Othmann practiced on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin in L.A. on Monday. That’s a pretty significant step up in responsibility for the rookie forward, who’s been tethered to a bottom-six role largely on the fourth line since he was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League before the Feb. 25 game against the Islanders.

The 22-year-old got a taste of skating with the big guns Saturday, when coach Peter Laviolette juggled lines looking for some life when the Rangers started slowly against the Vancouver Canucks. Othmann moved up to play alongside Trocheck and Panarin after he was one of the few notcieable skaters for the Rangers in the first period or two.

Though he didn’t play a lot — just 8:17 TOI — Othmann was a force physically with five hits and picked up his first NHL point, assisting on Adam Fox’s second-period goal that tied the score 1-1. Othmann also created havoc in the Canucks crease when K’Andre Miller scored in the third period to make it 3-2 Rangers.

Brennan Othmann gets his first NHL point as Adam Fox ties the game! pic.twitter.com/MplOOtVGw5

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 22, 2025

Simply, Othmann made a difference in the Rangers 5-3 victory and looks like he’ll be rewarded with a larger role Tuesday against the Kings, a team that’s won three straight and eight of nine.

Fighting for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers have been cautious with Othmann. He’s averaged just 9:05 TOI in 13 games, topping 10 minutes five times. Most of his minutes have been on the fourth line, where’s he’s been strong on the forecheck, physical and diligent defensively.

But Othmann’s DNA is to be a goal scorer, and he’s played a big offensive role his whole life. The 2021 first-round pick scored 50 goals in 66 OHL games with Flint in 2021-22 and 21 last season as a rookie pro in Hartford, second-most on the team. Despite an injury this season, he had 12 goals in 27 games for Hartford.

No disrespect to Matt Rempe, but Othmann will have more chance to reach his potential offensively skating on a line with Panarin and Trocheck. The former had 49 goals and 120 points last season, and leads the Rangers again this season with 31 goals and 75 points so far. The latter is second on the Rangers with 20 goals and tied for third with 49 points.

As long as Othmann can keep up and get to the net consistently with Panarin and Trocheck, and also prove he can be trusted defensively against other team’s best forwards, this feels like a chance worth taking.

Related: Brennan Othmann among winners from Rangers shocking 5-3 win over Canucks

Sam Carrick doesn’t practice with Rangers due to personal reasons

The rest of the forward lines at practice were as they ended up Saturday. J.T. Miller centered a line with Alexis Lafreniere and Jonny Brodzinski; and Mika Zibanejad was in the middle of Chris Kreider and Will Cuylle.

The fourth line consisted of Rempe, Juuso Parssinen and Brett Berard, who was a healthy scratch Saturday.

Veteran center Sam Carrick didn’t practice due to personal reasons. The 33-year-old, who has six goals and 18 points, has played all 71 games this season.

As such, Nicolas Aube-Kubel was recalled from Hartford. The 2022 Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche was acquired by the Rangers from the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the NHL trade deadline March 7 for Hartford defenseman Erik Brannstrom.

Aube-Kubel has 301 games of NHL experience and played for Laviolette in 2022-23 with the Washington Capitals. The 28-year-old had two points (one goal, one assist) in 19 games with the Sabres this season and scored the game-winning goal in overtime for Hartford in a 2-1 win against Milwaukee on Saturday.

Pending the outcome of the game between the Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, the Rangers are ninth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card.

The seventh-place Wolf Pack (25-29-5-2, 57 points) are nine points behind the sixth-place Springfield Thunderbirds for the final playoff spot in the American Hockey League’s Atlantic Division. Time is the enemy for the Wolf Pack with 11 games remaining.

Related: Rangers ‘change the scenery’ to get most out of 2 young forwards

Hartford Wolf Pack news-n-notes

Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

Road struggles reappear

A concern from earlier in the season, the Wolf Pack cannot find wins on the road. They are 2-6-2-0 in their past 10 road games. In fact, they were shutout twice and outscored 36-22. The Wolf Pack were out-shot 324-267, leading to an over-reliance on defense and goaltending. And that didn’t work out so well.

Hartford is 9-16-4-1 on the road. They have six road games remaining and need to win the majority if they have any chance at landing a playoff spot.

Penalty kill woes

Another struggle is the Wolf Pack’s lack of discipline and penalty kill woes have continued throughout the season. In fact, they lead the AHL in times short-handed (232) and are fourth in penalty minutes (895). These stats are of concern since the penalty kill is 25th in the league, operating at 78.4 percent. Hartford’s conceded 50 power-play goals (third highest).

It’s costing them crucial standings points. For instance, the Wolf Pack were unable to kill a five-on-three penalty against Grand Rapids on Mar. 12, giving the Griffins a regulation win with 2:02 remaining in the game. Another instance was against Rockford on Mar 14., when the Wolf Pack gave the IceHogs six power-play opportunities. Hartford cleared five of six penalties, but were unable to generate their own chances because they were short-handed so often. It’s a big reason why Hartford was out-shot 17-2 in the first period.

FIRE US UP WATTYYY 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/vZKVT4MxSy

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) March 13, 2025

New acquisition updates

Brendan Brisson

Rebounding from his worst game of the season on March 7 with a penalty and minus-5 rating, newcomer Brendan Brisson has two assists in three games since. The 23-year-old forward also recorded eight shots last week. Brisson, a former first round pick, has played consistently in the top six since his arrival. Though he has not fared well defensively (also minus-3 against Rockford), Brisson is picking up his overall game.

MIDWEST MACKER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0hVZMJAE3c

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) March 16, 2025

So far this season with Hartford and Henderson, Brisson has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 50 games.

Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

Nicolas Aube-Kubel debuted with Hartford on March 9 and the veteran was injured late in the game and did not return. The 28-year-old forward is day to day but his injury is not a major concern. He joined the team on the road trip and could return this weekend.

Upcoming Games

All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.

Friday, March 21 vs Hershey Bears (Capitals) at 7pm, XL Center

• This is the second of four meetings in the season series. Hartford shut out Hershey 3-0 on Dec. 11.
• Hershey is 37-15-5-1 for 80 points. They are first in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. The Bears are on a five game point streak (4-0-0-1) and 7-2-0-1 in their past 10 games.
• Defenseman Ethan Bear leads the Bears with 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists). Next is Alex Limoges with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists).

Saturday, March 22 vs Milwaukee (Predators) at 7pm, XL Center

• This is the final meeting in this season between the teams. Hartford defeated Milwaukee 4-2 on March 15.
• Milwaukee is 31-19-4-6 for 72 points. They are first in the Central Division and tied for second in the Western Conference. The Admirals are 5-2-1-2 in their past 10 games.
• Cal O’Reilly leads the Admirals with 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists). Next is Ozzy Wiesblatt with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists).

The seventh-place Wolf Pack (24-27-5-2, 55 points) are 10 points behind sixth-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the final playoff spot in the American Hockey League’s Atlantic Division. Despite securing points in five of seven games, the Wolf Pack’s road to the playoffs remains difficult with 14 games remaining in the regular season.

Related: Rangers week ahead in includes big road trip, rematch against Blue Jackets

Hartford Wolf Pack news-n-notes

Chad Ruhwedel – Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

Chad Ruhwedel on 5-game point streak

Chad Ruhwedel has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past five games, including two primary assists on Sunday. He also recorded a goal and assist on Feb. 22 to jumpstart Hartford’s recent surge.

The 34-year-old is a smart veteran defenseman, who takes calculated risks in the offensive zone, often recording shots with opportunities for a deflection or tip. He also goes deep in the offensive zone when Hartford pressures opponents and helps the transition game with crisp passes that typically have low risk for turnovers. Ruhwedel has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists), third most among Hartford defenseman.

Chad Ruhwedel's primary assist gives him a five-game point streak (2 g, 4 a). That's tied for the second longest by a Wolf Pack player this season.

The goal is the 100th career AHL point for Jake Leschyshyn, while Matthew Robertson's assist is his career-high 18th. https://t.co/c6oaN6grMS

— Alex Thomas (@AlexThomasHWP) March 9, 2025

Ruhwedel is sound in his own end. The veteran of 369 NHL games leads the defense corps with a plus-9 rating and been even or positive in 30 of 37 games played this season. He is well positioned, blocks shots, and can clear the crease when needed, even though he’s not the biggest defender (5-foot-11, 189 pounds). In addition, Ruhwedel is disciplined, called for eight minor penalties this season (along with a 10-minute misconduct).

With all the turnover on defense this season, Hartford is fortunate to have Ruhwedel’s steady hand on the blue line.

Jake Leschyshyn bounces back

Jake Leschyshyn had his best game of the season, 24 hours after perhaps his worst this weekend. The center, who turned 26 Monday, had two goals and an assist Sunday after he was pointless and minus-5 on Saturday.

That big game against Belleville gives him six points (three goals, three assists) in his past six games. . His willingness to get in front of the net, paid off Sunday with a pair of goals on deflections, giving him 11 goals on the season, tied for fifth on the Wolf Pack. Leschyshyn has 22 points (11 goal, 11 assists) this season.

Leschyshyn: Over the years, I’ve found success just getting to the front of the net. That’s my position on the power play and I take a lot of pride in it. #NYR

— Keegan Jarvis (@TheKeeganJarvis) March 10, 2025

Potulny on Leschyshyn: I’m glad Jake was back for the third, I’ll tell you that. Huge game. Probably didn’t deserve to go 25 games without scoring, but it’s happened to him a couple times. He had stretches where he was playing better than the amount of goals he scored. #NYR

— Keegan Jarvis (@TheKeeganJarvis) March 10, 2025

Two forwards join Wolf Pack ahead of NHL trade deadline

Nicolas Aube-Kubel – Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

The Wolf Pack debuted two trade-deadline acquisitions by the Rangers over the weekend. Each has NHL experience and upgraded Hartford’s contingent of forwards. Each debuted for Hartford Sunday and was held without a point.

Brendan Brisson

A low risk, high reward acquisition, Brendan Brisson was acquired along with a third-round pick in this year’s draft from the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Reilly Smith. The 23-year-old is a playmaker with a strong resume in the AHL and, before that, collegiately. He posted 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) last season with Henderson and 37 in 2022-23. Despite struggling this season (14 points in 47 games), Brisson was a first-round pick (No. 29 overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Golden Knights and scored 21 goals in 38 games at the University of Michigan in 2021-22. In 24 NHL games with Vegas, Brisson has eight points (two goals, six assists).

Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

A Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for Hartford defenseman Erik Brannstrom. The 28-year-old forward has played 301 NHL games, including 19 this season with the Sabres. Aubé-Kubel played for Rangers coach Peter Laviolette with the Washington Capitals in 2022-23 and is another option for an NHL recall if the Rangers need forward help.

Upcoming Games

All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.

Wednesday, March 12 vs Grand Rapids Griffins (Red Wings) at 7pm, Van Andel Arena

• This is the final meeting in the season series. Hartford won the first matchup 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 30.
• Grand Rapids is 29-22-4-2 for 64 points. They are third in the Central Division and eighth in the Western Conference. The Griffins are 3-5-1-1 in their past 10 games.
• Joe Snively leads the Griffins with 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists). Next is Austin Watson with 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists).

Friday, March 14 vs Rockford IceHogs (Blackhawks) at 8pm, BMO Center

• This is the final meeting in this season. Hartford won the first game 4-0 on Dec. 6.
• Rockford is 24-25-5-1 for 54 points. They are fifth in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference. The IceHogs have won three straight and are 7-3-0-0 in their past 10 games.
• Cole Guttman leads the IceHogs with 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists) and is 12th in the AHL. Next is Brett Seney with 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists).

Saturday, March 15 vs Milwaukee Admirals (Predators) at 7pm, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena

• This is the first of two meetings in the season series.
• Milwaukee is 30-18-4-5 for 69 points. They are first in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference. The Admirals are on a five game point streak (3-0-1-1).
• Cal O’Reilly leads the Admirals with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists). Next is Ozzy Wiesblatt with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists).