NYR Prospect Watch: Brennan Othmann nets hatty, Zac Jones scores spectacular goal, and more
New York Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann is heating up as he’s starting to find his groove with the Peterborough Petes.
Also, AHL All-Star Zac Jones scores a dazzling goal for the Wolf Pack and Will Cuylle gets back to putting pucks behind the competition after brief stint with Blueshirts.
NYR Prospect Watch: Brennan Othmann
Things are coming together for 2021 first-round draft pick Brennan Othmann and the Petes. In Thursday’s win over the Niagara Ice Dogs, the talented winger recorded a natural hat trick.
Othmann, 20, now has 21 goals and 46 points in 35 OHL games.
After scoring 50 goals and 97 points last year, Othmann got off to a strong start with the Flint Firebirds for the 2022-23 campaign. A trade to the Peterborough Petes slowed down his production as did participating in the World Junior Championships.
Othmann did win his second gold medal with Team Canada earning rave reviews by the Rangers’ Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer.
“He shows up every game with big hits, getting in on the forecheck, and being hard to play against and getting under the other team’s skin,” Ortmeyer said via the Rangers website. “You can also see that Othmann is a more complete player in this tournament than he was in the summer. I think that’s why his line has had success, because he’s been a driving force on that line regardless if he’s getting points on the scoresheet.”
Propelled by his WJC performance, Othmann has found his scoring touch again upping his totals to 22 points in 19 games with the Petes and looking for an OHL title.
NYR Prospect Watch: Zac Jones and Will Cuylle
Zac Jones was recently named to the AHL All-Star Classic on the strength of his play at both ends of the ice for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
This season, the 22 year-old defenseman has registered 6 goals, 17 points in 25 games but none of his tallies were as gorgeous as the one he scored against Providence on Wednesday.
In 16 games with the Rangers to start the year, Jones recorded two points which included his first NHL goal. Although he showed flashes of being an NHL caliber defenseman, Jones could not lock down the left defense job along Braden Schneider. The Rangers opted to send him the Wolf Pack, where he promptly resumed being their best blue-liner. He will be a pending RFA this summer and is in play at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Will Cuylle appears to have a bright future with the Rangers as he’s having an excellent rookie season in Hartford. GM Chris Drury along with his staff decided to reward him with a two-game stint in January and the big winger didn’t disappoint. Averaging just 6:10 per contest, Cuylle looked strong on the team’s fourth line using his formidable size and speed to his advantage. Although he didn’t register a point, he drew a penalty and won his first fight.
Upon entering the NHL All-Star Break, the Rangers sent Cuylle back to Hartford where he scored his team-leading 14th goal of the year in his second game back. He now has 21 points in 41 games and is an AHL All-Star.
Prior to Wednesday’s game versus Providence, news broke that the Cuylle would not be attending the AHL All-Star Classic that takes place on February 6, the same time the Rangers return to face the Calgary Flames.
The watch is on to see if the soon-to-be 21 year-old will be recalled for that contest.
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