibition − once on a nifty breakaway move that ended with a five-hole finish, followed later in the Blueshirts' six-goal third period by a booming slap shot from above the left circle. And while questions will persist about his ability to move big-bodied forwards, particularly in front of the net, No. 6 should finally get the chance to answer them over the course of a full NHL season.

Some thought he'd have to go elsewhere to lock down that kind of role, but Jones bided his time and is now positioned to clear that hurdle with the organization that drafted him.

"I'm really happy to get the opportunity to do it here in New York," he said. "This place is special, and I definitely want to be a part of it."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Patience finally paying off for NY Rangers defenseman Zac Jones