Rangers’ prospect Brennan Othmann scores 1st goal after 2-month injury absence
Though the news gets worse by the day for the New York Rangers, at least 2024 ended on a high note for several of their prospects playing with Hartford of the American Hockey League.
Notably, Brennan Othmann scored his first goal since returning three games ago from a two-month injury absence in a 7-0 Hartford win against Springfield on New Year’s Eve. The Rangers first-round pick in the 2021 draft had an assist in his first game back last Friday, also against Springfield.
Othmann was hurt in Hartford’s third game of the season on Oct. 19. He now has seven points (three goals, four assists) in six games.
The forward, who turns 22 on Sunday, scored an even-strength goal at 12:22 of the second period to make it 5-0. He scored off the rush, getting behind the defense, taking a pass from Alex Belzile and beating goalie Vadim Zherenko five-hole.
There was a brief scare for Othmann later in the second period. He fell hard into the boards and missed several shifts. However, he returned to start the third period and finished the game.
With the Rangers in a 4-15-0 freefall and searching for a lineup spark, there’s a good chance Othmann will be called up to the NHL once he gets some AHL games under his belt. Othmann played three games with the Rangers last January and did not record a point, averaging under 10 minutes TOI.
He did impress in his NHL debut, Jan. 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. Othmann was aggressive on the forecheck and recorded five shots on goal in 12:26 TOI.
Rangers goalie prospect earns first win, shutout in AHL debut
Talyn Boyko stopped all 32 shots in his AHL debut with Hartford after the 22-year-old goalie was recalled from Tulsa of the ECHL. The second-year pro made 23 of those saves in the first two periods.
Boyko was called up because Dylan Garand is sidelined and Louis Domingue was recalled by the Rangers after they placed Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve with an upper-body issue. Hartford signed goalie Conor McCollum from Danbury in the FPHL to a PTO and he served as Boyko’s backup Tuesday.
The Rangers selected Boyko in the fourth round (No. 112) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Last season with Cincinnati of the ECHL, the 6-foot-6 goalie 13-9-1 with a 3.42 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in 26 games.
This season, Boyko is 9-3-2 with a 2.60 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games with Tulsa.
Rangers forward prospect Adam Sykora scored twice in the win. His six goals in 30 games this season are just two shy from his total as a rookie pro last season, when he scored eight goals in 66 games. It was the fourth multiple-point game this season for New York’s second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Jaroslav Chmelar, a fifth round pick in 2021 by the Rangers, had three assists, for his first three-point game as a professional. The 6-foot-5 forward has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past four games and 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 30 games with Hartford.
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