There were a lot of New York Rangers fans at the beginning of the season, hoping that their top prospect, Brennan Othmann, would make the team out of training camp.
While that did not happen, It looks like the Rangers and their fans are going to get to see him up close sooner than expected, as the team announced on Wednesday, January 3rd, that they recalled him from the Wolf Pack to replace the injured Tyler Pitlick. Pitlick suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, January 2nd.
This is welcome news for Rangers fans. Many fans thought that Othmann, 20, should have made the team out of training camp because he had a solid preseason with the big club. He produced, played physically, went hard to the net, and looked like someone who could play in the NHL right away.
With that said, the Rangers did the right thing in sending him down to the American Hockey League (AHL) to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Doing so has paid huge dividends for both Othmann and the franchise.
In 28 games with the Wolf Pack, Othmann currently has 23 points on nine goals and 14 assists. He is third on the Wolf Pack in scoring and is currently tied for sixth in the AHL in scoring.
The big thing with this move is to make sure that he gets put in the right position to succeed. That is something that Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette has been great at all season.
Othmann is slated to make his NHL debut on Thursday night, January 4th, against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. Hopefully, for Othmann, his family, the Rangers, and their fans, it will be a memorable night.
